Color out of Space

Great movie! The resolution is fantastic and the quality is the best. Great value and the shipping was fast. Very highly recommend.

Lovecraft is famously difficult to adapt to film. Many have tried and a few have been successful, but overall, he wrote in a style less than conducive to the cinematic experience. I'm pleased to report that Color Out Of Space, as flawed as it may be, manages to capture much (but not all) of the Lovecraftian experience in one of the more successful adaptations of his work to the screen. The plot largely follows that of the source story, with a few changes, though the perspective from which the story is told has been altered. Though not faithful to the source material, I think this change made the story more palatable for film audiences. The special effects are excellent and bizarre (as they should be) and the acting, though not exactly "great" manages to fit perfectly with the madness depicted in the story. Overall, I'd call this a mediocre horror movie on its own terms, but a treasure for those of us who keep hoping to see strong adaptations of Lovecraft's cosmic horror.

"Now all my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large. To me there is nothing but puerility in a tale in which the human form – and the local human passions and conditions and standards – are depicted as native to other worlds or other universes. To achieve the essence of real externality, whether of time or space or dimension, one must forget that such things as organic life, good and evil, love and hate, and all such local attributes of a negligible and temporary race called mankind, have any existence at all. Only the human scenes and characters must have human qualities. These must be handled with unsparing realism, (not catch-penny romanticism) but when we cross the line to the boundless and hideous unknown – the shadow-haunted Outside – we must remember to leave our humanity and terrestrialism at the threshold." - H.P. Lovecraft So the storyline is as such, a meteor falls into the yard on a farm belonging to the Gardener family. As the story progresses it becomes known that a living, cognizant threat dwells in the well on the farm and begins changing the local flora and fauna. The residents become psychologically and physically affected by the presence as well… I have to say I absolutely love this film! It is one of the more faithful film adaptations, if not THE most faithful, I have seen of Lovecraft’s work. I had read the story, “The Colour Out of Space” a week before seeing the film and both left me with the same helpless and haunted feelings. Now the film, being a modernization of the tale, does take liberties with the material, however, it is all well within the spirit and (to some) sanctity of the story. Example? The Gardener family has been living on a farm for a year when the meteorite impacts and things get strange pretty fast (when you think about it, it would have to be an accelerated process in this digital day and age) rather than the changes taking a year to reach full swing as they do in the original story. And that's just one of many changes made... But don't worry, the literary framework is all very much in tact regardless. Director Richard Stanley digs right in making the viewer at home with the Gardener family in a down-to-earth way that makes you care about them, especially once the Shit hits the fan... And it hits hard! The family, at the point in time that we encounter them, is strained emotionally from the mother having battled with cancer and prevailed. That was a personal touch given to the film as the director’s mother had passed away from that. As in the story there are three children; Benny is the oldest who escapes by smoking weed with the local squatter Ezra (beautifully performed by Tommy Chong), Lavinia who is the middle child who wants nothing more than to escape and then there’s the youngest, Jack who is caught in the middle of it all. The family interactions and dialogue in the beginning of the film set the stage as to who these people are and for what is to happen to them. I do not dislike Nicholas Cage as an actor, for me it's hit or miss depending on what project it is that he's in. For this film, once the weird sets in, Cage fluctuates between a father doing his best to hold his family together following an emotionally trying ordeal with his wife and the persona of his abusive father in a way that seemed slightly cartoonish to me at first, but the crazy is appropriate for what happens to this family during the course of the film. For me Cage controlled the fluctuation well... And the remaining cast members react to him recognizing his behavior which is heart breaking for them as the family falls to ruin. It's convincing... Or at least convincing enough. I read that the enthusiasm and energy he brought to the project helped make the film and make it what it is... You'll hear no complaints from me. Madeleine Arthur who portrays Lavinia Gardner was definitely a standout in this film though not in a way that would detract from the other characters/performances. The family chemistry really works in the film. The meteor impact was not your usual rock falling from the sky bit either. This is definitely stranger and more disturbing. Those two words describe this film perfectly. Now once the changes begin some of it is subtle and some of it is anything but! So, subtle... The glistening of the "color" in the ice cubes from the well water in Nathan Gardener's drinks. Not so subtle... Let's just say you won't ever look at Alpacas the same way. The practical creature fx and the digital visual fx combined are used beautifully in this film. It's a good thing Stanley is so well read in this type of fiction because he and his team nailed it. The color, the strange and mutated flora and fauna... It is clear this property and family are being invaded by an otherworldly presence that the director leaves as much to ambiguity as Lovecraft did on paper. The threat cannot be understood or quantified or explained by any knowledge or science we possess. THAT is the essence of Lovecraft's story and that is how Stanley presented the film. And there is some pretty harrowing stuff in this film and while jarring and even heartbreaking... The threat never wavers... It is what it is and it does what it does... It takes what it needs and it leaves ruin in its wake. Even if you haven't seen the film yet, if you've read the story that should come as no surprise. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll stop there and recap: The cast is great, it is truly a nightmare watching this family endure what it does. It is frightening, disturbing and relentless. The film is true to the story despite changes made and devoutly faithful to the spirit of the writing. I was honestly shocked at how spot on this film is... Not because I had any doubt in Richard Stanley's abilities, but because I never thought anyone would get it this close!

I've been seeing people arguing about this movie for a while, so I finally went and watched it. Lots of folks have problems with Mr. Cage it seems and he drove a lot of the negative comments I've seen. I certainly didn't think it was a bad movie. It was pretty decent as horror movies go. But I can't say I was ever really pulled in... I never much cared about the characters or what was going to happen to them, and for that I lay the blame solidly on the writing. The family is text-book Hollywood. Kooky dad, worried mom, kids who fit into high school click stereotypes - stoner, goth, nerd. And of course... when all the bad stuff starts, the pretty doe-eyed blond girl stays pretty while everyone else is melting away. Except for a bit of self-harm and some puking she seems to be barely affected. Yeah, I really didn't like any of them... they're a Hollywood's bland idea of a family. The effects of the 'monster' seem to fall unevenly. As mentioned they mostly spare the cute girl and her virginal white horse... while at the same time doing instant microwave jobs on various animals. Somehow the dad gets an icky skin condition and angry-white-male madness, that passes over everyone else. Oh, and given the 'BIG ENDING' that kindly hydrologist should also be toast... not crawling out of the basement like Indiana Jones out of his refrigerator. Now, the other angle I've heard complaints about is how this matches to Lovecraft's story. I pretty much tried to close my eyes to that... movies will always deviate. This one was fairly close though... it added more than it subtracted. I didn't need the protean romance between Lavinia and Ward... though I guess it gave him an added reason to return to the farm. My biggest gripe in regards to deviating from the story, is that the 'color' in the story is harmful, but it is NOT malevolent... it's never given any motivation or backstory at all. This movie couldn't sit with that mystery though and puttied up the shadows with elements borrowed from The Thing. Even the monsters seem to come right out of that older film. We're even given a completely unnecessary glimpse of its home world... yay! more CGI. Not a bad movie, but not something I'd probably watch again... unlike The Thing.

Highly stylised bit of cinema. Excellent lighting and a great cast. The original story is a masterpiece and this film doesn't disappoint.

Très bon film qui saura ravir les fans de Lovecraft, de Nicolas Cage et de John Carpenter. C'est au final une très bonne adaptation de la nouvelle éponyme, aussi fidèle que possible considérant la relative maigreur de la nouvelle d'origine (une grosse vingtaine de pages seulement), et l'actualisation du récit. Un film qui rappelle le cinéma d'horreur des années 80, et c'est un compliment. Petit détail: la fameuse couleur tombée du ciel est représentée dans le film par du magenta, qui n'existe pas dans le spectre lumineux et n'est qu'une interprétation par notre cerveau d'une "impossibilité physique". Ce genre de détail rend le film plus savoureux et d'autant plus fidèle à l'esprit "Lovecraft" (l'indicible, l'indescriptible ayant une place prépondérante dans ses écrits).

Bon film tout est ok

Una versión modernizada del relato de H. P. Lovecraft del mismo nombre. Muy inquietante. Y excelente actuación de Cage. Excelente calidad de presentación y video. Muy satisfecho con mi compra.

ニコラスケイジ出てるので 自然に星５