Episode 695 - Color Out Of Space (2019‪)‬ One Movie Punch

Hi everyone!
So, here’s the thing. And yes, it’s Friday, so that means Fantastic Fest and Andrew Campbell and all of that but let me just say that I am supremely jealous that Andrew got a chance to see this film, because as he alluded to in last week’s episode, I am a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft. Not the barely concealed racism or the other quite valid social and cultural criticisms of the man and his work, but for the absolutely unique mix of gothic horror, scientific advancement, dread of the unknown, and a wholly cosmic perspective. Or as I said last week, [UNINTELLIGIBLE]. I’m going to check out this film at some point, but until then, here’s Andrew’s thoughts on this Lovecraft adaptation.
Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our good friends at the Comics in Motion podcast. Every week, Dave and Chris look at a film which made its way from the comic book page to the silver screen, and sometimes even back again. They look at the lore, the rendition, and everything related, delivering a fun look at each film. You can find them on Twitter and Instagram @comicsinmotionp and on Facebook @ComicsInMotionPodcast. They were some of our biggest supporters last year, and we can’t thank them enough!
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Here we go!
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Hello film fans!
Andrew here. Back today with the promised second of my two back-to-back Lovecraftian features. And it does not get any more Lovecraft than today’s film which is based on Lovecraft short story published in a science fiction magazine nearly 100 hundred years ago. Did you get a chance to check out the subtle, unyielding terror of STARFISH (Episode #688) after my review last week? Well, despite the common thematic threads that tie the two films together, the actual viewing experiences are polar opposites. STARFISH was understated and full of hidden meaning.
But this one? Oh, this one has Nic Cage!
I’m one of those film-goers that goes out of his way to avoid trailers. Thanks to Jeff Cannata of the /Filmcast for showing me the light of the quote “unsullied” viewing experience several years ago. In this case, if I had seen the trailer, I would never have watched this film. Honestly, the trailer is so rough and full of schlocky dialogue and cheap special effects, that you might want to avoid it as well. The trailer even invokes “the return of director Richard Stanley” who 25 years ago was infamously fired from directing THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU which was later completed and universally panned.
That said...
Today’s movie is COLOR OUT OF SPACE(2019), written by Scarlett Amaris and director Richard Stanley. COLOR OUT OF SPACE stars Nicolas Cage as Nathan Garner, a family man who has left the big city rat race to move his wife Theresa (Joely Richardson) and children out to rural Massachusetts where they of course plan to work from home and raise a herd of alpacas. Not too long after arriving, a meteorite crashes into their yard, emitting an unearthly glow of a color no one can seem to describe (it’s purple). Overnight, the rock turns to dust and whatever energy was inside begins to permeate the water table, causing the plant-life to blossom in otherworldly ways. Slowly, the family begins to fall under the influence as well and madness descends upon the farm.
The performance by Cage is that of a virtuoso. The Gardners’ tween son Jack (Julian Hilliard) begins to hear a voice at the bottom of the well, while his witchcraft-loving teenage daughter Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur) seems to have the strongest sense that something is infecting their quaint farm. We get to see Cage as the straight man, doubting that anything is amiss and being a little too cool with a glowing meteorite on his property. As he inevitably begins to feel the viral effects, his natural tendencies to act erratically are slowly ra