A few thoughts: Often credited as the first horror movie ever produced by Hammer, this science fiction film wastes absolutely no time, starting off with a rocket ship crashing to Earth within the first 2 minutes. Shot in black and white and taking place in a modern setting, nothing about this movie really screams "Hammer", but it still holds a place of importance within the studio and makes for a pretty entertaining film to boot. Sadly, in spite of how fast the movie comes to the point, it takes its sweet time to do anything with it. It's a weird sort of pacing issue, making me think it might have been better off developing characters a little while longer before jumping into the main thrust of the plot. Still, at only 75~ minutes, even the slow parts don't drag on too long. While it isn't a straight up alien invasion movie, it does an excellent job at establishing the threat of this strange mutation that could very well wipe out life on earth. Not a masterpiece or anything, but a movie I still enjoy that helped move Hammer in the right direction.
People who enjoy paranoid '50s sci/fi, or anyone interested in the Quatermass character/films -- this was the first of 3 which Hammer produced.
My grade: C+
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