Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Blast-Off Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 14, 2017

Don Sharp's "Blast-Off" a.k.a. "Those Fantastic Flying Fools" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original theatrical trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Sir Harry Washington Smythe

It is very obvious what the prolific producer Harry Alan Towers and director Don Sharp were trying to accomplish when they teamed up for Blast-Off a.k.a. Those Fantastic Flying Fools. Two years after the release of Ken Anakin’s Oscar-nominated Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, they realized that there was enough interest for a copycat that would do well in some major territories and quickly booked a few big-time actors to make their project look legit. Towers even came up with the brilliant idea to cite Jules Verne’s writings as an inspiration for it. So at least in the beginning Towers and Sharp knew exactly what they were doing.

Then at some point their project started falling apart. It is difficult to tell precisely what triggered the collapse, but suffice to say the final version of the film has very little to do with any of Vern’s writings. The most likely scenario is that Towers’ original story was nothing more than a concept that screenwriter Dave Freeman was left to develop, and he failed miserably. Either way, the end result is quite a mish-mash of exotic ideas that simultaneously pull the film in completely different directions.

Now here’s a shocker: The narrative disintegrates so rapidly that the stars -- and there are in fact quite a few of them -- are basically left trying to figure out a way out of this oddly misguided period adventure film and watching them struggle is quite the treat. Indeed, most appear completely clueless as to what the film’s objective is and basically engage in long and quite wild improvisations that frequently make them appear as if they are under the influence of some powerful ‘happy’ drug. The great Terry-Thomas, for instance, has the energy of at least three of his closest competitors and once he vows to prevent the revolutionary moonship from going into outer space he is literally unstoppable. There are also a number of so-bad-they’re-actually-funny sequences featuring Burl Ives’ corrupt inventor, Troy Donahue’s naïve charmer, and even Daliah Lavi’s deceivingly innocent single lady. Frankly, this is the type of (relatively) big-budget bomb that looks flat-out brilliant at times because once conventional logic abandons it and it becomes clear that the people that step in front of the camera are having fun for all the wrong reasons, the surprises never end. It is too bad really that Towers did not hire Jess Franco to do it because it would have been an instant classic.

The production designs are nowhere near as impressive as those seen in Anakin’s film, but they are not disappointing either. On the contrary, there are very interesting period sets and decors, and many of the costumes are in fact first-class. (Towers hired designer Carl Toms, who had just done some fantastic work for Don Chaffey’s One Million Years B.C.).

*It is unfortunate that no one cared to record an audio commentary or at least conduct a lengthy interview with Towers while he was still alive. It is clear that there was a lot of drama before and during the production process that led to all sorts of dramatic changes, and even the departure of stars like Klaus Kinski and Senta Burger that had previously committed to the film.

Blast-Off Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Don Sharp's Blast-Off arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release is sourced from a master that must have been prepared rather recently because the film looks very healthy. Indeed, there are a few tiny flecks that pop up here and there and some minor density fluctuations, but delineation, clarity and depth have the type of consistency that old masters are largely incapable of producing. Grain is also quite well exposed, though ideally it should be even better resolved. Also, there are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable and saturation is quite good. There is room for minor improvements, but the basic color values here are actually far more convincing that those we have seen from a number or recent high-profile 2K/4K restorations (and especially restorations coming from Fox). Image stability is good. Lastly, there are no distracting age-related imperfections to report in our review. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Blast-Off Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

John Scott's score is quite ambitious, but the film's original sound design is mostly unimpressive. Even during the big action sequences dynamic movement remains modest at best, while some awkward editing choices actually create a few minor balance issues. However, the quality of the lossless track, not the sound design, is very good.

Blast-Off Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Blast-Off. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Blast-Off Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you attempt to compare Don Sharp's Blast-Off to Ken Anakin's Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines you will be severely disappointed. Now, if you approach the film with the proper mindset -- which would be to remember that it was envisioned by Sharp and the prolific producer Harry Alan Towers, the creative duo behind Bang! Bang! You're Dead!, The Face of Fu Manchu, and The Brides of Fu Manchu -- I guarantee you would have a great time with it. It is a genuinely whacky period adventure film with a whole bunch of big stars that appear completely lost in it. I loved it, and I think that if you give it a chance, you will as well. (Special recommendation: If you are a Terry-Thomas fan, order your copy now). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.