5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A glowing brain-like creature arrives on a beach near a rocket test site via a teleportation beam. The alien communicates telepathically with the children of scientists. The kids start doing the alien's bidding as the adults try to find out what's happening to their unruly offspring.
Starring: Michel Ray, Adam Williams (I), Peggy Webber, Jackie Coogan, Raymond BaileySci-Fi | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The Space Children is one of those films that a whole generation (and perhaps even more than only one
generation) knows from its skewering on Mystery Science Theater 3000. The film hasn't really been regularly
broadcast much (if at all), and there has been a concomitant dearth of home video releases for what remains one of the
lesser known films of this ilk from the fifties. The Space Children plays almost like a flip side to a film that would
come along a couple of years later, but which would have a much greater impact, Village of the Damned. In that
later film, aliens spawn a horde of glowing eyed children who are obviously the first wave of what will no doubt be an
invasion leading to the decimation of Mankind. In The Space Children, kids are once again receptacles for an
alien intelligence, but this time, they're used for good, not evil (well, kind of, depending on your point of view). This
ultra lo-fi 1958 outing was directed by Jack Arnold, who actually started his film career in documentaries (including
receiving an Academy Award nomination in 1951 for In These Hands), but who would forever be linked with
some of the most fondly remembered science fiction films of the fifties, including Creature from the Black Lagoon
and It Came From Outer Space. It's kind of odd that The Space Children hasn't achieved more of a cult
status, for it is chock full of actors who would go on to television fame (and/or infamy) in a number of roles and it also
has the sort of portentous anti-nuke message that has made The Day the Earth Stood Still such an iconic film
from more or less that same era. But it must be admitted that The Space Children has none of the
gravitas of the Robert Wise movie, and in fact is sort of a silly little outing that spends as much time weaving in
and out of some patently odd family dysfunctions as it does addressing the actual alien influence of several kids who
live in a beachside trailer park (no, that's not a misprint) next to a top secret United States missile base.
The Space Children is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1.
While the elements of this Paramount catalog release are in at least decent shape, this high definition transfer is one of the
less stellar we've been offered by Olive, mostly due to some inconsistent contrast. A lot of the film is slightly blown out,
with whites bleeding into grays and differentiation between the two scales minimal at times. The image is decently sharp,
but not at the level of some of the other Paramount releases Olive has licensed. There are a few opticals in the film that
suffer from the expected increased softness and graininess. There's also a minimal amount of age related wear and tear
that crops up from time to time, but never in completely distracting amounts. While this isn't a horrible transfer by any
stretch, it's not at the
relative top tier that some of the other Olive releases have been.
The Space Children's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track suffices surprisingly well for this little feature. Low
frequency ranges are quite impressive throughout the film, but all frequencies are rendered really rather well, and the
copious sound effects are all convincing, at least given the decidedly lo-fi context of the film. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly
presented and Van Cleave's kind of goofy score also sounds great. Fidelity is very good to excellent throughout and there
is no damage to report on this track.
As with most Olive Films Blu-ray releases, there are no supplements of any kind included.
The Space Children is probably going to be most appreciated by those with a certain appreciation for camp. The film
is too haphazard and underdeveloped to ever really work up any momentum, but there's a certain charm to seeing The
Professor catatonic in a mobile home or Uncle Fester running panicked along a beach in little more than his skivvies. For
those wanting a serious science fiction treatment of many of these same themes, there's a much more adroit handling in
Robert Wise's wonderful The Day the Earth Stood Still. But even Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal can't really
compete with Milburn Drysdale chatting earnestly with a pulsating pile of alien goo in a cave.
1958
1958
1964
Collector's Edition
1988
1959
Warner Archive Collection
1951
1959
2000
1957
1955
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1985
1954
1980
2013
1989
1956
1957
2K Restoration
1958
1995
The Alien Incident
1978