Released originally in the US as Enemy From Space, Quatermass 2 was the polished follow up to the succesful Quatermass Xperiment. Quatermass itself would prove a popular series of films based upon Nigel Kneale's popular BBC tv series, and which having been filmed by independant company Hammer Films, would indirectly be responsible for the cult gothic horror film craze of the late 50's and 60's.

plot
Professor Bernard Quatermass in the guise of Brian Donlevy, stumbles upon a young couple who claim to have been burned by debris near a deserted village. On arrival at his obeservatory he discovers that a shower of meterites has landed in the same area, and puzzled he goes to investigate.
He soon discovers a strange military establishment supposedly housing a new plant source. His suspicions are turned and he realises that an alien race are planning to colonise the earth...

dvd
Quatermass 2 for me has remained the lull in the series of films. Splendid as a piece of kitch 50's science fiction, it lacks the menace of The Quatermass Xperiment, or the impact of Quatermass and the Pit. As it is, Brian Donlevy returns to the mantle and director Val Guest and writer Nigel Kneale produce a very competant film.
Donlevy was not Kneale's choice, who viewed the actor as rather too harsh for the role, and its easy to see why. Even Andrew Keir, taking on the mantle for the 1967 sequel Quatermass and the Pit, was a little too rough. But the harsh American and his emotional detachment are perhaps suited to this rather brash picture.
The supporting cast are all excellent, and include a very evil John Van Eyssen (later to play Jonathan Harker in Hammer's ground breaking Dracula), and Carry On... regular Sid James (credited as Sidney James). James is distanced from the comedy farce of later years and instead provides an enjoyable character performance as the ill-fated drunken reporter who gets dragged into the investigation.
Add to that Hammer veteran Michael Ripper as yet another barman (albeit an active one), and we have the groundwork for a classic Hammer picture.

Guest moves the film along at a cracking pace, making careful use of the awesome factory locations. He frames his shots well, making full use of the facilities and creating a frightening urban environment for the action to be played out in.
The towering factory skyline, and some truly visionary cinematography (Quatermass running from the dome) all entrance and drag us in. The climax is never quite as expected, and the films influence on science fiction is undoubtable.
Quatermass was and will remain a landmark in television history, without which British television would have been very different. The influences are most obvious on Jon Pertwee's first season in Doctor Who.

Anchor Bay put together a fair package for the DVD release. Presented in a 1.37:1 fullscreen ratio, the print is clear although a number of scratches are evident throughout. The disc package also contains a note telling us the first two minutes of the film are in a slightly less than perfect condition, but in the end this prologue passes the time well, and the quality issue is one which would be unfair to raise.
Also featured on the disc is a US trailer, which is of slightly poorer quality than the rest of the film, though thankfully has been cleaned up since its release on the promotional Hammer Trailer Collection dvd a few years ago.
Commentary for the film is provided by dopuble-act of Kneale and Guest and is enjoyable and informative.
The disc is rounded off with an episode from the 1990 tv series World of Hammer, entitled Sci-fi. A Half-hour montage of clips from Hammer films, narrated by the late great Oliver Reed.
Menus and option screens are also good, and when cheanging menus we are treated to a "Rainbow drop"-like shower of meteorites.

Quatermass 2 is cracking good science fiction. Higher quality production than most B-features, and more influential than anyone cares to admit.

RJES

DISC:
Feature length: 85 mins
Black and White
Year of 1st release: 1957
Rating: Unrated
Full-Frame 1.37:1
Chapters: 19
Region code: 0
Catalogue no: DV11077
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment Inc
Directed by Val Guest

EXTRAS:
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono; Commentary with director Val Guest and writer Nigel Kneale
Trailers: US ENEMY FROM SPACE Theatrical Trailer
Exclusive World of Hammer episode : SCI-FI