Color Out of Space (2019)
Director: Richard Stanley
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine ArthurRuntime: 111 minutes
Synopsis: A secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.
Performances: 5/10
Screenplay: 4/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Screenplay: 4/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Verdict: "Color Out of Space" is an adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft short story by the same name in which a strange meteorite hits an isolated farm and brings with it all kinds of trouble (no, it's not Superman's origin story). Starring Nicolas Cage, it had the potential of being the "Mandy" of last year, an exception to Cage's evergoing fall from grace. With similar vibes to films such as "The Void" or "Annihilation", it definitely was still a step up from the actor's other work but never really reaches its full potential.
I'll still admit that Richard Stanley's long awaited return behind the camera did deliver in terms of spectacle. Plays with the lighting, score, and creature design (despite being slightly let down by some cheap but never distracting CGI work) did at times, and mostly during the film's final third, give the feeling that the events were taking place on an entirely different planet. It was colorful yet nightmarish, and witnessing the atmosphere it created was alone worth the watch for me. What however keeps it from being as memorable as the aforementioned examples were the script and sadly Nicolas Cage's performance, which belonged to an entirely different movie in my opinion. He was the usual over-the-top self we've seen him portray in so many movies in the past few years, and it was impossible to take any of his actions, especially the ones driven by emotion, seriously. But truth be told, the lines fed to him weren't of any help either as they too felt very sloppy and sort of misplaced within the film's universe. It was extremely difficult to buy the family dynamic that was going on, and the forced introduction to a few supporting characters mostly there for convenience purposes really didn't help their case.
I haven't read the original story so I'm not entirely sure how faithful that adaptation was, but I wasn't as blown away by it as I was hoping to be. It definitely isn't as bad as some of Nicolas Cage's recent disasters, but his performance belonged in one of those unfortunately. It still did manage to sneak in more than a few interesting shots, but other than that, I don't see "Color Out of Space" leaving the Earth's atmosphere.
I'll still admit that Richard Stanley's long awaited return behind the camera did deliver in terms of spectacle. Plays with the lighting, score, and creature design (despite being slightly let down by some cheap but never distracting CGI work) did at times, and mostly during the film's final third, give the feeling that the events were taking place on an entirely different planet. It was colorful yet nightmarish, and witnessing the atmosphere it created was alone worth the watch for me. What however keeps it from being as memorable as the aforementioned examples were the script and sadly Nicolas Cage's performance, which belonged to an entirely different movie in my opinion. He was the usual over-the-top self we've seen him portray in so many movies in the past few years, and it was impossible to take any of his actions, especially the ones driven by emotion, seriously. But truth be told, the lines fed to him weren't of any help either as they too felt very sloppy and sort of misplaced within the film's universe. It was extremely difficult to buy the family dynamic that was going on, and the forced introduction to a few supporting characters mostly there for convenience purposes really didn't help their case.
I haven't read the original story so I'm not entirely sure how faithful that adaptation was, but I wasn't as blown away by it as I was hoping to be. It definitely isn't as bad as some of Nicolas Cage's recent disasters, but his performance belonged in one of those unfortunately. It still did manage to sneak in more than a few interesting shots, but other than that, I don't see "Color Out of Space" leaving the Earth's atmosphere.
FINAL GRADE: 5/10
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