Quatermass 2 Review

Review of Quatermass 2 (1957) by screenqueeen: 👍 3.5/5

Ups the stakes set by the first. The setup with the moonbase is a bit hokey but no matter. Parts are similar to INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS but since Guest had no knowledge of it at the time the likeness only goes so far. The noted cinema verite style continues through this title but compared to the first is much more muted and less noticeable. It manages to give Quatermass more agency than he had in the first and THE PIT which makes it a little less realistic ("science fact" as Val Guest consistently calls these pictures) in terms of how the chain of command operates in this version of Great Britain. It's unfortunately duller than the initial XPERIMENT -- and definitely feels tamer than Hammer's breakout genre flick. Although at a certain point I found myself wanting the Quatermass aliens to figure into the world of Toho's Godzilla, which I guess we technically got with VS HEDORAH.