Monday, February 17, 2014

Movie review - "Night of the Big Heat" (1967) **

Annoyingly poor British science fiction effort which wastes the talents of Peter Cushing, Chris Lee and director Terence Fisher, as well as a decent central idea. It's set on an island during a heatwave, when aliens decide to attack and kill the local people.

There are a number of story similarities to Island of Terror, which was made by the same people (Cushing, island locale, aliens, scientist heroes, an attack, deux ex machina finale) but this isn't as good. Far too much time is spent on a love triangle between a middle aged pub owner (Patrick Allan), his wife and a trampy woman (Jane Merrow) who arrives to seduce the pub owner. It's a very long story - including a subplot where a local weirdo tries to rape Merrow - almost completely separate to adventures of scientist Christopher Lee fighting the aliens; Cushing's part is an extended cameo.

Merrow is quite sexy and not a bad actor but Allan not very likeable. There is not enough alien stuff, the effects are poor and it's irritating that the humans are saved by convenient rain. It's a shame though as a heatwave is a reasonably novel way to approach an alien invasion film.

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