I saw this film with a couple of friends of mine who are SF buffs, working their way (chronologically) through the history of films with SF and fantasy elements. It was a pleasant surprise to see something this good from Ulmer, since my previous experience with him was a snoozer called "The Amazing Transparent Man".
Among its strong points were nice moody lighting, some very nice camera work and cinematography, some snappy acting from the lead actor (Clark) and the scientist and the bad guy (much better than a film with this kind of budget can usually hope for) and some nice use of design and well crafted effects to overcome a tiny budget. I was especially impressed by the fact that the opening scenes, where the hero and the professor have to wade though a ton of exposition, are still pretty engaging and interesting. The alien is a nice example of "less" being more - the huge head, the sketched-in features, the glass bubble helmet and the diminutive body all make for a striking image that goes a long way toward helping the viewer get into the film. So why only a "6"? (Well, it's a "strong" 6). Well, the screen play kind of loses steam right after the plot point where the alien disappears from the castle , apparently taking the heroine with him.
After a nice tight piece of ensemble acting with the five principals (if you count the alien), suddenly the movie is filled with a bunch of villager and extras argy-bargying around in bad Scottish accents, and the hero KNOWs where the alien is (back in his ship) and he KNOWS where the girl is (with the alien), but the hero just sort of sits and watches the crashed alien craft without taking any action. He talks a lot about the situation with the local sheriff. This goes on for way too long. There's also a sub plot about villagers being abducted which isn't quite convincing. And then via deus ex machina, Scotland Yard shows up and takes things in hand, and while things improve after that, the momentum and interest generated by the first half are never quite regained.
But the wind up isn't all that bad, even if it is somewhat abrupt.
I wouldn't recommend "Man" for anyone who isn't a big fan of old time SF films, but anyone who loves them will find a lot to enjoy in spite of the problems.
Among its strong points were nice moody lighting, some very nice camera work and cinematography, some snappy acting from the lead actor (Clark) and the scientist and the bad guy (much better than a film with this kind of budget can usually hope for) and some nice use of design and well crafted effects to overcome a tiny budget. I was especially impressed by the fact that the opening scenes, where the hero and the professor have to wade though a ton of exposition, are still pretty engaging and interesting. The alien is a nice example of "less" being more - the huge head, the sketched-in features, the glass bubble helmet and the diminutive body all make for a striking image that goes a long way toward helping the viewer get into the film. So why only a "6"? (Well, it's a "strong" 6). Well, the screen play kind of loses steam right after the plot point where the alien disappears from the castle , apparently taking the heroine with him.
After a nice tight piece of ensemble acting with the five principals (if you count the alien), suddenly the movie is filled with a bunch of villager and extras argy-bargying around in bad Scottish accents, and the hero KNOWs where the alien is (back in his ship) and he KNOWS where the girl is (with the alien), but the hero just sort of sits and watches the crashed alien craft without taking any action. He talks a lot about the situation with the local sheriff. This goes on for way too long. There's also a sub plot about villagers being abducted which isn't quite convincing. And then via deus ex machina, Scotland Yard shows up and takes things in hand, and while things improve after that, the momentum and interest generated by the first half are never quite regained.
But the wind up isn't all that bad, even if it is somewhat abrupt.
I wouldn't recommend "Man" for anyone who isn't a big fan of old time SF films, but anyone who loves them will find a lot to enjoy in spite of the problems.