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Quatermass 2

Quatermass 2

Science Fiction · Horror · 1957

In England, a group of space scientists led by Bernard Quatermass, who have developed plans for the first Moon colony, learn that a secret, ostensibly government-run, complex of identical design has been built in a remote part of England and is the focus of periodic falls of small, hollow "meteorites" originating in outer space. Quatermass determines to investigate and uncovers a terrifying extraterrestrial life form which has already begun action to take over the Earth.

Movie details

Quatermass 2

“A horrible enemy from the unknown strikes terror across the earth!”

1957 Science Fiction · Horror 1h 25m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.8 / 10

5K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

83 %

Tomatometer

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

In England, a group of space scientists led by Bernard Quatermass, who have developed plans for the first Moon colony, learn that a secret, ostensibly government-run, complex of identical design has been built in a remote part of England and is the focus of periodic falls of small, hollow "meteorites" originating in outer space. Quatermass determines to investigate and uncovers a terrifying extraterrestrial life form which has already begun action to take over the Earth.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Quatermass 2?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Val Guest

Written by

Nigel Kneale · Val Guest

Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy

Prof. Bernard Quatermass

John Longden

John Longden

Chief Inspector Lomax

William Franklyn

William Franklyn

Dr. Tom Brand

Bryan Forbes

Bryan Forbes

Marsh

Charles Lloyd Pack

Charles Lloyd Pack

Work Camp Manager Dawson

T

Tom Chatto

Vincent Broadhead, M.P.

John Van Eyssen

John Van Eyssen

The Plant Tour Guide

Court is in session

Put Quatermass 2 on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.