Color Out Of Space (2019)

A quite brilliant cinematic interpretation of the classic H. P. Lovecraft tale by director Richard Stanley, who also wrote the screenplay with Scarlett Amaris, Color Out Of Space was best summed up by a friend of mine (and podcast co-host, Craig). I cannot recall his exact phrasing, but he basically said that, considering how Stanley's career has panned out, it's easy to view this film as one that has both the assured touch of an experienced craftsman and also the hunger and energy of a first-time director looking to make a big impact. He wasn't wrong.

A strange meteorite lands near a remote farmhouse, which leads to the local ecosystem being gradually overcome and transformed by, well, the color out of space (or colour, for us Brits). Pinks and purples start to fill up the environment, in mist form, insects, foliage, and more. Meanwhile, the Gardner family (headed up by Nicolas Cage, playing the patriarch, Nathan) are directly suffering from the effects of the meteorite. Will a visiting hydrologist (Ward, played by Elliot Knight) be able to help, or is the whole thing so unbelievable that the full danger won't be noticed until it's just too late?

Almost perfect from start to finish, Color Out Of Space should please both fans of Lovecraft and fans of the film-making skills of Stanley. Despite a runtime of 111 minutes, it doesn't feel overlong, and despite a number of moments that will remind horror movie fans of The Thing and The Mist, it manages to feel interesting and unique. This is all thanks to the gorgeous style of the whole piece, both visually and tonally.

Pinks and purples bleed into every frame, as you would expect, and Stanley manages to make everything seem like a threat to human life, due to the way it is shown to be growing and encroaching on what was there before, and the impressive score from Colin Stetson (sometimes more like an aggressive audio assault) also helps.

Some people will always accuse Nicolas Cage of often being too . . . Nicolas Cage, and there are moments of it here, but he's pretty good in one of the main roles, for the most part. Even when he's on about the alpacas that are housed in the barn, or sampling a selection of rotten foods while he rages about them. Joely Richardson is his wife, Theresa, and the two have a nice rapport between them. Richardson also does very well when shown to be in a fugue state. Of the three children, Madeleine Arthur feels like the one focused on, playing Lavinia, a girl interested in Wiccan ways, and she's great, but Brendan Meyer, as the older son (Benny), and Julian Hilliard (as young Jack) both also do well. Knight is a very likeable potential hero, and there's a nice little role for Tommy Chong.

It may be more of a mood piece than anything else, but what a mood piece. With an abundance of impressive practical FX work, gorgeous cinematography throughout, and the development of the obvious colour palette, this ranks as Stanley's best, and I am optimistic that the positive reception to it can help to boost him up at this stage of his career, leading to a well-deserved renaissance for him.

9/10

There's a nice package available here.
Americans can buy a disc here.