Before a few weeks ago, this had been my only exposure to the adventures of Quatermass over the years, my memory of this one was a little shakey at best, but upon a rewatch, it's a rather remarkable little experiment. Granted it would have probably worked a lot better as a straightforward TV drama than a live broadcast but as a way to experience Nigel Kneale's original teleplay, this will do you just fine even if the updated setting makes the story and many scenes feeling anachronistic.
Sam Miller's direction is limited due to the live broadcast nature of the production but it's far from bad. At the same time, Richard Fell's streamlining of the original material isn't terrible. However, I would say that the guys at Hammer did a better job in adapting and condensing the material even if they negated some critical plot elements which Fell kept. Tim Atack's music is adequate and ultimately very of its time. Still, the best piece was the use of the original serial's opening credits and its patterned use of Gustav Holst's Mars before transitioning into an updated rendition of both.
The performances from its central cast are all genuinely well rounded, with Adrian Dunbar being a personal highlight, although I feel that Jason Flemyng is miscast as Quatermass, he's not bad, however, when both David Tennant and especially Mark Gatiss are starring alongside, you ultimately wonder what could have been if either of them had taken the titular role. All in all, as the first live drama in over twenty years (although the DVD is slightly edited to remove any errors and imperfections) and to date, the last time we saw the good professor on our screens, The Quatermass Experiment was far from a misfire I've seen it called. It does Kneale's material justice and remains a solid final outing for good old Bernard.
Sam Miller's direction is limited due to the live broadcast nature of the production but it's far from bad. At the same time, Richard Fell's streamlining of the original material isn't terrible. However, I would say that the guys at Hammer did a better job in adapting and condensing the material even if they negated some critical plot elements which Fell kept. Tim Atack's music is adequate and ultimately very of its time. Still, the best piece was the use of the original serial's opening credits and its patterned use of Gustav Holst's Mars before transitioning into an updated rendition of both.
The performances from its central cast are all genuinely well rounded, with Adrian Dunbar being a personal highlight, although I feel that Jason Flemyng is miscast as Quatermass, he's not bad, however, when both David Tennant and especially Mark Gatiss are starring alongside, you ultimately wonder what could have been if either of them had taken the titular role. All in all, as the first live drama in over twenty years (although the DVD is slightly edited to remove any errors and imperfections) and to date, the last time we saw the good professor on our screens, The Quatermass Experiment was far from a misfire I've seen it called. It does Kneale's material justice and remains a solid final outing for good old Bernard.