1/24/2020 - Color out of Space (2020) - 5/10

While capturing the twisted and ineffable oddities of Lovecraft’s horror vividly, it can’t help but sink into the already treaded territory of HP’s progeny (Annihilation, Thing, etc) and the unhinged insanity of full Cagian shlock. The whole experience left me a little mixed overall.

Perhaps it is angling for the pulp roots manifested in late-night b-movie-dome, but the laughs cut the dread and Cage’s outlandishly mannered performance along with some peculiarly scripted dialogue and events necessitate the evocation of head wags, eye rolls, and chuckle f*ckery. I was hoping for a cleaner, harder, and more sincere interpretation on screen, but we got more of ashen Brando and his mini me from Stanley’s previous wild mess Island of Dr. Moreau; Cage does not ever try to embody some kind of genuine identifiable human but more a cartoon full of absurdity, which cut me off from almost any scene he was in. Obviously, from my cohorts in the crowd who were lapping it up with fervor and glee, my opinion is not the general perception, but it didn’t work for me.

I did like the visual, auditory and full on sensory manifestation of the inexplicable. It can never truly display what cannot be described nor be comprehended by the human brain, but it tried to weave a fascinating version together, which I appreciated. The forces at play were always on the cognitive periphery, which I enjoyed. Lovecraftian dangers are beyond simple human comprehension and the film excelled at making the characters feel insignificant in their own story. The specific visuals, with the trippiness and the creature effects, were quite solid and fun.

Lovecraft still remains fairly unfilmable. COOS encloses its love letter notes to the original well, but it doesn’t work to the level that I had hoped. It is a probable fun B-movie with some solid visual and horror creep, but if you are not there to mix in some Cagian fluff with your Lovecraft Krispies, there will be no treat for you.