Color Out of Space (Review & FULL MOVIE Recap)
-REVIEW-
Nicholas Cage has always been eccentric and his role choices have always shown that. He has been regarded for his chaotic nature and unpredictable manner while also spoken about by anyone under 40 as a legend steeped in a folklore rich with drama and mystique. Every movie that seems to enter into Cage's ever changing landscape seems to only broaden and enrich his status as a jack of all trades. In 2018 he broke into a dark and twisted realm with the psychedelic action horror film "Mandy". In that same vein we are given another truly grime chapter in Cage's acting.
Color out of space was interesting to say the least. The visuals aesthetically combined with the musical score worked in tandem together to create a suspenseful thriller that continued to make you feel uncomfortable as the movie went on. Multiple times during the movie I had to pause it because my anxiety was flaring up a little too bad I felt like there were numerous shocking scenes in this movie that kept me engaged and enthralled the entire time. If you are a Nicolas Cage fan and love his ridiculous acting this has plenty of those scenes for you but with a purpose and with context. Even still this movie was above and beyond way better than I thought it was going to be. A different genre in horror that I don’t really see a lot of anymore. Cosmic horror.
I thought the casting in the movie was 100% on par. And everyone really acted quite well. No one fell out of place. Even Tommy Chong as the local stoner squatter felt super in the pocket for this movie. It was equal parts cosmic horror and equal parts creature feature. There were definitely a couple different scares in this movie that I fully enjoyed. I thought that the practicality of the monsters was very interesting and only made me love it more.
This is one of those movies that I would put on on a rainy day or a gloomy day to entertain me and get in the gloomy day vibes. It is incredibly foreboding to the end of the movie with its music and stylistic choices. I am absolutely in love with the music in this movie. I cannot say that enough!! When you’re when you’re reading the movie recap or this review please listen to the soundtrack on YouTube. Just saying it really sets the tone.
Anyway I would recommend this movie to horror fans that are finding the regular horror stale. It’s definitely a nice change of pace and a good palate cleanser. If you’re a Nic cage fan this is 100% kind of movie that you want to watch with him in it. Especially if you were a fan of Mandy or Willys wonderland.
If I was going to give this movie a rating I would honestly give it a 8.5 out of 10. The pacing was weird but I understand that that’s part of the plot so I can’t really say too much against it. It did have a lot of juicy monster bits and suspenseful music which made everything play that much better. But there were several times that I felt like I wanted more out of what I was seeing. That’s just my opinion. I would definitely recommend this for any date night or even to throw on during a party. It’s certainly a conversation starter and a must for any Nick Cage enthusiast.
Color Out of Space is available now on Shudder!
-FULL MOVIE RECAP-
Color Out of Space (COOS) is literally one of the wildest rides i have ever been on! Let's just get that out of the way right off the bat! It's a movie based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story "The Colour Out of Space". It Stars Nicholas Cage, Joely Richardson, Elliot Knight, Madeleine Arthur, Q'orianka Kilcher and Tommy Chong!
The film is set on an isolated farmhouse in the woods hours from Arkham, Massachusetts. Our main characters are a family. The Gardners. Father Nathan (Cage) moved his wife and three children to this farmhouse after his wife's near fatal brush with Cancer. Right away this movie submerges you in this witch like small town aesthetic and i really loved it. We might daughter Lavina as she performs a ritual by the water for her mothers protection. She's interrupted by Ward Phillips, a hydrologist sent to conducts studies on the local water supply.
The two part ways and we enter the families property. It's a lush farm with Alpacas, a dog a horse and a nifty little water well used by the family despite the Lavina's wishes. It's a truly relaxing space that you would see on someones instagram.. you know those influencers with amazing places you could only dream of. The family has a normal day . They eat dinner and head to bed. But something was different on this night. On this night a meteor the size of a small dog would strike the Gardner property illuminating the sky in a radiant purple/pink hue. The crash of the meteor was enough to awaken anyone sleeping and completely freak the entire family out. The composed themselves and gathered again in the house to find the youngest Jack completely traumatized unable to speak. Nate claims that everything has a smell over it. As we hear the family start to unravel and the tension fill.
The family goes to bed and the next day has started. In the morning the sheriff and the Mayor arrive to see the meteor. Ward shows up to investigate the scene and in ture awkward fashion is introduced to Nate by his daughter. The group discusses the foreign object as it sizzles in the sunshine. The press , Mayor and sheriff all leave the scene as Ward has a closer look. We are cut off from our study of the rock as Nick Cage exclaims "it's time to milk the alpacas!" We get a true Cage scene of the highest caliber as he weirdly milks one and drinks it in front of Ward and his son. Nate believes alpacas are the animal of the future...
Ward asks if anyone else is living on the property and Nate tells him about Ezra.Ezra is a squatter that lives in a shack on the back end of their property. He keeps to his stoner self and rarely talks to anyone so Nate sends his oldest Benny to introduce him.
The air thickens as a storm starts to move in and we are introduced to Ezra(Tommy Chong). He speaks of decoding messages and offers weed and java to the guys as they sit to talk. His pad is just that a pad! An eco friendly self sustained cabin fit with security cameras and everything.. completely off the grid.. high school me was jealous. He offers a cup of water to Ward.. Ward looks at it and notices a hue and sheen to it that seems off.. he smells it offers to test it. He takes a sample and the storm kicks in quick!
A foreboding feeling is in the air now as a full on storm has erupted. Lavina stands in the rain and as Nate brings her inside they both witness lightning the same color we saw before striking the meteor several times. Shit is getting weirder by the second!
Ward tests the water in his field tent and the strip is the same exact color!! He sits at his tent and his radio begins to glitch out . His phone rings and he answers it. nothing just a weird water noise....his car turns on and off..something is happening but what??
The next day the Gardners check on the meteor and are astounded when they see its gone.But they notice a single new flower near the well....same color. The press arrives to cover the story and later that night we see they edited Nate to look like a complete moron. It's hilarious to see him freak out over the news coverage as they paint him to be a UFO nut. with no proof. Pressure is starting to build. As the mother begins to chop carrots in the kitchen we hear the rest of the interview play out. As Jack moves towards his mother a high pitch squeal starts to the beat of her chopping.....Jack pulls on his mothers dress...AND SHE CHOPS HER FUCKING FINGERS OFF....AND KEEPS CHOPPING like she's in a daze!! Blood squirts on jack's face as he tells his father and she exclaims "dinner's ready".
Nate in a rush leaves with his wife to take her hours away to the nearest ER. leaving his three kids in charge of the farm.hours turn to seconds and it's morning again..
A high pitch squealing is heard again ...
Benny rounds up the alpaca giving them food and water as we continue to hear it. The kids gone on like nothing has happened but start noticing more and more flowers of that sam hue. A lot more than before. We get a creepy scene where Jack claims to be talking to a man in their well. He starts whistling to the man and as Lavina gets up she hears a whistle back..I wanna take this second to say you should really be listening to this movies soundtrack during this blog. It's stupendous!
Anyway. Lavina gets a call from her father at the ER but they both he jumbled up noise that sometimes sounds like panic on the other end. Something is contorting reality. We see a praying mantis hatch from inside t