The waters surrounding an island become contaminated by chemical dumping, and people who eat fish caught in those waters become deformed and violent.The waters surrounding an island become contaminated by chemical dumping, and people who eat fish caught in those waters become deformed and violent.The waters surrounding an island become contaminated by chemical dumping, and people who eat fish caught in those waters become deformed and violent.
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Did you know
- TriviaBased on a current BBC TV series in production, it uses four of the regulars from the show though largely sidelines them in featured rôles, favouring new character Del Shaw (played by Ian Bannen, whom director Peter Sasdy knew socially) as the lead alongside Judy Geeson's local schoolteacher, who aids him on Balfe Island.
- Quotes
Dr. John Ridge: Can we stop playing games? These cannisters were yours. They've been dumped in the sea. And something very like pituitary growth hormone is escaping from them.
Sir Henry Leyton: It shouldn't do much harm. Be neutralised by the seawater in a couple of hours. Old Mother Nature has a way of dealing with these things, Dr. Ridge. That's what you doom and disaster fellas ought to realise!
Dr. John Ridge: Unfortunately Old Mother Nature's been nobbled in this case, as you well know!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Judy Geeson: Inseminoid Girl (2004)
So watching this was like reliving a little of my childhood, but it did live up to my expectations in engaging and entertaining, if not exactly thrilling me. Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson (plus the ever-smooth George Sanders as a Navy bigwig) are added to the normal cast to give a little star-power to proceedings and both acquit themselves well, although the former does look a little silly at times in his chic white skip-cap!
The plot is reminiscent of the "Damned" pictures of the 60's but also anticipates "The Wicker Man" in its depiction of an establishment figure exploring a mystery in a closed island community, although the latter of course, played up the horror content and came up with a much more dramatic climax. The direction is satisfactory although I found some of the night scenes to be poorly lit and almost impossible to make out clearly.
The ecological message at the heart of the show, sorry film comes through loud and clear, but I guess my unintentional slip there confirms the contention that it rarely breaks out of small-screen mode to really pass muster as a cinematic experience.
One for the living room and not the theatre.
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Details
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1