{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}
[tab title="Movie Review"]
{googleAds}
While it may roll out of its cinematic jar as slow as molasses, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun remains a strong spread of science fiction gooeyness. Released in 1969, this Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (Thunderbirds, Space 1999) production deals with the discovery of a doppelganger planet by way of some Kubrick-inspired psychedelics. The film was pretty much critically dismissed upon its release and, while it still feels like an era-produced television drama, the British film has developed a sizable cult following.
Perhaps Universal, with this release, is trying to cash-in on the upcoming Shout! Factory release of Thunderbirds: The Complete Series on blu-ray next month (YES!!!). If so, then bravo on being proactive and getting this release out before any dormant Thunderbirds hype takes over. Perhaps. Whatever the strategy involved, pairing this release with the release of another science fiction cult classic, Silent Running, makes perfect sense.
Directed by Robert Parrish, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun opens with actor Herbert Lom stealing information about the discovery of a tenth planet that matches the earth’s orbit around the sun. The sun, apparently, has been keeping it from our telescopes and for good reason. When two astronauts (Roy Thinnes and Ian Hendry) are sent to land on its surface and “return” three weeks later, scientists want to know why they turned around and did not compete the six week journey.
But they did complete the journey. The astronauts crash-landed on its surface…and so did their doppelgängers, who crashed landed on the planet they were sent to scope out. Mind twisted, yet? You see, the planet – which looks and acts a lot like our planet – is the exact opposite of ours. The people look the same but they read and drive exactly the opposite of us. Sound familiar? The Twilight Zone maybe?
There is a rumored longer version and I don't know if the script was originally written to mimic aspects of 2001 or if those qualities (including the style of the main title) were hastily put together after Kubrick's film was released. I’d also love to hear someone comment on “The Parallel” episode of The Twilight Zone this movie pretty much echoes. While the whole mind-bending aspect of the movie is derailed with some pretty repetitive moments, Parrish does provide a nice fluidity to the script by Donald James. The dialogue is crisp and so are some of the shots. Maybe this needed a tighter editing process, though.
What we have; however, is Anderson’s first big reinvention. All through the sixties, the Thunderbirds creator was making a name for himself with supremely high quality marionettes but his productions continued to evolve - showcasing some of the best special visual effects anywhere – and he started wanting to actually work with actors.
If you grew up on a diet of afternoon syndicated sci-fi matinees, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun is your jam.
[/tab]
[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: G.
Runtime: 101 mins
Director: Robert Parrish
Writer: Gerry Anderson
Cast: Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry, Patrick Wymark
Genre: Sci-Fi
Tagline: You will meet yourself face-to-face when Earth meets its duplicate in outer space!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Remind me to be as charitable to you when one of your rockets blows up on the pad."
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: November 11, 1969
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: April 7, 2015
Synopsis: A planet is discovered in the same orbit as Earth's but is located on the exact opposite side of the sun, making it not visible from Earth. The European Space Exploration Council decide to send American astronaut Glenn Ross and British scientist John Kane via spaceship to explore the other planet. After a disastrous crash-landing Ross awakes to learn that Kane lies near death and that they apparently have returned to Earth, as evidenced by the presence of the Council director and his staff. Released to the custody of his wife, he soon learns things are not as they seem.
[/tab]
[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Available on Blu-ray - April 7, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: A
Universal's 1080p transfer of Journey to the Far Side of the Sun replaces an earlier release. Colors are strong. Black levels are deep. Space scenes are effective and the details on the modeling work are clear. The wide screen shape focuses compositions, while the better resolution reveals the added grain and flat colors of several optical shots. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 is sufficient.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
- No extras are included, which is a shame; I'd love to hear more production details.
[/tab]
[tab title="Trailer"]
[/tab]
{/jatabs}
