At first blush this impresses as a little bit of a curiosity. It would seem to fit into the same loosely connected realm of horror and sci-fi as, say, Stephen King's 'Firestarter,' or Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Cure,' where the suggestion of death and destruction merely by force of will is the central conceit. What person hasn't had those intrusive thoughts, wishing they could enact something to happen just by thinking it? Still more curious is the narrative structure in which the character who bears the gift is meaningfully seen only in flashbacks, and we instead follow efforts to understand him secondhand; 'Citizen Kane' comes to mind to some degree. As if all this weren't enough, 'The Medusa touch' comes across as a very British production, as the chief figure in the story is a police inspector (from abroad, because of course), and a fair length of the picture is often filled with a certain wry humor like what one may expect of many similar programs on the BBC. In some measure, though, all these facets to first greet us are kind of red herrings, for as it goes on the movie becomes increasingly compelling, and rewarding as a viewer, and perhaps more so as it's decidedly quite unlike what one may commonly expect of genre fare. In fact, I've watched some breathtakingly great movies of late, and this is surely one of them.
Peculiar as the storytelling approach seems, it actually works incredibly well. One can easily imagine how telekinetic abilities might be portrayed in a more readily grabbing and visceral manner. Or rather, we don't need to imagine - 'Akira,' 'X-Men,' and a long list of action flicks have been made about people with extraordinary superpowers. Such bombast can be very fun and worthy of its own accord, but there's a big difference between the thrills provided by a highfalutin romp, and the thrills served up by a low-key, suspenseful mystery like this. The slow plotting of each story beat becomes all the more rich and absorbing; those flashes we see of violence, effects, or stunts are all the more impactful, especially at the jolting climax. The glimpses we get of John Morlar's psychology are all the more fascinating, adding a slight layer of psychological drama to the proceedings if not also psychological horror. And to that point: one could say the genre element is borne simply of the supernatural abilities denoted in the premise, and more so of the specific sparing events depicted for the camera, but one can't overlook the unfettered willingness to exercise such abilities (or perhaps the inability to control oneself?) that becomes distinctly disturbing. The result is a feature that takes its good time to warm up, but once it does, the effect is intensely, wonderfully searing.
And, why, all this is to say nothing of the excellence that 'The Medusa touch' represents in all other ways. Jack Gold's direction, Arthur Ibbetson's cinematography, Anne V. Coates and Ian Crafford's editing, and Michael J. Lewis' original music are all exceptional in and of themselves. Moreover, all lend tremendously to the vibrant, captivating suspense, and the earnestly horrifying airs about the course of events as they escalate. The production design and art direction are terrific, and the noted stunts and effects look fantastic. The cast all give solid performances, and every contribution from those working behind the scenes is splendid. Not least, it's worth spotlighting John Briley's outstanding (adapted) screenplay, for every aspect of the writing - narrative, scene writing, characters, dialogue - is vivid and engrossing, each very carefully considered and just as commendable as the next in making this feature the immensely satisfying experience that it is.
To be honest, when the movie first began I found myself wondering just what it was I had committed to. The early length of the picture carries itself in a way well removed from what I had anticipated, and the broad tone at first bears no resemblance to the stunning, gripping spectacle that all will become. That's just it, though: it almost feels like that contrast is intentional, lulling the audience into a false sense of comfort before twisting the proverbial knife. The steady, deliberate plot development takes us on a brilliant journey that starts very unremarkably (if not outright idiosyncratically) before ultimately turning into a fabulously striking, inescapably riveting, and genuinely chilling thrill ride. Whatever expectations I had before watching, and after I first pressed "play," were totally blown away. I can't believe that it was only by happenstance that I came upon this: 'The Medusa touch' is a superb, deeply underappreciated masterpiece of horror sci-fi, an underhanded slow-burn that deserves far, far more recognition. Wherever and however you're able to watch it, in my opinion this is simply a must-see, and earns my highest and most enthusiastic recommendation. Bravo!
Peculiar as the storytelling approach seems, it actually works incredibly well. One can easily imagine how telekinetic abilities might be portrayed in a more readily grabbing and visceral manner. Or rather, we don't need to imagine - 'Akira,' 'X-Men,' and a long list of action flicks have been made about people with extraordinary superpowers. Such bombast can be very fun and worthy of its own accord, but there's a big difference between the thrills provided by a highfalutin romp, and the thrills served up by a low-key, suspenseful mystery like this. The slow plotting of each story beat becomes all the more rich and absorbing; those flashes we see of violence, effects, or stunts are all the more impactful, especially at the jolting climax. The glimpses we get of John Morlar's psychology are all the more fascinating, adding a slight layer of psychological drama to the proceedings if not also psychological horror. And to that point: one could say the genre element is borne simply of the supernatural abilities denoted in the premise, and more so of the specific sparing events depicted for the camera, but one can't overlook the unfettered willingness to exercise such abilities (or perhaps the inability to control oneself?) that becomes distinctly disturbing. The result is a feature that takes its good time to warm up, but once it does, the effect is intensely, wonderfully searing.
And, why, all this is to say nothing of the excellence that 'The Medusa touch' represents in all other ways. Jack Gold's direction, Arthur Ibbetson's cinematography, Anne V. Coates and Ian Crafford's editing, and Michael J. Lewis' original music are all exceptional in and of themselves. Moreover, all lend tremendously to the vibrant, captivating suspense, and the earnestly horrifying airs about the course of events as they escalate. The production design and art direction are terrific, and the noted stunts and effects look fantastic. The cast all give solid performances, and every contribution from those working behind the scenes is splendid. Not least, it's worth spotlighting John Briley's outstanding (adapted) screenplay, for every aspect of the writing - narrative, scene writing, characters, dialogue - is vivid and engrossing, each very carefully considered and just as commendable as the next in making this feature the immensely satisfying experience that it is.
To be honest, when the movie first began I found myself wondering just what it was I had committed to. The early length of the picture carries itself in a way well removed from what I had anticipated, and the broad tone at first bears no resemblance to the stunning, gripping spectacle that all will become. That's just it, though: it almost feels like that contrast is intentional, lulling the audience into a false sense of comfort before twisting the proverbial knife. The steady, deliberate plot development takes us on a brilliant journey that starts very unremarkably (if not outright idiosyncratically) before ultimately turning into a fabulously striking, inescapably riveting, and genuinely chilling thrill ride. Whatever expectations I had before watching, and after I first pressed "play," were totally blown away. I can't believe that it was only by happenstance that I came upon this: 'The Medusa touch' is a superb, deeply underappreciated masterpiece of horror sci-fi, an underhanded slow-burn that deserves far, far more recognition. Wherever and however you're able to watch it, in my opinion this is simply a must-see, and earns my highest and most enthusiastic recommendation. Bravo!