Search - Kronos/Spaceways on DVD

Underrated 50's sci-fi

A. Gammill | West Point, MS United States | 03/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I'm delighted that Image is releasing many of its genre titles from the "Wade Williams Collection" in very affordable 2-packs. I've said it before, but here it comes again...it's just a GREAT time to be a fan of 50's sci-fi flicks.Now, on to the films. KRONOS is easily the better of the two, and is presented in widescreen "Regalscope." This is a good thing, because there are a number of long shots of the Kronos machine stomping across the countryside. The plot is typical of the drive-in fare of the period: Scientists come together to stop a menace from outer space; in this case, it's a giant energy-sucking robot. Also typical of the era, it's more Fiction than Science, but it's great for what it is.SPACEWAYS has the distinction of being the first sci-fi film produced by England's Hammer Studios, far better known for their horror output beginning in the latter part of the decade. It's essentially a murder-mystery, with a generous dose of space trappings to make it science fiction. Wooden acting and cheap effects abound, making this a fairly tedious affair. But for science fiction completists, or fans of Hammer director Terence Fisher, it's worth a look.In short, KRONOS is a minor classic; SPACEWAYS is a curiosity of interest only to hardcore 50's sci-fi buffs."

Great for the price

Roger Gay | Haninge, Sweden | 12/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"So, you decided to get two movies for one low price. You know that's what you bought, and you're not expecting modern block-busters like I, Robot, the entire Star Wars collection, or Transformers. Good. You're not going to get that.

What you will get is two black & white films from the 1950s (1953, 1957). If you like that sort of thing, you will no doubt at least find these films interesting - and stressing if you "like" this sort of thing, I don't believe you'll be disappointed.

Both seem rather low budget, but done surprisingly well (once "low budget" is mentioned). I enjoy stepping into my own time machine to see something audiences in the 1950s were watching. In that context, and at this price, I'd have to say it was a good effort - yes, I like looking at the "high tech" gadgets in movies from all eras, I really do.

Spaceways creators seemed to put their money in high tech (for the day) props and possibly actors (don't know what they got paid back then, but they weren't bad actors). Then, shot the film as quickly as possible - i.e. it sometimes seems like lines are read in first rehearsal. This might sound like the acting was all terrible, but this is where I got the impression that the actors were good. They pulled it off pretty well anyway. However, the twists and turns in the plot line come out flat, and it feels like the story is told by checking off each event (possibly didn't spend enough on writers). Of critcal technical interest, is that they did use a three-stage rocket, although stock footage from a one-stager for tack-off scenes. Aaaaah and don't you miss the days when scientists could so easily schedule another mission just to prove something having to do with their personal lives and a girlfriend could talk here way into being part of the mission! Yes - there's not much of a boundary between science and emotionally driven drama in a murder mystery involving space scientists.

I was really looking for Kronos and have seen reviews elsewhere. Some people regard it as one of the must-sees of the 1950s for anyone interested in ancient sci-fi. It's been talked about so much, and really so accurately elsewhere. I suppose I could say something along the lines of what I said above - great job on a low budget; but I think the special effects for the era were quite interesting and can still get to you; at least a little. Kronos is a scary thing."