4/10
Dated beyond my ability to endure.
10 August 2018
"Plants! Green things that live in the soil. Some are carnivorous. That means they eat meat - the flesh of dead creatures. Meat, I tell you. Meat! Plants that eat meat! We don't know how. We don't know why. Elsewhere, Howard Keel is wearing a blindfold. Let's zoom in on it now. A blindfold, I tell you. A blindfold!..."

I may be paraphrasing the film's narration a little - but not much. Honestly, it's that bad! This was a film very much of its time, and it has dated horrendously. In another review, of either Clash of the Titans or Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, I can't remember which, I waxed lyrical about the glories of the "good old days" of moviemaking before the advent of CGI. I expressed scorn and contempt for modern audiences who are unable to appreciate and enjoy old movies, particularly those featuring the best that special effects had to offer in a pre-computerised age - because those are what I grew up on. I have immense respect for the early pioneers of SFX, and their work still has a special place in my film-buff-soul.

But although I remember enjoying Day of the Triffids as child, I am honestly appalled at how bad it is by today's standards - and I'm not talking about the clunky and embarrassing effects. I'm talking about the god-awful script, heinously bad acting, and all-round-abysmal storytelling. What a dire movie! I couldn't stick with it longer than 20 minutes before giving up in disgust.

My love and nostalgia for old movies has finally found its limit, and it's called Day of the Triffids.

Note: Enjoyment not helped by the worst quality transfer I've ever seen, which was grainy, washed-out, faded, and distorted due to not being presented in the correct aspect ratio. The audio also sounded like a 19th century wax cylinder!

Glad it was free on Amazon.
6 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed