[.ca] End of the World - DVD

Science fiction snoozefest deluxe:
By Jupiter's moons, this has to be the most boring science fiction movie I've ever encountered; I actually fell asleep during the big climax and had to go back to see what I missed (which was nothing, since almost nothing over the course of the entire movie). Christopher Lee must have been facing dire straits indeed to sign on for this 1977 borefest (actually, he claims he was duped into making the film - I would say the same thing, whether it's true or not). You would think a movie about a scientist suddenly receiving messages "not of this world" predicting disasters shortly before they happen might be a little exciting, even if it's just in a geeky way, or that the presence of Christopher Lee (playing two different parts, no less) would make even the worst of movies palatable - you're quite wrong on both counts. To make matters even worse, you're liable to overdose on nauseating 1970s décor on the rare occasions when you can actually see what is taking place on the screen. I really hope producer Charles Band and the crew didn't actually travel to a site to do all of the night-scene filming when they could have saved a lot of time and money by just shooting those scenes inside a completely darkened room at the studio. Many were the times when I couldn't make out a blasted thing on the screen. Kirk Scott plays Professor Andrew Boran, the world's most boring scientist. When he begins decoding messages beaming in from somewhere other than Earth warning of major disasters right before they happen, he can't convince anyone else to even care. Compelled to take his boring "we need more scientists" stump speech on tour, he drags his wife Sylvia (Sue Lyon) around trying to find the source of the signals (which he has apparently decided aren't from outer space after all), winding up at a convent where service to the Lord is no longer a priority, to say the least. If you ever actually watch End of the World, take my advice and squeeze as much enjoyment as you can out of the opening scene because nothing else happens during the rest of the movie. The only people who could even remotely enjoy a single thing about this waste of film are those obsessed with watching people walk and drive around aimlessly.

Mixed genres; good for laughs and scares!:
Okay, I know this movie isn't a "classic." But I enjoyed seeing Christopher Lee in a story of a lone priest who finds a bizarre "other world" at a diner late a night. A steaming coffee machine accident and electrocution by neon sign... original ideas abound in this mixture of genres. Sure it's cheap, but if you don't enjoy the sci-fi elements, at least you can provide your own "Mystery Science Theater" commentary!