Quatermass 2 review – Hammer turns up the heat in enjoyable alien invader sequel
Once again, Quatermass finds himself at the centre of a deadly alien attempt to take over Planet Earth. While debating whether or not to fire a nuclear powered rocket up into space, Quatermass comes into contact with a woman whose boyfriend has been injured by what appear to be football-sized meteorites, which his white-coated assistants have been already tracking on their radar scopes. It appears that these sinister rocks are marking the skin of those humans unlucky enough to come into contact with them, the victims becoming brainwashed by the aliens.
These aliens have already infiltrated humanity so extensively that there is a top-secret conspiracy at the heart of the government to develop a vast secure facility in the remote English countryside, supposedly to develop synthetic food but really to nurture the invaders. The Shell Haven oil refinery in the Thames estuary doubles as this eerily vast domed complex – some audacious action sequences result – while director Val Guest has at his disposal some classic British character acting talent, with William Franklyn and Bryan Forbes as Quatermass's assistants.
The extended shootout at the end accounts for this sequel's bigger budget, although overall it drags a bit. It's good to see Sidney James as the chucklingly inebriated journalist whom Quatermass thinks might come in useful to print the truth; sadly, we never find out if his paper ever actually published the sensational story he was dictating down the phone.
Quatermass 2 is in UK cinemas from 6 July, and is on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from 14 July.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
Love Island's couple's fate sealed in surprise recoupling after Harry and Helena head to the Hideaway
LOVE Island fans will see a shock turn of events tonight following a surprise recoupling - as a brand new couple form. Shakira also seeks the truth from Harry before he visits the hideaway with Helena. 5 Shakira's patience has reached its limit following some harsh home truths revealed in the Superman challenge. She and Harry speak by the daybeds and she tells him: 'You said you've fully ended it with Helena, [and that] there's nothing there with her." Then all of a sudden Meg stands up and says: "You're telling two different girls two different things. Something's not adding up there.' Harry replies: 'I think that I've been honest with you…' This only blurs things further for Harry and Shakira, leaving their relationship more confused than ever. The next day, Harry and Helena venture to the Hideaway for some alone time away from prying eyes. Later on in the episode an unexpected recoupling sees one couple's fate sealed. Meg receives a text: 'Islanders, today there will be a recoupling where the boys will choose which girl they'd like to recouple with…' As the girls stand in front of the firepit and await their fate, one boy makes his choice with the reasoning. He says: 'I don't really know her as well as I should and I think this is a good opportunity to get to know her fully… I find her attractive and over the last few days she's really changed my opinion of her.' Watch awkward moment Love Island's Meg clashes with bombshell Billykiss over Dejon in brutal game Things are about to heat up even more in the villa as an unexpected celebrity guest is set to crash the islanders party. UK music sensation Katy B is dropping in for a night to remember. Known for her tracks Katy on a Misson, Lights On and Turn The Music Louder the islander go wild as she puts on an electric performance. 5 5 5
The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
Love Island's Billykiss' VERY famous ex islander boyfriend revealed – and his girlfriend won't be happy
LOVE Island star Billykiss' very famous ex Islander boyfriend has been revealed - and his girlfriend won't be very happy. The beauty has strutted her stuff into the villa as one of the show's latest bombshells. 4 4 And she's got a famous ex watching on, who also took part in the show. Fans noticed the connection after Love Island's Instagram shared a promo shot of her, and he replied: 'WOOP WOOP,' followed by fire emojis. It's none other than Dami Hope, who rose to fame on the hit dating show in 2022. On the show, Dami met his now girlfriend Indiyah Polack, who is one of the hosts of Love Island spin-off show, Aftersun. Another Love Island star, Tyrique Hyde, has brought the fact that they used to date to light, in a recent video. The caption reads: 'Tyrique bantering Dami Hope about Billykiss from Love Island.' And in the clip, both Tyrique and Dami can be seen together and Tyrique says to the camera: 'Shout out Billykiss though, Dami's ex. If I'm lying I'm dying' Dami can be seen looking on surprised, and replies: 'Oh that's what we're doing now? He's troubled man. He's so troubled that he had to do that.' Watch awkward moment Love Island's Meg clashes with bombshell Billykiss over Dejon in brutal game The boys crack up into laughter, with Tyrique saying: 'Let's shoutout all our exes.' The Sun has contacted their reps for comment. Despite being exes, the pair appear to now have a close friendship and work together for a party company named License2Party. A source told the Daily Mail: "Bilikis and Dami have known each other for years after both growing up in Dublin. "They dated a long time ago but still run a party business together so Dami not given a heads up on her villa entrance may not have gone down well. "Their former fling is guaranteed to be discussed on Aftersun given Dami's girlfriend Indiyah is a regular panellist." Meanwhile, Dami and Indiyah have been going strong since they met on Love Island three ago, and are the only couple from that series who are still together. War of words It's been something of a tough start for Billykiss romantically in the villa. Meg went head-to-head with the bombshell over Dejon in Thursday night's brutal game. The Islanders took part in a a Superman challenge, donning their finest Clark Kent and Lois Lane outfits. Yasmin and Gio chose Dejon as the least dedicated. Yasmin explained her reasoning: 'I don't feel like you've dedicated yourself fully to the whole experience. "I hope you've only dedicated to getting to know one person…' Dejon remarked: 'I didn't know when all of a sudden it's become a problem wanting one woman.' Yasmin continued: 'There's other girls in here like Billykiss who picked you to go on a date because she was obviously attracted to you…' Meg interjected: 'Well he clearly doesn't want her.' Billykiss then said: 'Well he didn't say that. He didn't say he didn't want me." Meg hit back: "It's not up to you guys, we will decide ourselves." She then said to Dejon: 'You say you're open then when she's not around you don't act like you're closed.' Dejon reacted: 'I don't care about any of your opinions, I know what I want and that's Meg." Billykiss replied: "Well close things off, even on the date when I asked if you were open and you wanted to get to know me, you said yes." Dejon fired back: "Please Billykiss, is this like your five minutes of TV or what? "I don't understand why you're still going on.' After some choice words between her and Meg, the exchange ended with Billykiss told Dejon: 'You don't want to hear the truth which is why you're feeling sour.' Viewers were full of praise for Billykiss as she finally delivered some home truths to Meg and Dejon. 4
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE DJ Fat Tony discusses growing up gay on a 'rough' council estate with 'skinhead brothers' and reflects on 'never coming out' to his loved ones ahead of Pride event
DJ Fat Tony has discussed what it was like growing up gay on a council estate in a candid new interview with MailOnline. The legendary music star, 58, real name Tony Marnach, rose to fame on London's club scene in the 1980s and became best friends with Boy George and Kate Moss. He is now the go-to DJ on the celebrity scene and a favourite at the Beckhams' big family events, such as Brooklyn's 2022 wedding to Nicola Peltz. But it wasn't always such a glamorous lifestyle for Tony, who battled addiction for many years and grew up on a council estate in Battersea alongside his 'skinhead brothers', mother and father. Ahead of his return to Ministry of Pride on Saturday, Tony opened up on coming to terms with his sexuality and how his family reacted. He said: 'I didn't have to come out. My parents always knew I was. 'I grew up on a council estate in Battersea, where at that point in time it was pretty rough. My brothers were all skinheads, and it was a lot. It was a tough time growing up, but I never had to come out of the closet and say, "Okay, hey, I'm gay", my mum and Dad always knew from a really young age.' He continued: 'For me, I was very, very lucky in that sense. 'But at the same time, as you go through your teenage years, and you discover who you really are, it's always a big thing, because we give it so much power, and society gives it so much power, especially back then.' Tony seemed happier than ever during our chat, after recently tying the knot with his partner Stavros Agapiou, 32, in a lavish ceremony in London. Going on to discuss friends accepting his sexuality, he said: 'The thing about it is if anyone has got a problem with it, they're not really your friend, because friendship isn't about who you sleep with in bed. It's about who you are as a person, you know. 'My friendship circle is not based on who we have sex with, therefore, why should it be any different? If you come out to a friend, and you trust that person, nothing should change except for the fact that you've been honest, and they should respect it.' Tony and Stavros were surrounded by celeb pals including Davina McCall, Boy George, Kelly Osbourne and Gemma Collins at their wedding, held at the Welsh Chapel in Charing Cross in May. Tony had carefully picked the 19th-century church where he began his career when he was just 18. The pair have been engaged since October 2023 after Tony popped the question during a romantic trip to New York. Following the nuptials, Tony is preparing for an epic DJ set at Ministry of Pride, a full-venue takeover on Friday July 5, with tickets available online from £16.95. The all-LGBTQ+ lineup also includes Catz 'N Dogz, FAFF, Josh Harrison, Princess Julia, Reenie, Tete Bang, and NOT BAD FOR A GIRL. The multi-room event will span house, disco, underground beats, drag performance, and more, embodying the spirit of queer celebration and unapologetic freedom at one of South London's most iconic venues. Speaking ahead of the event, Tony said: 'You don't have to be LGBT to attend, you can be an ally. You can be anything you want to be. 'It's about the music and bringing everyone together. You're going to have fun, you can be who you want to be, regardless of how you identify. The whole thing is about love.' On the importance of Pride, he added: 'It's not about the partying and all of that stuff, that comes much later. It's about visibility. It's about saying, we're here, this is who we are. It's about how you do it and how you celebrate Pride that's important. 'We have pride month for many reasons, so that people don't think that they're alone, and don't end up wanting to kill themselves because they can't cope with their sexuality, or who they are, or society tells them that they're wrong. 'Pride is about letting people know that they're not alone, that they can exist.' Tony celebrated 18 years of sobriety in January, and often opens up about transforming his life to remind people to never give up. Tony discovered drugs when he was 18 and would convince himself that he couldn't DJ unless he was high, sometimes going four or five nights straight without sleeping. At one point, he was homeless and had no teeth due to his habit. Tony had an epiphany and he soon quit drugs cold turkey, spending six months in rehab to beat the addiction. He explained: 'After 28 years of putting people through hell every day of the week, you know the support and love that I got from the right people was welcomed. 'The wrong ones always are like rats off a sinking ship they go, and you know, the good thing about recovery is, the trash takes itself out.' On working in an industry where he is surrounded by alcohol and drugs, Tony added: 'We live in a society where there's a pub every 200 yards, and it's more acceptable to drink than it is not to drink. That's the society we live in. 'So for someone like me that made a conscious decision not to drink or to take drugs, I don't find it a problem because I am the problem. The other people enjoying themselves, that is up to them. I'm not one of these people that think, "Oh, my God! I can't be around that," I probably have more fun than all of them put together being sober. 'People can go out and party and and go home and go to work. The world isn't full of addicts. I on the other hand, know that I can't do that stuff. I know I don't want to do that stuff. That's the difference, and that's why I don't miss it. 'So going to work and being in that environment, it never crosses my mind. What does cross my mind is how blessed I am not to be the last one standing every night of the week.'
