ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

______________________

Although it is often referred to as a sequel to "Village of the Damned", the plot differs in enough ways to make the claim seriously questionable. No mention is made of the events in the first film. The only real similarity is that the story concerns six children who were all born to virgin mothers and who are perceived as a threat to mankind because they possess strange telepathic and mind-control powers.



Unlike the first film, however, the children are of different nationalities (not identical blonds, as the children in the first film) and they do not mature at an accelerated rate.

It's as if the basic premise (six super-intelligent kids who are a threat to mankind) was reworked into a new story. The children are explained as being "quantum leaps in evolution" (not alien offspring, as in the first film).

And yet the story never clarifies why they were all born at approximately the same time in different parts of the world (coincidence?). When one sympathetic government agent asks the children, "Why are you here?", the children reply, "We don't know."




Mankind, rather than the kids, are portrayed as the bad guys. Despite some confusion over these basic plot elements, director Anton M. Leader does deliver a clear message concerning the hate, fear, and intolerance which society feels towards anyone who doesn't "fit in", as well as the greed for power which nations feel in their efforts to gain dominance over each other.

Starring Ian Hendry, Alan Badel, Barbara Ferris.
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

This is a good movie, and the trailer does it justice.

________________________________


_______Trailer - Children of The Damned (1964)


__________________
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bogmeister]

____________
_____________

_______________

Ostensibly a sequel to Village of the Damned (60), this one veers off from the original premise — that the new children are alien hybrids.

By the end of this follow-up film, it's suggested that the kids with the glowing eyes may be highly evolved versions of humanity, perhaps on the order of a million years more evolved.

There's no preparation or lengthy set-up as in the first film; by the point that the film begins, the new children have already existed for several years. There are a few of them scattered across the globe and they are already under investigation by a special government agency (represented mostly by compassionate Ian Hendry and the more pragmatic Alan Badel).

The kids soon coalesce inside a dilapidated old church in England for some reason, along with one of the mothers. The church is soon under siege by the British army and we can surmise that things will not end peaceably.



The thrust of the story is mostly about the fears and needs of regular flawed humanity — the government representatives from various embassies have their agendas, whether to eliminate the children or make use of them somehow.

The powers of the children are mostly confined to telepathy, though this extends to the ability for mind control — an effective tool. Their advanced minds are also capable of constructing some kind of sonic weapon.

But the conclusion of the film seems to encompass some mixed messages: the mayhem at the end is brought about by sheer accident. For a moment it looked as if humanity was ready to make peace with the super kids, and though these kids are supposedly dangerously superior, they are brought down rather easily by essentially one squad of soldiers.

BoG's Score: 7 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

Another fine review by the late Andrew Bogdan (Bogmeister) which I managed to rescue from his own message board the Galactic Base of Science Fiction, which has been inactive since he passed away in 2015.

Eadie discovered this "lost board" and called my attention to it, and I found a way to re-post over one hundred of his reviews here, in Bogmeister's name.

As for the review above, I noted one minor error.

Bogmeister stated that a mother of one the strange children was with them when they took refuge in the old church. Actually the young woman was not related to any of the kids, she was just a sympathetic young woman who wanted to insure that the children received fair treatment from the government.

An easy mistake to make if one hasn't seen the movie recently.
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[The Spike]

"Warning: Spoilers"

Children Of The Damned is directed by Anton M. Leader and written by John Briley. It's a thematic sequel to Village Of The Damned from 1960 which was based on the novel written by John Wyndham. Plot finds 6 children identified by UNESCO to have special powers that if used in unison could have devastating consequences for mankind.

Interesting and atmospheric if ultimately lukewarm as a whole. Retreading the plot from the superior first film, it's amazing that this take actually has very little to do with the 1960 darling. Confused? Well you wont be watching this since it's very talky and the makers are intent on making us listen. Listen to some moral quandaries, Cold War politics and even a touch of existentialism. All nicely wrapped around 6 not very creepy kids who actually aren't very evil at all. The acting is fine, notably the taut turns from Ian Hendry and Alan Badel, while David Boulton's black & white photography carries a suitable bleakness to it.

Well made but all too often dull; where Briley's script isn't as clever as it wants to be, the film is mostly saved by some technical smarts and a boldly gloomy ending. 5/10
_________________
The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

A fine review, Captain Spike!

Don't you just hate it when you read a review somewhere which states that this is a sequel to Village of the Damn!
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Eadie]

[Bud Brewster]

[filmdetective]

I remember back in the mid 1960s when the film played locally, first run, and the TV trailers. One girl in my 7th grade class was impressed by how horrible the Communists were portrayed in the film. She died 10 years after graduating. I saw Village of the Damned on the CBS TV weeknight late movie, and found it interesting enough to stick with it to the end. That would have been in 1972-1973, within a year of the death of the film's star, George Sanders. Later, when Children of the Damned was on TV, I watched some of it but not to the end, because it just didn't hold my interest like Village of the Damned did.

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

Thinking Outside the "Plot"!
________________________________

~ A Question for the Members: This unique story concerns an alien intelligence which attempts to conquer Earth by causing all the women in several locations around the planet to become pregnant with genetically altered humans who — after they mature — will use their mental powers to enslave mankind!

The incredible thing about yhis story is the fact the aliens might be located light years away from the Earth!

However, we must ask ourselves this important question!

Even though mankind manages to thwart this insidious plot in all the places around the world where it occured, shouldn't we acknowledge the possibility that more attempts will be made — and the aliens will learn from their mistakes?

~ My Theory: The fact that both Great Britain and Russia have documented these bizarre events means that the governments of the world will be alerted to this unique threat!

Therefore, what safeguards could mankind use to prevent a second attempt by these alien beings from conquering us by using super-powered babies who grow up and become god-like beings?

(Come on, guys! I’m asking a question and suggesting some answers. Now it’s YOUR turn. )
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)