Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry, Herbert Lom, Patrick Wymark, Lynn Loring, Ed Bishop,
Loni von Friedl, Franco De Rosa, George Sewell, Philip Madoc | Written by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson
UK certification PG | UK RRP £9.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 98 minutes | Directed by Robert Parrish
Gerry Anderson is an absolute legend of the British television industry. He created, wrote and produced some of the best science fiction TV shows of the 1960s and 70s — Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett and the Mysterons, Joe 90, UFO and Space 1999 are brobably his best-known works.
Not as well known is this 1969 feature film, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (originally released as Doppelganger), which he co-wrote with then wife and business partner Sylvia. A space probe has made a startling discovery. On the opposite side of the sun is a new planet in our solar system, sitting in exactly the same orbit as the Earth. An manned mission of two astronauts (Thinnes and Hendry) is sent to investigate. Upon arrival (after just three weeks in space!) they crash-land on the other planet ... and make a terrifying discovery.
I'm not going to reveal the plot twist, but it's a doozy. It's a shame, though, that much of the film leading up to it is ploddingly paced, with some fairly average perfomances from the cast. This was the Andersons' first live-action attempt after years of working with puppets (Thunderbirds etc) and certainly set the scene for their future live-action series, such as UFO and Space 1999. They tried to give it a futuristic feel with "space-age" vehicles and fashions, but the computer technology (punchcards and tape drives!) are still firmly stuck in the 1960s. And a plot setup at the start, invilving espionage, is all but forgotten about. Outstanding, though, are the model work and effects, for which Gerry Anderson really made his reputation on his TV shows. I'm not a fan of remakes, but if ever there was a film crying out for a modern retelling, it's this one.
EXTRAS * Just the trailer, which is a crying shame — a commentary from Gerry Anderson would have been nice.