Spaceways

Despite the disclaimers from both the director and producer, this is a fairly entertaining little movie. True, the space stuff struck me as dated, dull and not particularly interesting (aside from a shipboard explosion which is very deftly contrived), and the action is further handicapped by the colorless presence of Eva Bartok who, aside from her very last scene, does little to engage the viewer's attention. Admittedly, the script is weak in this respect and often gave me the feeling the heroine's role had been needlessly expanded simply to give Miss Bartok more screen time.

However, once the murder sub-plot rears its head and the talented Alan Wheatley makes his presence felt, interest picks up considerably. Andrew Osborn and Cecile Chevreau also deliver charismatic portrayals which help to counterbalance disappointing characterizations by Michael Medwin and (to a lesser extent) Philip Leaver. As for the hero, Howard Duff seems adequate enough, though he doesn't really pull a great deal of weight.

I must admit that, despite his cult following, I've never regarded Terence Fisher as one of the giants of the British film industry, but I thought he actually handled parts of this movie with a fair amount of savvy. Wheatley's scenes are directed (and edited) at a such an agreeably smart pace, one wishes that the Duff-Bartok-Medwin episodes were handled with at least an equal degree of expedition and dispatch.

And, despite the tight budget, I thought production values were more than adequate by "B"-picture standards.

So, all in all, I disagree with the claims of both producer Carreras and director Fisher that Spaceways has little or nothing to offer.