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Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
 
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Journey to the Far Side of the Sun

Starring: Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry Director: Robert Parrish MPAA Rating: G
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Product Details


Product Description

Amazon.com

There's a sense of awe to the special effects work of animation specialists Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (Thunderbirds Are Go)--the slow, lovingly detailed introduction of a massive spaceship creeping out of dock and struggling against its bulk while trapped on the ground, and the almost balletic spectacle of the ship elegantly floating against an impressive star field or dramatically flying against the rugged landscape. These moments are the highlights of this sober science fiction thriller about the discovery of a planet on the far side of the sun in Earth's orbit. A mission is hastily put together, with British astrophysicist Ian Hendry teamed with hotshot American astronaut Roy Thinnes for the three-week trip, but when they suddenly crash-land the strange creatures that surround them are revealed to be human. Against all rational explanations they're back on Earth, but Thinnes suddenly discovers that everything is a mirror image of his existence: Through the Looking Glass by way of The Twilight Zone. Though it begins as a paranoid spy thriller set in the near future (the opening details an ingenious espionage caper featuring a very special eyepiece), it quickly turns into a serious and oddly unsettling space-race drama with a heady twist. Robert Parrish's direction is unusually aloof, but the film is always intriguing and well acted with gorgeous special effects that may rank second only to Stanley Kubrick's 2001 as the most elegant vision of outer space flight on film. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description
Sci-fi adventure and suspense has never been more exciting or intense as when you Journey to the Far Side of the Sun! One hundred years in the future two astronauts are sent to uncover the secrets of a "duplicate" Earth on the other side of the Sun. When they crash land three weeks earlier than they had planned they must embark on a life-or-death mission to determine whether they have arrived back home or on the strange mirror world. This imaginative space adventure offers a journey few will ever forget!

Review

This science fiction/adventure film was one of the better works in the genre to emerge in the immediate wake of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey -- it was also notable as producer Gerry Anderson's first venture into science fiction involving live actors, as opposed to the marionettes that had previously populated his productions, on television series such as Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds. The problem is that Anderson and his production team didn't sufficiently change their methods, techniques, or approaches to their work -- so that except for the performances by Patrick Wymark, Ian Hendry, and, to a lesser degree Roy Thinnes and George Sewell, none of what we see is terribly fast-moving or animated; and Herbert Lom is all-but-wasted in what amounts to an extended cameo appearance. Audiences were apparently supposed to be absorbed by the elaborate model work and effects -- especially the explosions that come up mid-way through the movie and at the end -- and in theaters these were probably very impressive; but on the small screen, they lose their impact. Additionally, the basic concept of the plot, an ultimately doomed (indeed, planet-altering) effort to explore a newly-discovered world on the far side of the sun, doesn't hold up under the treatment it receives here. The pacing is lethargic, and long stretches are given over to the quasi-psychedelic effects of suspended animation on the two (or four) space travellers involved. Those languid minutes kill the already shaky momentum behind the story, which is a fascinating idea, about two parallel, identical planets orbiting opposite each other around the sun -- what should have been a good sci-fi thriller ends up being more frustrating than anything else, for the opportunities that that missed. (And, apparently, the execution was so low-key, that the plot and content eluded one television production executive working for Turner Broadcasting in the 1980's -- the idea of two opposite, mirror-image Earths, on which everything is reversed, was achieved by "flipping" the film for the second half of the story; but some genius on WTBS, thinking the print had actually been flipped by mistake midway through, ordered it reversed and "corrected," so that those watching this movie in its early WTBS presentations couldn't see the mirror/reversal of the two worlds that unnerved Roy Thinnes's astronaut, and were almost as confused at home as the astronaut was supposed to be on the screen . . . . ). ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A+ for a B Film from the groovy 60s, Feb 3 2001
By Michael Pinto "Anime Fan" (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This film is a low budget cross between James Bond and 2001. Produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, this video is a must have for any fan of the television series Space:1999 or UFO. While the plot (which is right out of a standard Twilight Zone episode) can get a little bit thin, the attention to detail makes up for any flaws. Every inch of the production is crammed with futuristic gadgets, mod furniture and cool looking spaceships, cars and airplanes. You really get to taste a 60's view of the "future" filled with video teleconferencing, x-ray security checks and a space program plagued by budget cuts. Graphic designers will love the look of the opening titles which contrast minimal typography with high tech photography (by the way the titles are the only part of the movie which are sort of in letterbox). Despite wooden acting and a slow editing pace, you will find yourself in love with the look and feel of this film. No it's not a "great film", but there is some nice model work, good art direction and decent music to keep a sci-fi fan entertained.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Gerry Anderson movie of quality, Sep 27 2009
With actors from other Gerry Anderson productions (Ed Bishop of UFO) UFO: The Complete UFO Mega Setthe movie features many of the effects (visual and sound) that Anderson has become known for in practically all of his works. The movie quality is excellent and the story is pretty good. If you like other Anderson productions, then you must get this movie to complete your set.
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2.0 out of 5 stars Kill the editor! This flick is just too slow., Jan 19 2004
By Jeff A. Deskins "jeffbert" (Laytonsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969)
This flick supposes that there is another planet in the same orbit as our earth, but on the opposite side of the sun. As such, that seems interesting, and while this film does have some merit, it is just plain too slow.

The Andersons' plots were just plain boring, and all the mechanical complexity in the world could not help. Not one of their series lasted more than two seasons, because anything the Andersons' ever toutched relied upon mechanical intricacies rather than plot or interaction between characters. If only they had not spent so much time showing the spacecraft being positioned for launch, or the elevator going down the shaft, or the sections of the rocket being assembled, their productions would be worthwhile. But for the same reasons that UFO, Stingray, the Thunderbirds, Space 1999, etc were boring and hence, short-lived, this is boring. The fact that they only provided the special-effects for Director Robert Parrish, did not help much. This film was clearly a full half-hour to forty-five minutes too long. Hooray for the DVD player's next chapter button, because fast forward is not fast enough. If not for such drawn out boredom, this would certainly merit 4 of 5 stars. However, its extensive use of mechanical processes as time-killers ruined an otherwise decent flick. Watch the first fifteen minutes, click next chapter until you reach about an hour into the film. Resume viewing at the point where the guy lands on the other Earth, watch it to the end, and you will not miss anything worthwhile, but you will save yourself 40 - 45 minutes of drudgery.

Synopsis:
The premise is that our earth sends a spacecraft to the other earth; however, it returns in only half the time it should have taken for a round-trip flight. Yet, what if our astronaut hero IS on the other earth? If so, how would he know the difference? Like I said, watch the first 15 minutes, and skip the next 30 to 40 minutes. What you will miss contributes nothing to the plot.

5/5 for nostalgia, 1/5 for action, 2/5 for character development, 0/5 for editing, 3/5 for plot.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must For Sci-Fi Fans!
This lesser known film starring Roy Thinnes (From TV's Invaders) is actually what I consider a lost gem. Read more
Published on Dec 12 2003 by Michael A. Newman

4.0 out of 5 stars Gerry Anderson's "Far Side"
In the near future, a routine mission by an unmanned solar probe detects a planet sharing Earth's orbital plane, but orbiting exactly opposite to it. Read more
Published on Jan 22 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5, really...
A good, but slow-moving, fatalistic sci-fi thriller from 1969... sort of a pop culture Rosetta Stone between "Star Trek" and "The Six Million Dollar Man," wherein a hidden,... Read more
Published on Jan 3 2003 by Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting And Unusual Sci-Fi Cult Film From 1969
From the creators of "The Thunderbirds" and "Space 1999" came this 1969 science fiction melodrama of astronauts discovering a mirror image of Earth always... Read more
Published on Jan 31 2002 by Erik North

4.0 out of 5 stars models
I'd have to check the credits, but I think some of the people who made this made the old UFO series. Read more
Published on Feb 2 2001 by traderje

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent science fiction with a plot twist
One thing you've got to hand to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Not only were they on the forefront in terms of creating excellent science fiction with wonderous costumes, sets, and... Read more
Published on Oct 10 2000 by Christopher Dalton

3.0 out of 5 stars journey to the far side of the sun
I dont see why some people butcher this film so much"I am not a rex reed ,but it was not that bad.I enjoyed the special effects . Read more
Published on Sep 16 2000 by L. J. Wade

2.0 out of 5 stars More Bizzare then the Twilight Zone
This movie is so bizzare, I doubt Rod Serling himself could have understood it, and he wrote some very unuseal stories with the Twilight Zone. Read more
Published on Aug 2 2000

2.0 out of 5 stars Its popularity most likely will fade with time
This is one film that will probably only be enjoyed by the most ardent sci-fi film fan. By today's standards, the props, special effects and cinematography look so cheap and... Read more
Published on Jun 8 2000

3.0 out of 5 stars A European Space Odyssey Ahead of its Time
George Lucas owes not a small portion of his millions to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, for they were the true pioneers of high quality production design in science fiction movies... Read more
Published on Jun 1 1999

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