Everyone knows Gerry Anderson for his fantastic fantasy puppet series of the 1960’s such as Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, but he also ventured into live action TV series such as Space 1999 and UFO which this film is more in line with.
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun is set in the future year 2069, 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.
Originally titled Doppelgänger, this Sci-Fi adventure has aged pretty well, the science shown is mostly realistic, at least as realistic as was known when the film was made in 1969, the year when man first walked on the moon. The cast are good in the roles, Roy Thinnes who was the star of the cult Irwin Allen fantasy show The Invaders goes from being a by the book astronaut with personal problems to someone who can’t make out something is wrong when he crash lands back on Earth but slowly realises what is really happening. Supporting actor Ian Hendry as his co-pilot really isn’t used that much, and you will spot many actors from Gerry Anderson’s live action TV series as well as the music and special effects which will be instantly recognisable for fans of the shows.
While this is an enjoyable slice of science fiction, after the first hour it does not really have anywhere to go, so the plot meanders a bit until the pretty disappointing climax.
The new Blu ray from Fabulous Films has a good and solid 1080p transfer, grain is present and it has a very film like quality. The colours really stand out in certain scenes and overall this has a very good image. Audio has DTS HD 2.0 soundtrack while a bit limited serves the film OK, if nothing spectacular. Extras are just a trailer, which is a great shame.
FILM: 7 PICTURE: 8 AUDIO: 6 EXTRAS: 1