Good start, but then it gets ruined

As Good As It Gets

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Much loved, though I know it is, I've always had something of a problem with this film. Neither do I share many peoples love of Psychomania. Both are from the pen of Arnaud d'Usseau and I feel that it is in the area of the script that I have difficulty. Both, I feel, suffer from a slightly hokey Englishness. There are positives and I had forgotten just how effective the white and red eyes are. Apparently these caused problems in that whilst the actors had the lenses in they could see nothing! Still, they are very good and the effects generally are more gory than I remember (maybe its the wonderful new print). Of course, another factor is that I seem to be alone in finding many of Christopher Lee's performances stiff and monotonous. Here his tendency towards pomposity also seems to be allowed free reign and whilst Cushing works gallantly and realistically, I couldn't say the same for Lee. Alberto de Mendoza is great as a Rasputin style priest - keen to follow his leader, even if the devil himself. Helga Line is as serene as ever and Telly Savalas does a well over the top drunken Cossack. Too many shots of a toy train in the snow but the interiors are rather fine and though there are obvious limitations with a set confined to a train, director Eugenio Martin just about keeps things going.

This is one of those films that starts out great and remains so for the entire duration. It's also The Thing: Train Version, so that helps. And it's got Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Telly Savalas in it. And Victor Isreal and I'm seeing him everywhere these days.Lee plays an English aristocrat out pilfering from other cultures in the name of science, and this time he's picked himself up a creepy looking frozen fossil that he intends on talking back to England via the Trans-Siberian express. Peter Cushing is a friendly scientific rival who ends up on the same train. Plus there's loads of non-English actors but who cares about them, eh? Thing is, this fossil is still alive, and smart, and likes to suck people's brains out through their eyes (not literally, but it's still a great effect when the victim's eyes bleed and turn white). The fossil himself looks pretty creepy too, and makes his way through a rather large amount of the cast (and then turns some of them into zombies!).Lee is at first disbelieving, and Cushing is brought in to do autopsies on various corpses, plus there's the problem that the fossil/monster thing can switch bodies - but who can tell who is the Thing and how will Kurt Ruseetlwhoisjdh.Lee and Cushing are always great so there's no worries there. Savalas turns up later and does his thing too. There's plenty of atmosphere here, and the bodies literally pile up towards the end. And for those that doubt - it's online free. Why argue with that? And I've just read they only had one train carriage to film in? Madness.

A nice classic horror movie which I was able to catch on BBC recently, some late night. The story combines an age old legend themed horror with some sci-fi elements. The combination struck me as pretty original - especially for its time... and I'm pretty much convinced I saw the prototype of The Terminator (yes, the 1984 one!) here...?!The story is one of many mysterious incidents and deaths and investigations on a moving train, with some scientists, a priest, some Tsarist Russians and miscellaneous victims ready to be mauled by the one who should never have been awakened... The horror elements are relatively convincing, though perhaps a little cheesy at the same time. The acting is pretty good, but with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee ánd Telly Savalas you've got a good bunch. Ángel del Pozo played really well as the priest as well. Silvia Tortosa and Helga Liné were the designated female beauties to be gazed upon with delight. As I did.A good 7 out of 10.

I think this movie has a big cult to it because it seems to offer something for anyone's taste. It has cult stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. It has a kind of slasher movie theme for those who like slasher movies. It has a bad guy that is an alien for those who like sci fi movies. It almost entirely takes place on a train headed for disaster for those who like disaster movies. There is also blood, zombies, action, humor... I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea this movie has it all.If the movie has anything disappointing about it, it's the fact that the creature doesn't really have a chance to explain its motives and what its ultimate plan is. It would have been really interesting to show its intelligence and make it more than a creature that seems more interested in increasing its body count. But that's a minor quibble; the movie is still very enjoyable. Just be sure to look for a high quality print, since the movie somehow entered the public domain, resulting in many shoddy-looking editions that currently flood the market.