Instant Favorite.

A different way of telling a story

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Colorful supernatural thriller from producer George Pal has George Hamilton playing a scientist who discovers someone on his team has telekinetic powers and is killing off members one by one. Police investigating the first murder believe Hamilton lied about his background and is now a suspect after no one can find any evidence of his academic records. Hamilton must then figure out and stop whoever it is is using their powers to ruin his him and who is killing off his colleagues. "The Power" features some cool 1960s psychedelic special effects, a nice score by golden age composer Miklós Rózsa, a solid mystery, and a cool psychic showdown finale. Not a classic, but pretty entertaining stuff and a bit more serious than most of producer Pal's usual output. Suzanne Pleshette also appears in the film as a fellow scientist helping Hamilton.

A panel of brilliant professors studying human endurance for the space program discover one of their colleagues harbors transcendental powers and is out to kill each one of them (causing heart attacks by the force of his mind). A good example of the major studio B-picture: most of the budget has gone into the 'idea', presented here with sleek visuals and designs, yet with a middle-drawer cast left to sort out the screenplay, which is distinctly without much power. George Pal produced, with amusing shock effects and editing tricks, but the potentially intriguing plot gets muddled up in dead-end scenes and red herrings. Suzanne Pleshette (as the one female on the panel) looks lovely, yet her character keeps popping up without explanation--and her confusing final scene leaves behind nothing but disenchantment. George Hamilton is the film's star, which should tell you how much thought went into the casting. ** from ****

The positive reviews for this film at this site have me baffled. Really baffled. We see here a cast full of familiar character actors and people who were leads in some good movies. None of them comes off well here. They give Hamilton and Pleshette top billing and then list the rest alphabetically, giving you the impression that there will be an ensemble cast delivering something of significance. Unfortunately, that can be and is a danger sign. When you get middling actors at the top and an ensemble of supporters who could, when at their best, steal their scenes, it often means that the supporters are instead lowered to the level of the leads or worse. George Hamilton in particular just delivers lines and in no way gives us a character we can care about. Suzanne Pleshette is likewise flatted out and must have suffered under that hairspray and make-up (albeit that was typical of 64-66 when this was likely filmed). Earl Holliman attempts to be psycho-philosophical and it goes nowhere. (The shame is that scene could have built up the context and plot well if handled better.) Michael Rennie's character is only discovering and using his capabilities at that age??? And then we have poor Miiko Taka, wasted again trying to make something of a bit part way below her ability. I think you are getting the idea. And what is this "power" anyway? Well, we do figure it out sort-of but it is not actually developed as a concept. Instead we get vague hints and a lot of strangeness just happens. So we get no characters, acting talent wasted badly, and conceptual development that falls flat. What special effects that there are, don't add up to much. So, be prepared to be disappointed.

This 1968 film is actually NOT a made-for-TV movie, but was a proper theatrical release by none other than George Pal (producer of The Time Machine, The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, and several other fantasy films).And the IMDb plot summary is completely off the mark. This is a science fantasy/mystery/ suspense/thriller about a group of professors who suddenly realize that somebody in their group (nobody knows who) is an evolutionarily advanced mutant with far-reaching telekinetic powers.Abruptly, the profs start dying off, one by one, in the most bizarre fashion---The dwindling group of survivors concludes that the mutant doesn't want his secret revealed and so is telekinetically murdering everyone else in the group. But WHO is the killer? WHO will be the next victim? WHO can you trust? WHO has The Power??Actually, this is a very good movie---I rank it as one of George Pal's best, and the soundtrack is super (right on par with other over-the-top Pal soundtracks). I liked George Hamilton much more in this film than in ANY other George Hamilton movie; Suzanne Pleshette was never hotter (her first feature movie role); and Michael Rennie, well, was just the greatest, as usual, particularly when HE is revealed as the psychic assassin.The climax of this fast-paced science fantasy was a ground-breaker that has been copied time and again in subsequent sci-fi and sci-fantasy movies. When George Hamilton finally confronts the telekinetic killer, Michael Rennie assails him with repeated and increasingly powerful psi-blasts that threaten to turn Hamilton's brain into Jello. As Rennie looms over him, Hamilton collapses in agony, and the declining heartbeat sfx indicate that his death is nigh. But then, in one of my favorite surprise-ending moments, Hamilton suddenly stirs, his glassy eyes turn on his attacker, and his heartbeat returns...with a vengeance. What follows is a devastating telekinetic counter-assault of such magnitude that Michael Rennie drops dead in a matter of seconds.The truth of the matter, it seems, is that Rennie was indeed an evolutionarily advanced mutant with far-reaching telekinetic powers...but he happened to sense ANOTHER mutant with even MORE advanced telekinetic abilities in the vicinity; importantly, Rennie sensed that the superior mutant was dormant and ignorant of his own power. Rennie sought to kill the rival mutant before he was "awakened" and transformed into a dangerous adversary; and, thus, Rennie ended up murdering several innocent people in his psychic search for the right target. Unfortunately for Rennie, his very best assault on the last victim (Hamilton) was, shall we say, inadequate. Rather, the violent psychic onslaught merely "awakens" Hamilton's own deadlier powers...and all of this becomes crystal clear in the last 5 minutes of the movie. Which is as it should be.If that climax sounds familiar, if it sounds vaguely like the climax of The Matrix or any of a hundred other sci-fi or sci-fantasy story lines out there, that's because this flick, "The Power," is the granddaddy that no doubt inspired them all.