If it seems like I just reviewed a new Nicolas Cage direct-to-video feature, that’s probably because I did just review a new Nicolas Cage direct-to-video feature: Grand Isle. Not one to rest on his laurels, Cage returns for his second video release of 2020, Color Out of Space.

In an attempt to flee the hustle and bustle of modern life, Nathan Gardner (Cage) takes his family to live in a remote part of New England. As they adjust, a meteorite smashes into their front yard.

No ordinary space projectile, the rock hosts an extraterrestrial organism that infects the land. This creates a threat to the Gardner family.

Adapted from an HP Lovecraft short story, Color comes with the bones of a dark, immersive tale. A mix of horror and sci-fi, the movie shows real potential.

Alas, it rarely lives up to these possibilities. While not a bad film – and much better than the average Cage effort - Color tends to feel too overt for its own good.

By this I mean that the tale could use a more deft, subtle touch. In the hands of director Richard Stanley, Color shoves too much of the horror in our faces and it lacks a more nuanced take that might make it more successful.

Not that Color lacks impact, as it comes with some appropriately eerie moments. As the Gardner family declines, we get a few moments with spooky power to them.

However, Color usually goes for more obvious scare moments and gross-out bits, and these damage its punch. I think the movie would work better if it functioned on a more psychological level.

In addition, the less than stellar visual effects damage the production. Because Color relies on the horror/sci-fi moments so much, it brings these effects to the fore, and they don’t hold up to much scrutiny.

More significantly, though, Color tends to meander too much. In theory, I like the slow burn aspect of the narrative, but the tale doesn’t ever become especially rich or involving.

We don’t get especially interested in the characters, as the movie fails to develop them well. This means that by the time they suffer from the alien infection, we don’t feel particularly interested in their fates.

Cage does his usual Cage thing as our lead. Some of this fits the role because Nathan goes nutso, but Cage camps it up too much and damages the believability of the part.

At no point does Color turn into a bad movie, and compared to some of Cage’s 21st century stinkers, it’s a classic. However, the movie lacks the dark, psychological drama that would make it more than a collection of violent and/or gross sequences.

Color Out of Space appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Expect a largely positive presentation.

Sharpness satisfied. A little softness impacted some darker shots, but the majority of the flick looked well-defined and precise.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no signs of edge haloes. Source flaws also failed to create distractions.

In terms of palette, Color usually went with a subdued blue/teal sensibility, with some bold pink/purples during supernatural scenes. The disc replicated these well, and the HDR added some zing to the brighter hues.

Blacks seemed dark and deep, while shadows appeared smooth and concise. The HDR added impact to whites and contrast. This became a satisfying visual presentation.

While not overly ambitious, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack also worked well. A few more action-oriented scenes – like the meteorite crash – used the spectrum best, and a thunderstorm also fleshed out the various channels.

Most of the soundfield emphasized the film’s moody score as well as environmental elements. These broadened the mix in a compelling manner.

Audio quality seemed good, with speech that comes across as natural and concise. Music appeared vivid and robust as well.

Effects offered solid clarity, with nice range and low-end impact. This turned into a worthwhile mix.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Audio remained identical, as both discs sported the same soundtrack.

Visuals showed the usual 4K UHD upgrades, as this disc seemed better defined, and it also showed stronger colors and blacks. While not a massive step up, the 4K UHD became the more satisfying presentation of the film.

A few extras appear here, and The Making of Color Out of Space runs 20 minutes, 12 seconds and brings comments from writer/director Richard Stanley, producers Elijah Wood, Lisa Whalen and Josh Waller, head of development Daniel Noah, line producer Michael M. McGuire, 2nd unit director Jonas Govaerts, director of photography Steve Annis, special effects makeup/creature effects supervisor Dan Martin, creature performer Lucy Ridley, and actors Nicholas Cage, Joely Richardson, Elliot Knight, Madeleine Arthur, Brendan Meyer, Julian Hilliard, and Tommy Chong.

The show looks at the short story and its adaptation, aspects of Stanley’s unusual career and his approach to the film, cast and performances, locations, effects and creature design. “Making” packs a lot of information into its 20 minutes and it becomes a better than average featurette.

Seven Deleted Scenes span a total of 12 minutes, 57 seconds. A few spooky moments emerge, but most offer minor character bits that don’t add up to much – and some actively bore, like a long sequence in which Benny talks to an alpaca.

We also find a Photo Gallery. It shows 26 shots of the main sets and becomes a decent collection.

The disc opens with ads for Mandy, Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Bone Tomahawk. No trailer for Color appears here.

A second disc provides a Blu-ray copy of Color. It includes the same extras as the 4K UHD.

Based on HP Lovecraft’s short story, aspects of Color Out of Space threaten to create a dark sci-fi journey. Unfortunately, the movie relies too much on shock and gross-out visuals and too little on psychological drama. The 4K UHD brings very good picture and audio along with a few bonus features. Despite a few effective segments, Color doesn’t succeed as a whole.

To rate this film visit the original review of COLOR OUT OF SPACE