Great concept and some decent performances are both badly let down by some wretchedly flaccid direction which makes the whole production lack any sense of urgency or suspense. The production also seems to have ran out of money once Kell & company reached the continent. The absurdly happy ending is an affront to John Wyndham's source novel, but that's hardly surprisingly given Wyndham's generally poor treatment by cinema.

That all being said, there are some quite memorable bits here, but the ones that really hit home are the horrors of being trapped blind and helpless on a moving airplane or train, and not the killer plants, whiich are frankly silly-looking. Probably the most important aspect of this film is the image of people shambling aimlessly around a deserted metropolis, and survivors besiged by a horde of menacing creatures; both obviously the basic template for the zombie genre we know today. One does wish that Sekely did tell his 'blinded' extras that blind does not mean standing around in a daze as if you couldn't remember where you left your wallet, though.

Note: Victor Brooks is prominently credited, but he can only be briefly seen as the main convict in the French manor house, without any lines surviving, if he originally had any at all.

This film has been treated very poorly as regards home video; a good HD issue is badly needed. One has been in the works for nearly fifteen years, but a Blu-Ray release still seems far off, if ever. So apologies for the very poor screencaps.