User Reviews

This is a difficult to believe but highly original episode of "The Outer Limits". In "Wolf 359", a scientist (Patrick O'Neal) has recreated the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a sun, Wolf 359. How he knows that this planet and the atmosphere would be like, I have no idea--you'll just have to suspend disbelief on this and a few other points. Anyway, inside the lab, he's made a microscopic world where it ages 11 and a half days for every second here on Earth and the process of evolution is greatly increased. Yes, this makes no sense--just stick with it.

Eventually, weird stuff starts happening. One of the weirder aliens from the show (apparently made using hands inside a sheet of latex and a 'Roswell alien' style mask) starts to appear--yet the scientists cannot record it on film. O'Neal's very pretty wife (Sara Shane) sees it and she insists that he should pull the plug on the experiment--as it's somehow evil. O'Neal, the devoted scientific type, can't bring himself to do this and lets his little micro-world continue evolving. Which of them is right?! Well, considering the show it's a pretty good bet the wife is right! Tune in to see what happens next. Let's just say it's pretty weird! Yet, despite the strangeness, a compelling and worthwhile episode--thanks, in part, to O'Neal's nice acting.

I was curious. Using the 1 second equals 11 and half days notion, in one day, this micro-world would age more than 2722 years. Also, look carefully early in the show and you'll see a young Dabney Coleman.

Genearlly good episode with a unique theme on space travel. Notable trivia in this episode is a stagehand that accidentally gets his reflection in a mirror. This happens in the scene while Professor Meredith (played by Patrick O'Neal) is in the bedroom. The stagehand moves from the lower right of the mirror down. A mistake that just adds to the fun of this series.

The idea that it would be easier to bring bits of other worlds to Earth for study, instead of sending men to the risk of exploration has been a practical prediction. Well acted parts allow us to believe a fairly unusual premise. The relationship between the Professor and his wife adds a level of believability to the overall plot.

I've mentioned on previous reviews that I quit watching season 2 OL after the 4th disappointing episode, so I didn't see this one when originally broadcast. Having proudly acquired the DVDs (entirely for the benefit of season 1), I was now able to watch this one. I was pleasantly surprised. It is NOT a great OL episode because it still lacks the final punch of a surprising ending coupled with the thought provoking concept, but at least this time we do have the benefit of a thought provoking concept linked to the first truly imaginative creature all season. OL was known to have next to no budget. Season 1 made up for this on sheer imagination and making the absolute best with what was available. The creature in this episode takes up that tradition. Almost insanely simplistic in concept it is amazingly effective and quite creepy. Unfortunately, and again, the production team doesn't seem to have any idea what to do with the concept. Scientists are building an enclosed miniature of a planet in their lab that actually exists over 8 light years away. They rightfully point out that they cannot even see it with a telescope - yet somehow they've been able to acquire the knowledge of and replicate the environment in their lab??? Hmmm. Evolution on this alien-lab planet is also somehow sped up greatly by the virtue of its smallness and other imposed conditions. Early on the view under their microscope appears to be a forested terrain much like Oregon. In fact, at one point it looks like someone had been logging on one side of a hill. During this it is pointed out that there is no life to be expected on this replicated planet. Huh? Trees? At least it looked like trees. Oh well, nevermind. Later some exploratory photographs are taken and appear to show the teeth in the open maw of some creature. At one point, a picture is briefly displayed of a creature that looks suspiciously like the one in the previous episode 'Invisible Enemy'. Fine. OL is making due with budget restrictions - or they simply didn't care anymore(?). But then a short while later their exploratory browsing shows the terrain to be entirely covered in lava flows(!?). It is remarked that the evolution of the planet is Earth-like(!) and soon they should be reaching the Mesozoic era (!?) It is also here that they first glimpse the wraith-like creature. It is an eerie effect. This is also when the concept seems to implode. I could not understand why they would go to all of the trouble to construct an alien planet from 8 light years away only to have it virtually replicate the Earth? It is mentioned that they intend to eventually be able to see the future of Earth since the evolutionary process will be mimicked and soon overtake our present time to move onward to the future. Most confounding is when one of the photographs eventually developed clearly shows an atom bomb explosion(!?). The integrity of this episode is falling apart rapidly. This is compounded upon at the end of the episode where it is commented that next time they should attempt to construct a planet that contains such virtues as 'love'...like Earth....???? Was this supposed to be entirely ironic or idiotic since everything they had been cataloging (except for the great looking monster) has been very much like Earth. So, in order to enjoy this episode one must not get bogged down in these completely astounding plot holes. For example, despite having this great creature, the episode seems to have no idea what to do with it. It menaces things for no resolved purpose. It manages to dehydrate a tree, a cactus, and kills a pet bird and a couple of guinea pigs. It scares everyone else half to death and -- that's about it. It does have a strangeness quality that comes very close to a good season 1 episode even if the story and ludicrous benign ending is a let down.

Like many other episodes in season 2 of The Outer Limits, Wolf 359 is often called mediocre or not as memorable as many earlier installments. I've seen these types of complaints and sadly I'd have to at least partially agree with them. The episode's story itself isn't really that intriguing, and the alien (or monster) featured is quite stupid looking by modern standards. However, because it's part of arguably my favorite science fiction show, I can't just turn a blind eye to this episode entirely, so I'll highlight worthwhile aspects as I come across them. Wolf 359 is centered around a scientist named Jonathan (Patrick O'Neal) who is conducting observatory experiments on a model of a planet he has constructed in his home. Sealed behind glass panels, the planet the replica is based on is located in the Wolf 359 system: a solar system about 8 lightyears away from Earth. The planet possesses the attribute of experiencing the process of evolution at a highly advanced rate, as Jonathan says just a few seconds on earth is equal to almost 2 weeks on that planet. This enables him to use ocular instruments to observe the development of life and other phenomena. Eventually, Jonathan sees a creature on the planet's surface, which basically looks like an alien mask that goes straight into hand-like appendages and is covered in a white sheet. The creature is able to traverse the physical boundaries of space and actually appear in the laboratory, where it proceeds to wreak havoc and kill some animals Jonathan was using for science. Not exactly knowing what he's up against, Jonathan decides to send his wife Ethel away and also fires his lab assistant, Pete. He does this because he says he needs time to focus on his work, but in reality, it's to safeguard them from the monster. Disturbingly, as the high speed evolution of the planet continues, Jonathan eventually sees the development of horrible and cruel things that we also have on earth, such as atomic weapons. One night, Pete and a professor accompanying him visit Jonathan, as both express concern about his mental state. He yells at them to get out of his house and then tries to sleep. The creature manifests in his room and tries to strangle him, at which point Ethel shows up just in time and breaks the glass separating the model planet from the lab. This causes the planet to lose its atmosphere and be destroyed, taking the monster down with it. With his experiment over, Jonathan makes a final audio report on the planet, saying how future scientists wanting to put men there should try to find a different planet to land on; one that is more hospitable and earth-like. Even though Wolf 359 might not be one of this show's finest moments, it still has that unmistakable Outer Limits feeling for me. The methodical beeping of mankind's early attempts at computers in the background during the scenes taking place in the lab are some of my favorites. My main issues with this episode are two things: it's too slow moving and the monster just looks ridiculous. I know this show lost more and more of its budget as time went on, but when the alien is a cross between a bat and a ghost, then we have a problem. The episode is also mostly uneventful and has nothing interesting happen until its final minutes, and even then, it irritates me to see how Jonathan's wife just so happens to show up as he's almost being killed, when she had no idea that would happen. Overall, I don't really mind this episode, but it's not especially entertaining either. The characters don't really have any uniqueness to them, the alien is a joke, and there's not much to warrant repeated viewings. With that said, at least it's not The Invisible Enemy, which is probably my pick for the worst episode in the show's lineup (but that's a story for another time).

Well, this story had an interesting premise. A scientist (Patrick O'Neal) creates a mini-version of a planet observed some eight light years away in a controlled environment and introduces a DNA factor to simulate the evolution that occurred on Earth over eons. I must admit, that idea is more than suspect, but sometimes you have to go along with the premise the Outer Limits came up with. Because this planetary model is miniaturized, the evolutionary sequence is rapidly multiplied, so that a mere second on Earth equates to eleven and a half days in the enclosed chamber. The 'planet' appears to be evolving into a state of warfare and violence, and to make the point, a ghost-like, bat resembling creature suddenly appears and dematerializes at will, frightening the scientist's wife (Sara Shane) along with the man's lab partner (Peter Haskell). After terrorizing Professor Meredith's (O'Neal) lab, the bat-ghost comes after him, as wife Ethel makes the save by breaking the glass enclosure of the model planet, causing it to back off and simply leave.

If you're following the Outer Limits in episode order, you might recognize the Martian 'sand shark' that appeared in the prior episode, 'The Invisible Enemy'. It shows up briefly under Meredith's microscope. While the story is kind of far fetched, the thing that made the most sense to me was when Meredith and his assistant discussed how the bat creature could spend eleven and a half days doing nothing but observing as it hovered in its environment, and considering that some of those sequences lasted a number of seconds, that would have amounted to months at a time. Look, it didn't have to make sense, it just had to be entertaining.

***SPOILERS*** Far out even for an "Outer Limits" episode about this guy professor Jonathan Meridith, Patrick O'Neil, attempting to created a planet of his own in his laboratory exactly like the one called Wolf 359 that's almost 8 light years, something like 43 trillion miles, away from the Earth. At first everything works fine with the planet-Wolf 359-evolving at 11.5 days every second but soon this strange thing looking like "Casper the Friendly Ghost" appears and freaks out not just Jonathan but his assistant Peter,Peter Haskell, and wife Ethel,Sara Shane, as well with its ghostly appearance.

Trying to see what would happened to the planet Wolf 359 when it reaches the age of the Earth or beyond, which would be in about 5 months, Jonathan starts to get seconds thoughts but it seem to be too late for him to stop his now out of control experiment. Peter Johnatan's loyal and obedient, he never as much as takes a day off from work, assistant after seeing with a microscope what going on in Wolf 359 freaks out and leaves the laboratory leaving the door open for this "Casper the Friendly Ghost" to escape and cause damage to the world outside.

***SPOILERS*** It takes a strong woman like Ethel, long before the advent of Women's Lib", to finally break the glass that keeps planet Wolf 359 from disintegrating into nothing with her husband, the man of the house, Jonathan as well as Peter too scared and chicken liveried to do the same thing . And that also goes for the "Casper the Friendly Ghost" character that's destroyed along with it. Jonathan found out the hard way that messing around with the future can lead to a far worse future for the person doing it. The only future left for the now recovering Jonathan now is to forget this crazy experiment-Wolf 359-and go back to the real world-Earth-that he left behind.

And original. A scientist in the desert of likely Nevada in his lab has a replica of a planet light years from Earth. He has planted human DNA into it. He wants to see the planet develop. See Earth's future. But he gets haunted by a strange creature. From where exactly does the creature come? It is an unintentional and unknown creation of the scientist's very own Id like the monster from Dr. Morbius' id in 'Forbidden Planet'?

This is one OL ep you will have to watch over and over again to fully get. It has competent direction and the monster looks plain eerie. A very finely done ep as the plot is indeed the most complicated in the series. Since the ep is ultimately about Earth being created and concept of beings like God watching over us I refer you to the great scientific accuracy in the Holy Bible about God. Accuracy like round Earth and jet streams and the hydrologic cycle and much. God's word indeed.

A very original set-up: two scientists create a miniature artificial replica of a distant planet, an isolated "model" planet on which time is programmed to move at a rate many times quicker than our own - in order to get quicker results with the evolution of the planet's life-forms. Now, while this may be a unique idea, it brings with it a few far-fetched absurdities: these guys being actually able to tweak gravity - and especially their ability to control the flow of time by speeding it up - essentially means they possess god-like powers. With these powers they could rule the world (and beyond), nevermind waste time on a comparatively unimportant scientific project.

Nevertheless, this could be construed as science-based nitpickery because this is after all pulp sci-fi; a rather balanced, good mix of real science and pulpy, fun, mumbo-jumbo pseudo-science. As good sci-fi should be.

There is some shaky logic also about why they'd picked this particular planet to replicate, and how they can even call it a replica when it is too distant for them to be acquainted with its exact conditions. The scientist himself admits that the planet is too far to be observed directly hence "the information we have is second-hand". This implies that the miniature replica and its conditions are based on a rough estimate, nothing more. Which further begs the question: if they have such tremendous powers such as control of gravity and the ability to speed up time, WHY bother with a specific planet? Why not just pick any desired conditions to create a model of a non-existent planet, just to be able to learn about evolution? Or accelerated evolution, in this case. Predicting whether a planet is suitable for colonization - using such a vague experiment that may veer off totally from the evolution of the real planet Dundee - is nonsensical.

A more blatant disregard for science i.e. A more blatant pulp-like shtick is the fact that the model planet is evolving pretty much exactly like Earth, even including "the 19th century" which implies that this miniature world has their own Jesus too! That is an extremely far-fetched scenario, to put it very mildly. The likelihood of getting the same outcome in a lab in replicating history - which involves millions of years of evolution and just as many uncontrollable factors - is practically zero. This is 100% pulp fiction, very cheesy. As I often said before, this kind of ultra-far-fetched, corny premise/twist works very well in a comic-book anthology such as "Weird Tales" but not on the screen, where more realism and logic are expected - simply because movies are a much more realistic i.e. Less stylized/idealized medium than comic-books.

The plot slows down a bit around the middle, when the scientist's wife witnesses the same bizarre creature (well, a low-budget ghost-bat thingy) as the two scientists had. We'd already had their reactions to the discovery, so witnessing her reactions and hearing her comments too is just unnecessary repetition of what we already knew.

O'Neal's decision-making, upon realizing that "the creature is dangerous and is gaining in power and strength", is illogical. Instead of hiring MORE people to act as security in case the ghost-bat starts flexing its bat-muscles, he first sends his wife away and then even his only assistant. His motives are noble, i.e. He does this to protect them, but it makes a lot more sense to start hiring additional staff instead of turning into a hermit. After all, the ghost-bat could be potentially dangerous to the outside world, not just the people in and around the desert lab.

When the investor and the assistant come over unannounced to check on him, he reacts aggressively, as if he'd started morphing into yet another cliche mad scientist. This is a pity, because done solely so there can be more danger i.e. Tension. In other words, this is the kind of writing decision that places tension and drama above logic. Since O'Neal is extremely dedicated to this project i.e. Finding out "what Earth's future will be like" through this experiment, it makes no sense for him to endanger the entire project by opting to go one-on-one against the mysterious ghost-bat thingy, instead of just doing the smart and practical thing - which means hiring extra help.

The creature's behaviour isn't entirely logical either. Clearly, this is a powerful, intelligent being, and yet it gradually kills ants, birds, and hamsters (i.e. All of the lab's test critters) which shows a lack of caution. If the ghost-bat knew it was being observed then WHY would it warn the humans of its malevolence BEFORE it got powerful enough to kill them too? Logically, the creature would want to fake civility instead, if anything, to deceive its "captors". If it had done that, it would have avoided defeat and destruction.

Hence it must be stupid.

In the end, O'Neal is predictably attacked by the evil force, so he instructs his wife to shatter the glass thereby killing the creature - but also every single inhabitant of the mini-planet! I can get past the fact that O'Neal somehow knew how to kill the ghost-bat. What I can't accept is that he had no qualms about DESTROYING an entire civilization!

Then, to make things truly ironic and almost comical, he concludes the episode by uttering these silly "poignant" words:

"Dundee isn't a planet where we can land our spacemen. But the project is feasible. A planet can be recreated in a laboratory. (Now comes the punchline...) The odds are that the next time it will be a place of warmth and love, LIKE OUR PLANET EARTH."

This is amusing on so many levels. Not only is this a rather Disney-like description of Earth, but O'Neal had just DESTROYED an entire planet of humanoids, animals and plants! That's hardly "warmth and love", is it... Even worse than that, neither O'Neal nor the narrator even mention this sudden genocide, as if the laboratory planet were inhabited by toys instead of actual living creatures.

In that sense, O'Neal is the greatest murderer in TOL's history - and yet he isn't even considered to be a bad guy!

The narrator mentions the idea of the multi-verse, that our own universe may be a speck of dust in some vast collection of worlds. It's rather interesting to hear this theory being mentioned in a 1965 sci-fi TV show.