A few strange little decisions in this film hold it back (and that is setting aside the glorious absurdity of the plot, which was decades ahead of it's time in that regard):

• the somewhat McCarthian suggestion of Communist infiltration and the evils of evolution against the majesty of god's creation. It felt like some of it was written by a caveman.
  
• the decision to veer between extraordinarily sparse use of sound (for no apparent reason) and then more typical frantic orchestral moments
• the pacing just felt a bit off at certain points. I generally prefer a slower pace but this was glacial at points. It almost felt like they had ran out of money and had to pay it out at points.
• indoor traffic wardens everywhere

Some nice quirkier moments and a good performance from Pleasance made this just about watchable.

5/10