Customer Reviews

The Cold Equations

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In 1954 Tom Godwin wrote the classic story "The Cold Equations". In 1986 noted novelist/screenwriter Alan Brennert ("Her Pilgrim Soul" a classic Zone episode and one of the best of the 80's revivals and the author of the terrific novel MOLOKA'I)adapted it for the 1986 season of "The Twilight Zone". The Zone was cancelled. CBS brought it back in syndication and story editor J. Michael Straczynski ("Babylon 5", "Crusade" and a noted novelist as well) helped get it into production in 1988. The 1988 version at 22 minutes remains the definitive adaptation of Godwin's story.Ther's also a TV adaptation from for the series "Out of This World" that was done in 1962 but, unfortunately, I've never seen this version so can't compare.

This Sci-Fi original TV movie isn't bad--it deals with the same issues that drove the original story and Zone adapation--just padded out a bit with additional material that makes it longer without making it better. Director Peter Geiger does a good job with the material. I've seen unfair criticism of the writing (the teleplay here is by Geiger with Stephen Berger who wrote "The Astronaut's Wife" along with two other writers)and acting of the TV movie. The performers do a solid job with the material they have.

Could the movie have been better? Maybe. The limited budget doesn't do it any favors and the TV format (with a minor crisis before every commercial)doesn't do it any favors either. It's a pretty solid versions although I do agree that the definitive version is the shorter Zone version (now available) scripted by Alan Brennert.

I had the advantage of several positive reviews going into this purchase and having just completed the film moments ago, feel as though the praise generally surrounding The Cold Equations actually falls short of the greatness contained within.

To begin this review, let's get the most asked question out of the way immediately. The title of the film refers to the notion that "the cold equations" of physics are inalterable by human beings regardless of how badly we might want to bend the rules.

Produced presumably on a made-for-television budget back in 1996 by Alliance Atlantis in association with Chanticleer Films, The Cold Equations earned DVD release in 2003 through Echo Bridge Entertainment. Though the release is Not Rated, it contains absolutely no suggestive material, foul language, or gore. There is a bit of violent undertone throughout though none of the themes are actually shown. Runtime comes in at 93 minutes and the DVD contains absolutely no extras (save for the ability to select individual chapters from which to view).

Surprisingly, this version of the film happens to be the third and most recent television adaptation of the prose: First as part of the 1962 British anthology series Out of This World; then as part of the 1985-1989 revival of The Twilight Zone and finally again as this, a 1996 made-for-TV movie on the Sci-Fi Channel.

The story, based fairly closely to Tom Godwin's 1954 short story of the same name, tells of a space military pilot named John Barton (played by Bill Campbell perhaps best known for his leading role in The Rocketeer) who, in effort of potential rank-advancement, volunteers for an assignment to deliver medication to the distant mining planet of Woden.

Once the specifics of his cargo are meticulously calculated, his disposable one-way vessel is dropped off out of hyperspace for its voyage into deep space. Immediately after being deposited, the ship's navigational computer alerts John to an anomaly (in this case additional onboard mass) that threatens to upset the original calculations.

He discovers a young female stowaway on board (played by Poppy Montgomery), a colonist hoping to meet up with her brother who happens to be stationed on the mining facility in question. The gravity (no pun intended) of the situation is that due to fuel constraints, the ship simply isn't capable of reaching its destination with the additional life form on board but the corporation funding the shipment isn't about to waste precious money and time to circle back. John is ordered to jettison the girl immediately so that his mission can be fulfilled but discovers that taking another human's life is easier said than done, even when it is a direct order from the captain of his ship.

Of all of the live-action incarnations of the story, this one is credited as possibly receiving the most criticism on account of alterations made to the original premise.

If I may cut to the chase, this film would easily classify as science fiction, intergalactic exploration, or even space opera on some levels but at its core this is a tale of human-driven drama in the strictest sense of the concept.

The struggle to survive is brilliantly used as the catalyst throughout as there are absolutely no decisions that can be made without consequence. The film fuses a courtroom setting (at the trial proceeding the events) with the hopelessness the lead characters found themselves in flawlessly.

Waste not a moment's thought in suspecting a made-for-tv budget as the weak link of a genre that typically relies upon ultra-pricey visual overload, as The Cold Equations does far more with its limited sets than almost any recent big budget "blockbuster" (no insult directly to Michael Bay intended).

The few exterior shots and space settings that are sprinkled throughout the film are all solid, clean, and certainly get the point across. A majority of the story centers on the small escape-pod-like atmosphere of the spacecraft the lead characters find themselves trapped upon complete with a genuine sense of claustrophobia floating cities like the Starship Enterprise typically lack.

Without relying upon special effects wizardry, elaborate sets, or pretty locations, The Cold Equations paints a tale from desperation, a hopeless situation, and acting that harkens back to a time when film was used as a medium to tell a meaningful story. The acting performance from Bill Campbell (who co-executive produced the piece) and Poppy Montgomery is just spot-on throughout. A film like this would simply fail on every level if the main players weren't able to portray the desperation and tension of the situation in a believable manner. Fortunately, they were up to the task. Perhaps even more noteworthy are the performances of the secondary cast members from the smug attorney recapping the events, to the captain of the ship, to the emotionally battered miner whose own sister caused all of the trouble.

I'll be honest, the ending isn't typical "happily ever after" trite so common in motion pictures either. There is slight deviation from the short story here, as the legalities resulting from the actions that took place in the ship aren't touched upon in the original material. The good news is that integrating such themes in the film rendition only strengthens the ramifications of the choices made. The film goes to great lengths to establish an emotional link and as much as we would all love for the good guys to come out on top in the end, there is a consistency here that is eerily reminiscent of reality.

In all, it's tough not to strongly recommend this DVD as it succeeds on all of the levels that make a motion picture memorable. The lack of action may turn off some viewers and the lack of eye candy others, but beyond such cheap thrills exists the potential for so much more from a film. The Cold Equations taps deep into this area and rewards its viewer with an enjoyable (if emotionally taxing) rendition of classic science fiction writing done correctly.

I simply cannot understand the negative reviews. This story is full of moral dilemmas which would befuddle anyone in this situation. I thought the story and the acting was superb.

zzzzzz . . . oh, excuse me, I just woke up from the best nap. I was having trouble falling asleep but I put The Cold Equations in the DVD player and dropped right off. My word this movie is boring.

Billy Campbell plays a straight laced, order following pilot who volunteers to take a shipment of medicine to a backwater mining colony. After his ship launches the computers detect that the ship is overweight. He searches and finds a stowaway. A young woman wants to go to the colony to see her brother. The problem is her extra weight means they don't have enough fuel to get there, or to turn around and get back home. Campbell radios to the command center and they tell him to put the girl in the airlock and jettison her to complete his mission, but he can't bring himself to do it.

The rest of the movie, save a few intercut scenes showing his eventual trial, is the pilot and woman arguing, trying to figure a way out of their predicament, arguing some more, the pilot doing his best to help, the woman being belligerent, arguing some more, she tries to kill him, he knocks her out and puts her in the airlock but can't pull the trigger, they argue some more and, predictably fall in love.

The premise of the movie is an intriguing one but it plays out on screen as very dull. There's no action and because about 70 minutes of it takes place in the small ship, its claustrophobic. This isn't a terrible movie, its just boring.

This is movie is a good low budget film. It also has some good drama as well.

This television adaptation of Tom Godwin's well-known and controversial short story is competently produced on a low budget. Unfortunately, the scriptwriter has overlaid Godwin's starkly, brutally, heartbreakingly simple plot with a framing story about a court-martial, a pennypinching corporate government, and labor issues. This has the unfortunate effect of reducing Godwin's short story, which in its original form is as terse and compact as a diamond, into a kind of extended flashback sequence supporting the scriptwriter's story.

The problem is understandable. The short story, strictly adapted, would barely stretch to make an short television show. It appears that this has been done more than once. Perhaps one of these days I'll get a chance to check out the version produced for the 1985-1988 incarnation of The Twilight Zone. The short format of TZ episodes seems likely to be a better vehicle for this story.

Very Disappointing! The original story by Tom Godwin was one that haunts the reader forever. I read it many years ago as a young teen. When in college, a professor presented the class with a booklet he asked us to read and discuss. When I read the first sentence "He was not alone", I flipped the booklet over. When asked by the professor why I wasn't reading I replied: "I've read it". He smiled and said "I understand".
The DVD version changes the focus of the story from the internal struggle of the pilot to one of rebellion against the "Evil Corporation". This was not the thrust of the original story. While the general storyline was loosely kept, the DVD lacks the tension and ghostly quality of the original opus by Mr. Godwin. I do not recommend the DVD. Seek out an anthology and read the short story instead.

The female lead, Poppy Montgomery, is known as a member of the cast, "Without a Trace." In that T.V. series, she follows one rule: Learn who the victim is. I suggest you watch, "The Cold Equations," with this one rule in mind. Our science-fiction movie presents an immutable situation and its consequence; a "cold equation" that is neither moral or immoral, nor a law of justice or mercy. Lee's intention to stay hidden was a choice that was to lead to the death of all on board the spaceship and the deaths of all those needing the medical supplies that the spaceship was carrying. Lee was a "murderer" when, as a stowaway, she remained onboard after the spaceship launched. When Lee was confronted with the only solution to the situation - her own death - she labeled the pilot a "murderer" in a burst of borderline rage. Transferring her status of "murder" to the pilot began a lengthy period of psychological twists and turns that had the utility of merely postponing her death.

Its funny that I never met someone that have seen that movie but trust me.... it's a very good sci-fi and a must see.

It was an ok movie,I would give it zero stars if I could,as I hate liers,This is a near total ripoff of a 1930s.40s radio sci-fi show.