Customer Reviews

Nightflyers [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, it's definitely a B-movie, it's derivative, and some of the special effects are cheesy. However, the story is quite literate -- it was adapted from a great novella. The sets, especially the lounge, are very cool. The characters (though two-dimensional) are well-played by some good character actors. Most importantly, the atmosphere is spooky. The creepiest parts come near the end of the film, as the surviving crew members head back into the dark, silent, malevolent spaceship, which has no gravity or life support. Not a perfect movie, but interesting and enjoyable.

In this movie Catherine Mary Stewart plays a telepathic scientist who is on the hunt for a mythical space being. She is joined in her search by a group of other scientists on this mission. Things start to go a little haywire as the ship's Captain Roid only ever appears as a Hologram and begins to feel very protective of Catherine's character as she is threatened by the Spaceship which is in fact a living entity. This is a very good Science Fiction movie which I believe will gain ground with the passing of time. Plus did I mention I just LOVE Catherine Mary Stewart?

The five stars is for the movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed, being a Catherine Mary Stewart fan. However, the product on this Avid Entertainment tape was really bad. I bought a new factory-sealed Avid tape and it gave my VCR (which can play just about anything) a bad time from the start. It kept losing tracking, jumping all over the screen, had audio quirks and dropouts, and frequent static/hash. These problems improved a bit later in the tape, but there was never very good quality. I gave up and finally bought a used copy from another listing on Amazon (the Artisan Entertainment listing) that was much better.

It's interesting that this 88 minute Avid tape filled less than half of the visible plastic reel in the cassette, while the 88 minute Artisan reel was full. I suspect that it's because the Avid tape was recorded at the lowest possible speed/quality, while the Artisan tape used a higher speed and hence quality.

This flick represents the best of 80's Sci-Fi camp and B-movie quality. Plot goes in many directions and has a likeable ensemble cast. The real reason to like this flick is, of course, Catherine Mary Stewart. She could have easily usurped Sigourney Weaver as "Strong Woman of 80's Sci-Fi" with a couple better breaks, but alas it wasn't meant to be. She steals every scene she's in with smooth confidence and smarts.
Sad this little gem hasn't gotten a DVD release, but with "Night Of The Comet" now getting a DVD treatment, maybe there's hope!

Stewart does a good job in her scenes with Praed, considering that he was blue-screened in as a hologram in most of them. Des Barres also plays a fantastic role as Jon Winderman, a telepath that's gone around the bend. I also enjoyed the change from the standard "cramped space ship". It's made clear in the film that the ship was originally a freighter designed for infrequent shore-leave - something that should have a lot of space and a certain amount of creature-comforts, and the settings are in keeping with this.

I have always loved this movie! It's cheesy and campy, but compelling at the same time. It's one of my favorite cult sci-fi movies ever. I just wish I could get this on DVD, because I'm really wearing out my tape. I never really liked Catherine Mary Stewart as an actress, but she did a passable job here. And I do very much like Michael Praed as the holographic captain. This movie has lots of hokey effects and inane dialogue as another reviewer mentioned, but the story captures my attention and I'm never bored with it.

I had forgotten the name of this film but I never forgot it after I saw it very late at night (or rather early in the morning) on the Sci-Fi Channel. I knew the movie that I was watching had some major, major faults. Mostly bad effects, some inane dialogue, etc. (I remember thinking that it should have been filmed with no dialogue with the atmospheric music amped up.) But I found the actors very engaging and the plot quite intriguing. I was definitely thinking about it for a long time after I had seen it, even though I kept tellling myself "it wasn't that good". Movies that leave me with this reaction tend to be the ones I revisit again and again. This wouldn't be the first time I've been accused of liking a "bad" movie, but luckily I've learned not to go on critic's or other people's opinions or I would have missed out on some little gems. I've just run across this movie again when I was looking up information on IMDB.com about the series "Robin of Sherwood" with Michael Praed. I had watched this series in my youth and was thinking of buying it on DVD. Then I saw "Nightflyers" on his resume and the lightbulb went off. I am actually going to go to try to hook up my old VHS again, just so I can watch this movie. If you like sci-fi, give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.
(Didn't know it was based on a novella, though it does make sense. I'm going to buy it soon and can't wait to read it.)

I've seen hundreds of Sci Fi/Horror movies over the years. This is one of those you'll wonder whether you've watched it or not a few years down the road. You just can't remember.

All in all, I figure it's still better to watch a so-so Sci Fi/Horror movie than "Dances With Wolves" or "Evita". This movie will end up being non-memorable, but it's preferable to being in a coma.