Customer Reviews

Space Truckers

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

A friend put this on for me the other night and the minute I heard the words "Dennis Hopper" and "low budget sci fi" I groaned with anticipated discomfort, but was pleasantly suprised by Space Truckers' contents. While far from profound, the film's acceptable Odyssy-esque story takes second chair to a wacked-out, 100% convincing vision of the future and the community of characters who inhabit the portions of it that the film concerns itself with, some of which was quite memorable;

A pirate thug named "Scummy", square zero-g pigs, a bar/diner set in a revolving hub ala 2001 to simulate gravity, self-defense mechanisms with apparent senses of humor, and an uproarious, innappropriately hilarious death machine monster that is right out of Red Dwarf. The film has an irreverent view about it's idiom, manages some effective sex appeal amidst the laughs, and has a kind of upbeat infectiveness that might be tied into the comic book/cartoonishly bright color palette that manages to seep into almost every shot.

And in the end what impressed me the most about Space Trucker was that, like the great satires that have come before it who also fashion their own self-contained universes where our laws of physics might not necessarily apply [The Simpson's and Shakes the Clown coming to mind immediately], the filmmakers wisely kept within the framework of the genre they were creating for -- schlocky modestly budgeted sci fi -- and by not bothering to aim any higher produced one of the most entertaining films I have sat through in months. Highly recommended, and destined for some sort of "cult" status when it is rediscovered.

Okay, this wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't a great one, either. I think the biggest problem this movie had was the script. It just seemed pretty weak. I did like the characters, the special effects, and the actors, but I don't think they had enough to work with.

The story involves the last of the independant space truckers, Dennis Hopper, and how he's hired to take a shipment of supicious cargo to Earth which turns out to be ultra high tech killer robots that someone is planning to use to overthrow Earth's government. Anyway, there's some mildy amusing scenes, and stuff happens which all lead up to the climatic scene at the end involving the killer robots. As I said before, the special effects look really good and it's obvious that a lot of time and effort was spent in this area. The pirate ship was really well done. And, in Stuart Gordon fashion, the pirate captain looked like something out of Re-animator or From Beyond, from his half flesh, half metal head to his pull start groin.

The script wasn't really that strong, and some of the actors almost seem embarassed to be in the movie at times, but they perform adequately with what they are given. I thought Charles Dance (Alien 3, The Golden Child, Gosford Park) played his role quite well. And it was nice to see Dennis Hopper play something other that a deranged lunatic for a change.

All in all, fun, light entertainment, just don't expect too much from this movie in terms of a good script or decent character development.

If you've seen "From Beyond", "Re-Animator", "Fortress", or "Castle Freak", then you are familiar with Stuart Gordan's work. He starts with a small budget, then makes a special effects extravaganza. He is also very careful to keep the story top notch. This is his masterpiece! It's presented in the spirit of "Ice Pirates", but is far superior. Top quality effects, talent, story and dialogue, art and production design make this a strong contender for the top space movies. I hate space movies that take themselves too seriously and forget to have fun. This a very obnoxious trait in B-movies. They are standing there in a trash can with a walky talky duct taped to their face with a deadly serious look on their face! Puuuhleeeeeaze! "Space Truckers" finds just the right tone and runs with it. Special features include a commentary by Stuart himself. Usually commentary tracks just with the director can be boring, but Stu was so integrally involved in the smallest detail of this film that he is constantly belting out info about the film. The documentary is cool and informative as well. This trivia game thing is catching on. If you screw up the answer, just hit your "menu" button while the clip plays to try that question again. When you pass the quiz, you are admitted to the production art section, where you can see concept designs by the famous Ron Cobb (Star Wars, Alien) and others. Good movie, good buy!

People who pan this movie just don't get it. It's a parody in the tradition of Dark Star. Terrific cast, good script with a great ending. Special effects were outstanding considering they didn't have a Star Wars budget--the design of the truck was inspired. If you don't find the concept of "square pigs" (actually rectangular prisms) to save space funny, scratch comedy from your list; you're just not built for it. Part of the humor was that it apparently hadn't occurred to them to transport processed pork instead of live pigs. It reminds me of the great Bob and Ray routine where the cranberry grower hadn't thought of making cranberry juice. This is a well done put-on that's just fun to watch.

Space Truckers is a lot of fun to watch, but it is very dumb. Maybe that is part of its charm. This movie is fun to watch and is very funny in spots. Most of the reviewers of this film are correct in giving Space Truckers 3 stars.

Space Truckers is a different kind of movie than we're used to seeing from Gordon. It's a little more lighthearted, comical, and slick looking. Plus it's PG-13, so the over the top gore isn't present.
But the movie is alot of fun. It's silly sci-fi nonsense that aims to be nothing more than a fun popcorn flick.
Dennis Hopper is a space trucker who gets screwed out of getting paid for his load by an evil pork company. He then takes on an unregistered and illegal load to transport to Earth. Little does he know that his cargo is a small army of indestructible killer robots designed by a mad scientist to enable a loon to secure his presidency. Along for this ride are a rookie space trucker played by Stephen Dorff and Hopper's "fiance" played by Debi Mazar. They're hijacked by pirates who unleash the robots. It also just so happens that the leader of the pirates is the mad scientist who created the robots. He's half machine, which leads to some rather funny scenes.
So, Hopper and company have to escape the pirates, stop the evil robots and get to Earth where Debi Mazar's mother is in the hospital. It's good, fun stuff that reminds me of films like The Ice Pirates and Flash Gordon. The film was shot entirely in Ireland, and I'm not sure what the budget for the movie was, but the it looks like they definitely made the most of the budget. Very slick and professional looking, almost as if it could have been made in Hollywood. Hopper is Hopper, what can you say? Dorff is passable, but nothing special, Mazar is also okay but nothing special. I certainly don't think she's as hot as you're supposed to believe she is. The always reliable Charles Dance plays the evil scientist/pirate leader/cyborg with the same sophisticated flair in which he usually plays villains.
I was fortunate enough to see this movie at a test screening with Stuart Gordon back in 1997 at the University of Wisconsin. Gordon did a little Q&A with the audience after the film. The movie went over quite well with the audience that night. It was a fun experience and one reason why this movie is particularly close to me.
Well worth it.

I stumbled across this film on VHS in the used bin of a Blockbuster. I thought, Dennis Hopper and Charles Dance, why not? Truckers in space, why not?

Why not? Indeed. This hilarious little gem is full of pleasant surprises. Yes, it sorta runs out of steam by the end, but who cares?

It's a classic direct to video film, low budget, but it makes the most of what it has. I could describe the plot, but hey, just like "Snakes on a Plane": "Space Truckers", what else do you need to know?

It's rare to get something with this sense of humour in outer space.

If you liked "Ice Pirates", "Barbarella", "Star Wars", or any of those other really bad poor excuses for good filmmaking then you will absolutely love "Space Truckers". A fantastic goofball science fiction adventure about truck drivers in outer space. Dennis Hopper is at his comic best as a cranky loner hill billy space trucker, the wide array off-the-wall characters are as colorful as Hopper's old beat up space rig, and the special effects are so completely fake that they make you want to stand up and cheer. Two thumbs up...way, way up...all the way to the knuckle for this snot faced fun romp.

As for as ridiculous films, this is right there on the edge. Problem is, I loved it through and through. This is the reason we go to film, to be entertained. I love cerebral entertainment and Shakespeare is tops. But after a week in Asia, I bought a DVD of Spacetruckers and it made me laugh hard to the point distraction. The rest of the room thought I was a mental deficient. Maybe true. But they were Asian. Good stuff.

To begin, let me just clarify by saying that I consider myself a true science fiction buff: Whether it be novels, films, or long-standing franchises such as Star Trek or Star Wars. That said, I believe this film's less-than-stellar rating has a lot to do with expectations going into the viewing. I suppose it's fortunate that I went in with expectations through the basement floor and as such came away quite impressed with the quaint charm Stuart Gordon was able to inject into this project.

Released in a time when science fiction properties weren't exactly the hot topic (after all, Dennis Hopper had signed on board directly after having concluded work on Costner's disastrous Waterworld), Space Truckers uses humor to break up the drudgery of life on the road (or space lane as the case may be). Truthfully, this should probably be expected considering former National Lampoon editor Ted Mann scripted the picture. With a budget of $25 million (in early 1990's dollars) the entire project was filmed at Ireland's Ardmore Studios and then shown at several 1997 film festivals (Sundance, Sitges, Vancouver) where it was well received.

The story takes place in the year 2196 and follows the exploits of freight pilot John Canyon (Dennis Hopper), one of few remaining independent space truckers competing against huge corporations. It begins with Canyon's (late) attempt to deliver a cargo of living pigs, which just so happen to be genetically engineered square and stackable for more efficient shipping in cargo containers, when he discovers that his profits are severely decreased when labor boss (George Wendt) is anything but happy about the latesness of his arrival.

This leads to Canyon rebelling against the system by accepting a questionable cargo that pays some five-times the normal rate. The catch? Don't ask, don't tell on exactly what's in the cargo containers in tow. Canyon then heads for Earth accompanied by young apprentice trucker Mike Pucci (Stephen Dorff) and slutty waitress Cindy (Debi Mazar), who agrees to marry Canyon if he can get her safely to the blue planet to visit with her sickly mother.

The real good stuff begins when pirates capture Canyon's antiquated truck (the Pachyderm 2000) and the cargo he's transporting once Canyon turns off the patrolled space shipping lanes in favor of the risky "Scum Zone". Their ship is high jacked by pirates led by disfigured cyborg, Macanudo (played by Charles Dance).

What it all comes down to is 97 minutes of light-hearted but unique science fiction with some witty dialog to pull laughs (over slap stick, thankfully). The show's kitschy charm could perhaps best be compared to another science fiction entry of the era, The Fifth Element. Outfits and sets are bright and colorful but the physics are, for the most part, nice and accurate. Backgrounds are tight with accurate mood portrayed throughout (especially the space truck stop "The Hub" which features terrain that loops and winds right up the walls).

Effects work invokes back to the era of practical and optical work without reliance upon computer generated imaging (although there are a few examples of it to be found here when wires and lighting work weren't quite cutting it).

I think a lot of the problem people have with this film is the automatic association the title makes with Ridley Scott's 1979 horror thriller, Alien. Sure both stories essentially tell the tale of the gritty realities of a future-time when interstellar travel is a fact of life and somebody out there is going to be charged with the task of transporting cargo long distances. Aside from that resemblance, the stories go about their grander arc much differently. Space Truckers maintains such current-trucker ideals as country music, truck stop cafes, established shipping routes, and corporate greed forcing independent haulers to take dangerous risks to stand a chance.

So long as you realize that this is a light-hearted space adventure designed for a big bowl of popcorn and a few giggles, you will be in for a quite a treat. Dennis Hopper, in a rare opportunity to play the good guy, delivers just a wonderful performance. He's personable, likable, and downright funny in a majority of his delivery. A performance rivaled only by the enigmatic Charles Dance, who is said to have accepted the role based on his teenage daughter's enjoyment of the script.

As an added bonus the extras on this disc are surprisingly thorough and include a making of documentary, filmography of the main cast, interactive trivia game, original trailer, and a full commentary track by Stuart Gordon (which is quite interesting). Finally, it is said there is a hidden bonus feature that can only be unlocked by the viewer. If anyone out there knows how, please do share.