This movie is truly one of the forgotten, yet flawed classics of the late 1970's. Nobody seemed to remember this movie except for those of us who truly loved it when we were children. What kid could forget the menacing presence of the robot Maximillian or the creepiness of the mysterious humanoids, not to mention the swirling black hole itself.
The only problem that I have with this movie now that I'm an adult is that it never seems to decide whether or not to be sophisticated adult sci-fi or shoot'em up kiddie-fare. It tends to flip flop back and forth with slightly irritating results. The movie presents us with very dark themes about life, death and the nature of the universe, but then turns into a robotic western style shoot out complete with a cowboy sounding robot named Old B.O.B. Religious themes are explored here as well, especially during the conclusion of the film, which add a much needed breath of fresh air. In the end, the film is a mixture of things that really should not have shared the same story, but we have the massive success of STAR WARS at the time to thank for that.
Science is yet another area in the film that is handled rather flippantly. While attempts are made at realism down to the smallest detail in some areas, others simply don't hold up well at all. Most sequences onboard the Palomino are well done, but many on the Cygnus ruin any sense of realism that was being attempted beforehand. One scene shows the main characters exposed to the outside area of the Cygnus as the spacecraft enters the black hole. Several minutes later, when a meteor rips the roof off a section of the ship`s agricultural garden, the vacuum of space kicks in and threatens everyone! Moments later, the characters are again crawling around on the outside of the ship, where the vacuum of space should exist! Furthermore, the intense gravity seems to affect no one at all, even though they are all directly exposed up close to this awesome force of nature. Go figure!
The film repeatedly fails in the area of dialogue and plot several times over too. The reason for this is the simple fact that there were many writers who served up revisions and changes to Jeff Rosenbrook`s original story. This ultimately led to several convoluted plot devices being introduced through the dialogue that seem to appear out of nowhere, then in turn lead to nothing at all. A perfect example of this is when Maximillian kills a character and Dr. Reinhardt, the man who controls the evil robot, suddenly asks for protection from it! The whole scene just came straight out of left field! There are other moments of babbling dialogue that makes one scratch their head in sheer disbelief, but regardless of these rather hilarious flaws the film still has plenty to offer.
The special-effects and cinematography are what really steal the show here, both having earned the film Oscar nominations. The ghostly Cygnus lingering on the event horizon of a black hole and the Palomino's subsequent exploration are superbly rendered. The matte paintings of space itself are beautiful, adding lots of blues and greens instead of the same old black that many other films have given us before and since. The ship designs are beautiful, as are the awesome sets. Also worth noting is the journey into the black hole and the visually impressive renditions of Heaven and Hell, which features some of composer John Barry's most memorable and eerie music.
This long awaited remastered DVD edition is really breath-taking. The picture is so clear and crisp that you can see the wires that the robots are suspended on. I only wish that Disney would learn to release DVDs with more bonus features (audio commentary, interviews, TV spots, etc.). If you are interested in bonus material, I would suggest that you track down the Limited Collector's Edition which features the wide-screen video, 9 movie lobby cards, a 44 page booklet, and a really cool looking tin featuring a scene of the Cygnus spacecraft on the lid. The booklet is packed with all sorts of interesting things such as interviews with director Gary Nelson and matte artist Harrison Ellenshaw, tons of pictures and artwork, the script for the abandoned alternate ending, a reprint of the original Pressbook, and more. It answers any and all questions that one could have about what went into the making of this movie, from its inception to the final print! This DVD edition only gets three stars due to its failure to include any of these truly informative extras!
All in all, the film is beautiful to look at, even compared to today's visual effects. The film may sport some flawed writing and lapses in physics, but ultimately it is a fun adventure which does manage to present some interesting possibilities. One does have to wonder what could have been done with this material in different hands, but I guess that is something we will never know!
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