|
-
Hivemind social net
-
News
- Features
- Blogs
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Google Toolbar scifi
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
John Carpenter's Dark Star
01/03/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
DVD. Prism Leisure FHED1873RD. 80 minutes no extras. Price: £ 3.49 (UK) bargain basement although I reckon you can pull it cheaper than this even. Buy Dark Star in the USA - or Buy Dark Star in the UK  check out: www.fabulousfilms.co.uk
There is always several thoughts going through my head when I see DVDs going cheap. It used to be that they weren't selling or more produced than demand. More often, cheapie often means limited audience and raking money back anyway they can. Although this is usually the thought of the distributors than manufacturers once they've sold enough to break even.
Where the film 'Dark Star' is concerned for this student film with aspiration, time hasn't been particularly kind. Director John Carpenter is currently on record as saying 'The Fog' was his worse film and forgot his apprentice film while as student at film school.
Dark Star is a starship out to remove potential planetary hazards by nukes 'rogue planets'. Even back in the 70s, this was a bit of odd logic considering the distances these planets were from Earth. Unfortunately, after the death of its captain in a chair accident, it's left in the hands of a crew that would lose an IQ test against George Bush and who mostly don't care about the state of their starship as it falls apart. Then again, the same could be said about Earth who in the 20 years since Dark Star left and their relative 3 years in space can't even be bothered to send them simple supplies.
The film is fleshed out with an escaped alien that looks like it's a combination of a beach ball and feet, which indeed it was on the film's restricted budget. There is also the problem to a cross-connection that causes one of the talking nukes to prepare to detonate and can't be put off until the last second each time without forcing it to question its place in the universe.
The dialogue is hardly inspired or put over well. As you watch this, you keep having to remind yourself that this was originally a student film and then wonder what the worse ones were like. When the studio bought it, they supplied a little more finance to up the time which is where the alien chase and the basic effects came from. It does make you wonder how director John Carpenter or writer Dan O'Bannon got any more work after it. From a historical point of view, if you know anything about their careers, one did rather well with independent horror films and the other as co-writer of 'Alien', it might be worth a looksee. It might even inspire you to take up a career in films yourself simply because you'll come away from this thinking you can do a lot better.
It might have been deemed a cult classic back in 1974 but hardly holds well today. This has nothing to do with the effects or sets but lack of emotional content of the characters. It has to be said that Carpenter did a few neat tricks with what he had at the time but it really does lack sparkle although my Mum liked the opening song.
If you want to relive your past there has to be something better to choose. Whether it deserves to be called a 'cult classic' depends on how late in the evening you watch this and how much you missed sleeping through it.
GF Willmetts
|
|
