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Submitted by cinemascope on Fri, 2006-04-07 14:47. :: Classic
Movie title:
Dark Star
Starring:
Brian Darelle, Dan O'Bannon, Cal Kuniholm, Dre Pahich
Directed by:
John Carpenter
Written by:
John Carpenter, Dan O'Bannon
Genre:
Sci-fi/Comedy
Year:
1974
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Runtime:
83 minutes
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
Four bored astronauts have been in deep space for twenty years, their mission: to destroy 'unstable' planets. A rogue bomb that refuses to obey orders and an escaped alien mean the team must snap out of their stupor in order to complete their mission.
Four bored astronauts have been in deep space for twenty years, their mission: to destroy 'unstable' planets. A rogue bomb that refuses to obey orders and an escaped alien mean the team must snap out of their stupor in order to complete their mission.
Review
Carpenter and O'Bannon expanded this from a student project to feature-length, and the low-tech, zero-budget beginnings are all too evident; but the cheap sets, shoddy effects and awful sound are deftly used to the movie's advantage. For example, no-one would argue that the alien looks like anything but a beach-ball with rubber feet, but its absurd appearance adds to first the humour, and then the tension of the scenes in which it appears. Likewise, the bummed-out, semi-improvised stoner dialogue brilliantly illustrates the boredom of blue-collar space life, the antithesis of Kubrick's clean and intellectual 2001. Despite the charm of its amateurishness, the plot is exceptionally effective in ratcheting up the tension in key scenes - O'Bannon would later rehash his alien-running-amok storyline for his script for Ridley Scott's Alien. Dark Star may not be the pinnacle of the careers of either Carpenter or O'Bannon, but it remains a hugely enjoyable movie, and a genuine cult. ND
Carpenter and O'Bannon expanded this from a student project to feature-length, and the low-tech, zero-budget beginnings are all too evident; but the cheap sets, shoddy effects and awful sound are deftly used to the movie's advantage. For example, no-one would argue that the alien looks like anything but a beach-ball with rubber feet, but its absurd appearance adds to first the humour, and then the tension of the scenes in which it appears. Likewise, the bummed-out, semi-improvised stoner dialogue brilliantly illustrates the boredom of blue-collar space life, the antithesis of Kubrick's clean and intellectual 2001. Despite the charm of its amateurishness, the plot is exceptionally effective in ratcheting up the tension in key scenes - O'Bannon would later rehash his alien-running-amok storyline for his script for Ridley Scott's Alien. Dark Star may not be the pinnacle of the careers of either Carpenter or O'Bannon, but it remains a hugely enjoyable movie, and a genuine cult. ND
