Dark Star has become something of a cult classic to sci-fi fans and it's easy to see why. It features the early work of several people (Dan O'Bannon and John Carpenter) who would later make significant contributions to the genre. It also has the kind of skewed humor that often is a factor in achieving cult status. Yes, the effects are fairly cheesy and the acting and story are often lame, but somehow Dark Star rises above all that to be enjoyable in its own way. The DVD does a good job of presenting a movie that didn't look all that great in the theater. This was, as others have commented, originally a student film that was expanded and distributed in theaters. The DVD allows the viewer to see two versions of the movie, the theatrical release and a 'creators' cut that removes most of the expansion material and returns the film to something closer to its student film form. Frankly, I thought the expanded, theatrical version was superior to the special cut. The added scenes did give more depth to the story and characters, and they need it. This movie will not appeal to everyone, but I think any serious fan of the genre should consider having it in their library.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Damn the Defiant!
(1962)
In the tradition of Hornblower
15 November 2000
Warning: Spoilers
Damn the Defiant is built around a true incident, the "Spithead Mutiny" of the British Channel Fleet during the war with France in 1797. British sailors rose up in a mostly peaceful rebellion against the abominable conditions in which they were forced to serve. The movie, based on the novel "Mutiny" by Frank Tilsley, tells the story of the frigate Defiant, on a solitary mission deep into the French held Mediterrean Sea. The crew, already involved in the planning for the fleet-wide mutiny, suffer under the lash of the ship's sadistic First Lieutenant (Dirk Bogarde), while the Captain (Alec Guinness) is incapacitated, first by the torture of his son and then by the loss of his arm in a battle with a French frigate. But the good triumph in the end, as is right. It is a surprisingly complex story with well developed characters, but it delivers plenty of action as well. The battle scenes are well done, though the final action with a fire ship is too clearly model work. The DVD provides a fine viewing experience. The video is generally very good. The picture is soft occasionally and the rich colors become over-saturated in a few brief instances, but I did not find any of these flaws too distracting, and it is far better than my old VHS recording. The sound is very full and the dialogue was always clear and never overwhelmed. Obviously, a movie this old is not going to provide the same kind of audio as a contemporary film, but I found no serious fault with it. I highly recommend Damn the Defiant to any fan of naval adventure in the age of sail, as typified by Horatio Hornblower.
Free Enterprise
(1998)
A Surprisingly Funny and Touching Look at Sci-Fi Fans
12 February 2000
Free Enterprise is really two stories woven together. One story is a romance about a couple of hard core sci-fi fan trying to find true love, despite the handicap their passion for sci-fi seems to be with most of the women they meet. The other story is about the same two hard core sci-fi fans meeting their life-long idol, William Shatner. This is a truly funny movie that also works very well on several other levels. As viewers, we quickly are engaged by these fascinating, multi-faceted characters and the complexities of their lives. There is a large cast of supporting characters and they are quirky and engaging, also. The story is fairly predictable but the outstanding performances by all involved, especially Shatner, makes Free Enterprise thoroughly enjoyable.
The DVD is a marvelous example of what the medium can do. The video and audio are exemplary. The video could only be improved by being presented in an anamorphic transfer. What makes this DVD special, however, is the huge variety of extras. The dialogue features a constant stream of pop culture references, most of them to sci-fi like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Logan's Run, though there is hardly a sci-fi movie not referenced at some point. Spotting these references adds a whole different level of entertainment for fans of sci-fi. The DVD assists by providing a subtitle track that explains the references and a glossary of terms. Other extras include a very informative "making-of" featurette with extensive interviews with the producer and director (who served as models for the two lead characters), an extensive selection of deleted scenes, screen tests, and the full music video of William Shatner and Rated R doing "No Tears for Caesar." The writer/director/editor (Robert Meyer Burnett) and the writer/producer (Mark A. Altman) provide a fascinating and informative audio commentary track. You will want to watch this movie at least three times, once by itself, once with the terminology subtitles turned on, and once with the commentary turned on.
I highly recommend this DVD. It is an affectionate but funny look at sci-fi fans, a highly entertaining movie, and a great DVD.
The DVD is a marvelous example of what the medium can do. The video and audio are exemplary. The video could only be improved by being presented in an anamorphic transfer. What makes this DVD special, however, is the huge variety of extras. The dialogue features a constant stream of pop culture references, most of them to sci-fi like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Logan's Run, though there is hardly a sci-fi movie not referenced at some point. Spotting these references adds a whole different level of entertainment for fans of sci-fi. The DVD assists by providing a subtitle track that explains the references and a glossary of terms. Other extras include a very informative "making-of" featurette with extensive interviews with the producer and director (who served as models for the two lead characters), an extensive selection of deleted scenes, screen tests, and the full music video of William Shatner and Rated R doing "No Tears for Caesar." The writer/director/editor (Robert Meyer Burnett) and the writer/producer (Mark A. Altman) provide a fascinating and informative audio commentary track. You will want to watch this movie at least three times, once by itself, once with the terminology subtitles turned on, and once with the commentary turned on.
I highly recommend this DVD. It is an affectionate but funny look at sci-fi fans, a highly entertaining movie, and a great DVD.
The High Crusade
(1994)
A Major Disappointment
8 January 1999
When I found this movie listed at DVD Express, I was excited. I've been a serious fan of Paul Anderson's work since I started reading. "The High Crusade" has always been one of my favorite books by Anderson and I have long thought that it would make an excellent movie. I still think it would make an excellent movie. Unfortunately, this is not it.
I was completely surprised by the direction taken by the screen play and direction of this movie. Or maybe shocked would be a better word. It had simply never occurred to me that Anderson's book would be interpreted as a comedy. Certainly, there is humor in the novel, but it is basically a story of high adventure with some very serious elements balancing the humor. There is none of that in the movie. Brown (the screen writer) and Knoesel & Neuhauser (the directors) extracted elements from the book and used them as a skeleton on which to build a second rate "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
This movie was almost painful for me to watch because I could see enough of the novel on the screen to know that a good movie could have been made from "The High Crusade." The SFX, though a little cheezy by current standards, are still acceptable. The cast was adequate, though some of the parts would have been cast differently if this were not a comedy, I'm sure. Certainly, John Rys-Davies makes an excellent Brother Parvis and he is one of the few redeeming factors of this film. And the few scenes taken from the novel were almost watchable. But the overall tone and direction were not even remotely true to the novel. Frankly, even fans of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" will be disappointed because it's just not that funny.
If you have never read the book, then you may find this movie mildly amusing. If you are a fan of this classic science fiction novel, then I recommend steering clear of this movie. It will taint your good memories of the book forever.
I was completely surprised by the direction taken by the screen play and direction of this movie. Or maybe shocked would be a better word. It had simply never occurred to me that Anderson's book would be interpreted as a comedy. Certainly, there is humor in the novel, but it is basically a story of high adventure with some very serious elements balancing the humor. There is none of that in the movie. Brown (the screen writer) and Knoesel & Neuhauser (the directors) extracted elements from the book and used them as a skeleton on which to build a second rate "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
This movie was almost painful for me to watch because I could see enough of the novel on the screen to know that a good movie could have been made from "The High Crusade." The SFX, though a little cheezy by current standards, are still acceptable. The cast was adequate, though some of the parts would have been cast differently if this were not a comedy, I'm sure. Certainly, John Rys-Davies makes an excellent Brother Parvis and he is one of the few redeeming factors of this film. And the few scenes taken from the novel were almost watchable. But the overall tone and direction were not even remotely true to the novel. Frankly, even fans of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" will be disappointed because it's just not that funny.
If you have never read the book, then you may find this movie mildly amusing. If you are a fan of this classic science fiction novel, then I recommend steering clear of this movie. It will taint your good memories of the book forever.
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