As a young boy, I had the pleasure to view this movie and it left an impression on me. Now 30 years later, I was lucky enough to track it down and view it a second time. It amazes me how memorable certain scenes and concepts were, as it replayed much like I remembered. Of course, when viewed today, most of this will appear silly to jaded moviegoers who have been spoiled to many sci-fi shows and movies who have refined the genre but the movie is really amazing in many respects and an excellent candidate for a remake.
So what is it exactly? A crew of space explorers manning the USS Palomino, discover the long lost USS Cygnus with scientist Hans Reinhardt as the sole surviving member on board, surrounded by a bizarre crew of robots and intent on solving the mystery of black holes. The movie is a loose space adaptation of Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea but draws a lot of inspiration from the 70s. It will remind many of the whackiness prevalent in shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Space: 1999 and of course, Star Wars. There are also several elements unmistakably borrowed from the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Cast and characters: Our heroes, the Palomino crew has an air of cliché around it. You've got the one-dimensional, all-American hero played by the ever-so-bland Robert Forster. Anthony Perkins gives a solid but unspectacular performance as the overeager scientist, Ernest Borgine plays adequately the grumpy coward and Joseph Bottoms is sort of less stoic, younger version of the captain. The two last crew members are probably the most interesting. Yvette Mymieux plays Dr. Kate McRae. She is gifted with ESP abilities, linking her to a small, irreverent yet wise robot going by the name of Vincent. The classic, memorable performance here is given by their host. Austrian veteran actor Maximilian Schell is masterful as Dr. Hans Reinhardt. He gives his character much presence, an air of mystery and conveys adequately the feeling that his character is skirting the line between brilliance and madness. His crew of robots range from silly to creepy, the most notable being his sidekick enforcer, a giant, menacing robot by the name of Maximillian.
Sets: The Palomino is unremarkable. A rather small spaceship that really brilliantly sets the stage for the piece of resistance: The magnificent, awe-inspiring USS Cygnus. The Cygnus is gargantuan in comparison. It makes your jaw drop from the outside and it doesn't let the viewer down once the crew gets inside. There is a feel of Gothic architecture to the Cygnus which is extravagant yet fits perfectly. It is imposing, bigger-than-life at times yet suffocating and creepy. The use of technology is very 70s, with computers and screens that don't make much sense but we have seen worse. The space scenes are for the most part very good. Many scenes are interesting, there are computer-generated sequences that are quite interesting for the time, the ship models are cool and you get a real sense of movement. The black hole is great and also holds up real well. It is as much of a character at times as the rest of the protagonists and antagonists. What's the weakest link? Definitely the robots. Vincent is silly-looking and probably the part that really betrays the Disney origins of the production. Most of Rheinarts' crew is forgettable, even though some of it had potential. Maximillian is one of a kind and his look is reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica's Cylons, which came out a year earlier. He is a memorable character and one of the highlights of the film. Certainly the coolest robot in this movie.
Plot: I hate spoilers, so you won't get that here. I'll just give my impressions. For the most part, this is very silly and 70-ish. Our heroes are cardboard clichés. And with all the depth Schell gives to Dr. Reinhart, we never get a real sense of his motivation for what has happened here and what is going to happen. The "science" used is also very 70-ish but that is what a lot of science-fiction is about, so it doesn't really bother me. What I found interesting was the bizarre yet elegant mix between fantasy, almost childish elements and horror. It brings you back to the time where Disney was not afraid to both scare and amaze children. Before all the sanitization that came with the right-thinking 80s. At a time where fairy tales, myths and fables actually were fully used as both entertainment and cautionary tales. In this respect, The Black Hole remains a visceral story. A lot of people still can't make sense of the final scenes, where the movie plunges into a sort of metaphysical acid trip. I do think it feels a bit tacked on and could have been refined. As it is, it looks more like a nod to 2001 than anything else.
This movie is flawed, some of the parts (like the aforementioned lack of scientific rigor, the silly-looking robots, the wooden acting by Forster, etc..) are in need of a good overhaul. The plot could be extended by a good 30 minutes as well. But SO much of it has potential. The relationship between men and machine. The thirst of the unknown. What lies within the Black Hole. The really cool ideas such as sentient robots and the weird yet brilliant telepathic link between robot and a human. It is beautifully shot. What was missing most was a stronger vision from director and writer. Yet if writers were able to take the stupid mess that was original Battlestar Galactica and reboot it in a wonderful, thought-provoking modern series, I think The Black Hole has as much, if not more potential.
Fans of old school sci-fi movies and shows should give this one a try.
So what is it exactly? A crew of space explorers manning the USS Palomino, discover the long lost USS Cygnus with scientist Hans Reinhardt as the sole surviving member on board, surrounded by a bizarre crew of robots and intent on solving the mystery of black holes. The movie is a loose space adaptation of Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea but draws a lot of inspiration from the 70s. It will remind many of the whackiness prevalent in shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Space: 1999 and of course, Star Wars. There are also several elements unmistakably borrowed from the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Cast and characters: Our heroes, the Palomino crew has an air of cliché around it. You've got the one-dimensional, all-American hero played by the ever-so-bland Robert Forster. Anthony Perkins gives a solid but unspectacular performance as the overeager scientist, Ernest Borgine plays adequately the grumpy coward and Joseph Bottoms is sort of less stoic, younger version of the captain. The two last crew members are probably the most interesting. Yvette Mymieux plays Dr. Kate McRae. She is gifted with ESP abilities, linking her to a small, irreverent yet wise robot going by the name of Vincent. The classic, memorable performance here is given by their host. Austrian veteran actor Maximilian Schell is masterful as Dr. Hans Reinhardt. He gives his character much presence, an air of mystery and conveys adequately the feeling that his character is skirting the line between brilliance and madness. His crew of robots range from silly to creepy, the most notable being his sidekick enforcer, a giant, menacing robot by the name of Maximillian.
Sets: The Palomino is unremarkable. A rather small spaceship that really brilliantly sets the stage for the piece of resistance: The magnificent, awe-inspiring USS Cygnus. The Cygnus is gargantuan in comparison. It makes your jaw drop from the outside and it doesn't let the viewer down once the crew gets inside. There is a feel of Gothic architecture to the Cygnus which is extravagant yet fits perfectly. It is imposing, bigger-than-life at times yet suffocating and creepy. The use of technology is very 70s, with computers and screens that don't make much sense but we have seen worse. The space scenes are for the most part very good. Many scenes are interesting, there are computer-generated sequences that are quite interesting for the time, the ship models are cool and you get a real sense of movement. The black hole is great and also holds up real well. It is as much of a character at times as the rest of the protagonists and antagonists. What's the weakest link? Definitely the robots. Vincent is silly-looking and probably the part that really betrays the Disney origins of the production. Most of Rheinarts' crew is forgettable, even though some of it had potential. Maximillian is one of a kind and his look is reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica's Cylons, which came out a year earlier. He is a memorable character and one of the highlights of the film. Certainly the coolest robot in this movie.
Plot: I hate spoilers, so you won't get that here. I'll just give my impressions. For the most part, this is very silly and 70-ish. Our heroes are cardboard clichés. And with all the depth Schell gives to Dr. Reinhart, we never get a real sense of his motivation for what has happened here and what is going to happen. The "science" used is also very 70-ish but that is what a lot of science-fiction is about, so it doesn't really bother me. What I found interesting was the bizarre yet elegant mix between fantasy, almost childish elements and horror. It brings you back to the time where Disney was not afraid to both scare and amaze children. Before all the sanitization that came with the right-thinking 80s. At a time where fairy tales, myths and fables actually were fully used as both entertainment and cautionary tales. In this respect, The Black Hole remains a visceral story. A lot of people still can't make sense of the final scenes, where the movie plunges into a sort of metaphysical acid trip. I do think it feels a bit tacked on and could have been refined. As it is, it looks more like a nod to 2001 than anything else.
This movie is flawed, some of the parts (like the aforementioned lack of scientific rigor, the silly-looking robots, the wooden acting by Forster, etc..) are in need of a good overhaul. The plot could be extended by a good 30 minutes as well. But SO much of it has potential. The relationship between men and machine. The thirst of the unknown. What lies within the Black Hole. The really cool ideas such as sentient robots and the weird yet brilliant telepathic link between robot and a human. It is beautifully shot. What was missing most was a stronger vision from director and writer. Yet if writers were able to take the stupid mess that was original Battlestar Galactica and reboot it in a wonderful, thought-provoking modern series, I think The Black Hole has as much, if not more potential.
Fans of old school sci-fi movies and shows should give this one a try.