Dark Star (1974)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (writer) and
Dan O'Bannon (writer)

Release Date:

9 February 1979 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

What would you be like after 20 years aboard DARK STAR the spaced-out spaceship. The ultimate cosmic comedy!

Plot:

Low-budget story of four astronauts in deep space, whose mission is to destroy unstable planets in star systems which are to be colonised...

Plot Keywords:

Musical Performance | Computer | Cryogenics | Switchblade | Space Travel

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Brian Narelle	...	Lt. Doolittle
Cal Kuniholm	...	Boiler
Dre Pahich	...	Talby
Dan O'Bannon	...	Sgt. Pinback

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | West Germany:6 (f) | Norway:11 | UK:PG | USA:G

Company:

Jack H. Harris Enterprises

Trivia:

After the ship blows up, a piece of debris passes behind Doolittle. The debris is marked "toilet tank thx1138," a reference to THX 1138 (1971).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the elevator sequence, which was actually shot horizontally in a corridor, you can occasionally see the plank on which O'Bannon was lying.

Quotes:

Doolittle: Bomb, this is Lt. Doolittle. You are *not* to detonate in the bomb bay. I repeat, you are NOT to detonate in the bomb bay!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Men in White (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Benson Arizona

One of my favourite films!

John Carpenter's feature debut 'Dark Star' is an absolutely brilliant little curio, that'll make you laugh and laugh. I first saw the film on England's Channel 4 a few years back, and remember wondering what the hell I was watching. I quickly tracked down a copy and rewatched it to see if it was really THAT good...

The story involves a bunch of astronauts who have been in space for many years: they spend their time blowing up unstable planets and rocking out to surf music. During this time, an alien (that looks suspiciously like a beach ball runs riot), and an unruly bomb threatens to blow everyone to smithereens.

'Alien' screenwriter Dan O'Bannon wrote 'Dark Star', and clearly borrowed from it for the 1979 Ridley Scott film - taking the hilarious beach-ball sequence and playing it out for tension rather than laughs. Also a big influence on the TV series 'Red Dwarf'.

Check it out if you're a fan of science fiction or a fan of John Carpenter. 10/10. An underrated classic.