The Black Hole (1979) User Reviews

They were almost on to something here.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 6/10 · 24 June 2012]

Despite being almost universally labeled as a failure, The Black Hole is actually not that bad. Not bad at all. The film is generally pleasing to the eye, fairly well-paced, and touches on some interesting issues. The film is hamstrung however by the fact that it is still a Disney film (despite the PG rating) and it therefore has to pander to the kiddies too much.

The story centers around a small spaceship (the Palomino) and her crew who are charting the deepest depths of space in the search for new life. Early on, they come across a giant Black Hole and notice a long-lost ship (the Cygnus) which seems to be parked right by it. The ship appears to be empty until closer inspection reveals it to be full of robots, humanoids made up of the old crew, and a mad scientist type of guy in charge of it all. He plans to take his ship through the Black Hole to see what wonders are beyond it. Needless to say, most of the Palomino's crew can tell what a nut this guy is, and they try to escape before he can take them with him. The story is paced by numerous shoot-outs between our heroes and the robotic army controlled by this lunatic. And what would the film have been without someone going through the black hole? Everyone ends up going through, and what they find might surprise you.

The film has some definite strengths. The film is visually impressive considering how much of it was created with matte paintings and lesser f/x. The ships are particularly nice to look at. There are some truly memorable shots, such as the crew scurrying out of the way as a gigantic meteorite comes rolling after them. Outer space looks very detailed, and the object of record is always spinning away in the background as the cast recites grandiose lines about it. The sound effects are also top-drawer.

There are some considerable faults, however. There are more than a few times where you can clearly see wires holding things up (particularly the robots) that should be floating on their own. This is particularly obvious on the DVD. The acting is passable at best with Schell coming off as the best simply because his character is so charismatic. The robots look like a rip-off from the Star Wars films, and are given cutesy Disney-like things to do and say.

The ending is somewhat intellectual and even dark, considering this is a movie ostensibly made for kids. We are treated to a pretty cool-looking vision of hell where our mad scientist has presumably been sent. As far as what happens to the crew of the Palomino, we can only speculate, but we have a pretty good idea. Small children are bound to be left with numerous questions for mommy and daddy, and their parents may have some difficulty explaining what they've just seen. That may be the biggest problem with The Black Hole. There are some deeper issues that are worth studying, but they get glossed over by the "kiddie" elements of the plot. The film tries to please two audiences, but may not have pleased enough people in the end.

At $18,000,000, this film had a considerable price tag for back then. It failed to make that back in theaters, but the market for home-viewing has more than made up this shortfall since then.

The verdict: 6 of 10 stars. The film is worth seeing, but it falls considerably short of the greatness its makers had in mind.

The Hound has spoken.

If I watched this as a Disney movie this would be 5.5 or 6 but from just sci fi perspective 7 for entertainment value.

[Mcduff3601 · 7/10 · 25 January 2022]

This was a strange movie, I had never heard of it until I came across a must watch sci fi list somewhere. I think not knowing helped me enjoy this movie. If I had known it was a Disney movie I probably would have been expecting a certain level of tameness.

There isn't any real gore but there is a lot of death in this movie, done in a family(ish) friendly way. Still I wouldn't watch this with my little she would find some of the scenes to scary.

All in all a decent sci fi movie that has a trippy as hell 2001 space odyssey type vibe to it (near the same point in the movie now that I think about it). You get the jist of what is happening but it's not super clear. I would recommend to anyone who likes campy 60's-70s sci fi. This one turned out to be way darker than expected.

Screw the reviews. Remember it for Maximilian.

[Mario_Mangler · 5/10 · 23 January 2005]

I saw this movie in the theater when I was 6 years old. So you have to remember that frame of reference when you read these comments.

I saw The Black Hole when I was six years old and, of course, I loved it. Although what I remember the most about that experience was my first glimpse of Maximilian, the giant killer red robot. Maximilian terrified me. And he ended up being the first movie character to ever really scare the crap out of me.

If you were 6 years old kid in 1980, you would remember this film. Because even though it's silly to make the comparison today, at one time the Black Hole held a special place in the hearts of kids everywhere, mainly because it featured a character who was even scarier than Darth Vader.

That's right, Star Wars came 2 years earlier than the Black Hole, and Star Wars had a frightening guy in a black mask named Darth Vader. But let me tell you that to a kid growing up in 1980, Darth Vader was NOTHING compared to Maximilian. Darth Vader was a pansy compared to Maximilian, and I'm not just joking around. If you were a little kid in 1980, you knew about this movie. And you knew who Maximilian was. And you spoke about him in terms of reverence. Because you don't mock the robot who haunts your nightmares every single night.

That's how big a deal Maximilan was at the time.

Yes, The Black Hole has flaws. Yes, the rest of the robots are comical. And yes, the science fiction in the movie makes no sense. And sure, I'd agree that the sight of Ernest Borgnine in a tight turtleneck is disturbing and I never want to see it again. But none of that really matters to me. All I care about is that this movie features Maxmilian the bleeping killer red robot. And from a pop culture/movie history perspective, that makes this movie a classic.

Personally, I think that the Black Hole is a pretty lame movie. But in 1980 I would have ranked it alongside Star Wars as the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life. And of course, that is almost solely because of Maximilian. So don't make fun of this movie. Just remember that it cause a lot of nightmares in kids from the 70's and early 80's. And please give it props for featuring a villain that (at one time) was cooler and scarier than a guy named Darth Vader.

So here's to you, Maximilian.

Please don't Cuisinart me through a book.

Mario's Movie Rating: 5 out of 10 (at least it's somewhat entertaining)

Mario's Maximilian Rating: 10 of 10

Not for the little ones.

[dsayne · 14 August 2002]

I first saw the Black Hole when I was in college and I remembered just enough to know that I liked it. Others here have commented on the movie in great enough detail, I can only say,"Lighten Up!" Sure the effects are not perfect but they really are pretty good. The acting is acceptable, not oscar level but then neither is the script that they were given to work with. Many of the events depicted are not plausible, but how many movies really are? (Even non SF ones) The Black Hole is in some ways Captain Nemo in space. The Elizabethan structure of the ship in particular. Also Reinhart and Nemo are similar characters. However, Nemo is not truly a villain. His crew is composed of volunteers and they are very loyal to him whereas Reinhart must lobotomize his crew to retain their services. Reinhart cares for no one but himself, but Nemo was concerned, though grudgingly, for the welfare of even his prisoners. In short, Nemo is a sympathetic character, Reinhart is not. This brings me to the point of my review. The mood of this movie is what really makes or breaks it. I must credit my sister for defining it for me because I could not find the right word. The word is CREEPY! There is a feeling of forboding that builds untill the action sequences are finished and our heroes enter the black hole. After that it is just intensely weird and CREEPY. Having not seen this movie for twenty years and remembering only the cool effects and robots I allowed my 5 year old to watch it. Big mistake! He was afraid to go to sleep, and it bothered him for about a week. This kid has handled action and SF movies OK before, although I do not let him watch the more violent or intense stuff. This movie is intense! Star wars did not bother him at all, but the Black Hole . . . Parents of small children beware! The Black Hole is CREEPY!

I remember liking this as a kid

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 15 December 2014]

It's 2130 and Day 547 on board the USS Palomino with Captain Dan Holland (Robert Forster), Lieutenant Charles Pizer (Joseph Bottoms), Dr. Alex Durant (Anthony Perkins), Harry Booth (Ernest Borgnine) and Dr. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux) with ESP abilities to talk to robots. Robot VINCENT discovers a large black hole and a lost ship the USS Cygnus. McCrae's father is suppose to be on board. The ship is not abandoned as first thought and is filled with robots run by the mad Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell). He has been alone for 20 years refusing orders to return to Earth. His most formidable robot is Maximilian.

I remember really liking this as a kid. Watching it now, the science is wrong. What's with ESP? I can even see some of the wires. I do like some of the designs. I love the VINCENT and Maximilian robots. The special effects is a mix bag coming after Star Wars. Its 50s sci-fi motif is actually quite interesting for the era. I would love to see this story remade with the science redone. There is a fine mad scientist movie here.

Disney Movie Mania! The Black Hole.

[Captain_Couth · 7/10 · 9 October 2004]

The Black Hole (1979) was one of the first films that I can remember watching in a movie theater. A small cinema near to where I lived played Disney films and I saw this one there. A fun film about a group of astronauts and a robot who are welcomed aboard a gigantic spaceship manned by Maximillian Schnell. Sadly he's as mad as a hatter and has some unsettling plans for his guests. The leader of the space travelers is portrayed by one of my b-movie favorites Robert Forester. Creepy Anthony Perkins is also along for the ride as well as several other familiar faces. When I was a lad I was really into this genre. The robots were cool and the special effects were quite impressive.

Not a bad film except it confused me a bit when I was younger (especially the end). Entertaining for a Disney film and I wouldn't mind seeing it again in the near future. I have to give this one a passing grade. Not one of my truly favorites but a great time killer. If this one was on video for rent at my local rental store I wouldn't hesitate to watch it. But stay away from T.V. or Cable versions because this film was shot in Cinemascope.

Recommended for camp value.

"Middle of the Road"? You're soaking in it.

[Gislef · 5/10 · 13 April 1999]

This movie does fall absolutely dead center in the middle of the road for me. On the one hand, you have decent F/X, great model work, some good performances (Maximilian Schell as the Nemo-like bad guy and Perkins as the obsessed acolyte), a willingness to get down and gritty (witness Perkins' on-screen death), and some nice concepts. On the other hand, you have some bad performances (Borgnine and wooden-faced Forster), unnecessarily anthromorphized robots (no doubt inspired by Star Wars and Disney's desire to lighten the flick a bit), some sloppy science, and a very slow plot. It's good, but to me it just balances right out at a 4-6 rating, depending on my mood when I catch it.

Bad Choices

[pensman · 7/10 · 6 February 2009]

This is a movie with a great premise, a superb villain in Maximillian Schell as both Dr. Hans Reinhardt and his alter ego Maximillian the robot. Some of the staging and shots are among the best of any science fiction movie. And the ending comes close to the ambiguity of A Space Odyssey especially with its shot of the melding of Reinhardt and his robot ending up in a Dantesque vision of Hell, which is incredible given this is a Disney film. Do not forget the haunting music by John Barry which echoes a faint James Bond sound.

The weakness, and there are too many to note, are best seen in the V.I.N.CENT robot and his mentor bot, Bob. These characters were obviously meant to appeal to the kiddies who were no doubt the target audience.

I imagine there were some mighty discussions on the set of this film as to whether they should be making a classic or childish crap. Unfortunately the latter choice seems to driven the bottom line.

A Disney film that's too metaphysical and murky for its intended juvenile audience.

[barnabyrudge · 5/10 · 1 October 2005]

I first saw The Black Hole when I was a young kid and I just didn't get it. Sure, the special effects looked pretty neat to my young eyes. And occasional bits of the film got me excited - like the scene where the heroes are trying to get across a bridge while a huge fireball rolls towards them. But I couldn't make sense of the long, philosophical chit-chat that passes between Maximilian Schell's mad scientist and his unwanted guests aboard the spacecraft Cygnus. Furthermore, the final sequence in which the heroes travel through the titular black hole left me totally bewildered. Having recently re-watched the film as an adult, I found it rather more comprehensible and in some aspects quite interesting, but the thing I just couldn't come to terms with was the fact that a film made with children in mind could allow itself to get bogged down in so much complex talk, and could end with such a metaphysical final sequence.

The space shuttle Palomino is travelling through space when its crew unintentionally stumble across along-lost spaceship called the Cygnus. Stranger still is the fact that the Cygnus seems to be "parked" on the edge of a huge black hole, yet is somehow resisting its tremendous gravitational pull. The Palomino's crew - Captain Dan Holland (Robert Forster), Lt. Charlie Pizer (Joseph Bottoms), Dr. Kate McRae (Yvette Mimieux), Dr. Alex Durant (Anthony Perkins) and Harry Booth (Ernest Borgnine), plus their droid Vincent (voiced by Roddy McDowall) - board the Cygnus to investigate. Dr. McRae in particular is keen to get to the bottom of its mystery, as her father was one of the Cygnus's crew when it was last heard from 20 years previously. Once aboard, they find that the whole spaceship is under the command of Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell), an eccentric genius who claims that most of his crew left the Cygnus to respond to an order to return to earth. He says that he is the only surviving member of those who chose to remain. Dr. Reinhardt's plan seems to be to take the Cygnus into the black hole and to become the first man ever to learn what lies beyond....

There are some dependable names in the cast, and they give enjoyable if undemanding performances on the whole. The special effects are generally quite impressive. John Barry provides a really memorable score which sounds similar to some of his work for the James Bond films. Where The Black Hole comes undone is in its very time-consuming and complicated talky scenes - in particular, a heck of a lot of time seems to be taken with Schell imparting his philosophies to his unexpected guests. Also, the final sequence reveals that black holes are gateways to heaven and hell. While this is an intriguing idea, it is very "deep" and metaphysical for kids to get to grips with.... and the sequence is rather clumsily put together anyway, so that it seems more muddled than clever. Adults will enjoy the film more than their kids, but whatever your age you're likely to find that the film just doesn't quite fulfil its potential.

Disney's first PG film

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 10 February 2003]

This was Disney's big Christmas release in 1979--a big budget, the first PG rating and big stars. It was a huge bomb which is too bad--it's pretty good.

A spaceship's crew (Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux) find a mad doctor (Maximilian Schell) in outer space ready to enter a black hole. He sets out to take them with him...or else.

Great special effects are the main attraction here. The debits are kiddie-like dialogue, bad acting, huge lapses in logic and two cutsey robots voiced by Roddy McDowell and Slim Pickens. Still, I liked the movie. It moves fairly quickly and there was always some impressive effects to look at--it's obvious that Disney spent a lot of money on this.

This is fine for kids--the PG rating is just for someone saying "damn" and three non-bloody, quick deaths. Adults should like it too.

spectacular failure

[jaijaijai73 · 1/10 · 30 September 2009]

I saw this new in the theater when I was a little kid, and revisited it last night with my wife.

She still isn't speaking to me, and has taken control of the Netflix queue for the foreseeable future. Her last words to me were to the effect that I have lost any right to criticize her cinematic selections, for eternity.

I think that's a reasonable response on her part, actually.

I suggest a new, improved tagline: "There is a force in the universe that sucks harder than anything else known to man... It is The Black Hole!!! (the movie, that is!)"

(spoilers follow)

Okay, first the good: In its time, it was found to be visually impressive. It definitely hasn't held up like 2001, Star Wars, or even the first Star Trek movie, though. I do remember being pretty overwhelmed as a tyke watching this, back in the day. The end is still vertigo-inducing, looking suspiciously like a ride at Disneyland. Did they plan to build a spin off (very literally, in this case) ride based on the anticipated success of this film? "I know! Let's have their seats all spin around inside the spaceship when they enter the hole!" Why the hell the seats in a spaceship would be designed to spin madly is never addressed...

Sorry, more good: Maximilian is a badass looking robot. I am suddenly seized with a desire for a good model of him, because he is the very archetype of droid evil. His immobility just adds to the menace.

The opening and closing credits score (not the lame "overture") is pretty creepy cool, too.

On to the bad: The rest of the film. Script, acting, direction, plot, dialogue... By any reasonable measure of a movie's worth, this is a total failure. There are so many ridiculous, embarrassing moments, that this is a great choice for those compulsive smartasses who enjoy mocking a movie nonstop, MST 3000 style.

Nothing in this movie makes any sense. The "science" of this fiction is beyond wrong, the design of the spaceships is absurd, (gigantic formal dining room with huge crystal chandelier wtf?) the characters have no motivation, and the ending... Ouch.

Most of the dialogue is risible, and all of it is delivered woodenly at best. "The gravity is at maximum!" Uhh, what?

The ugly: There are two disturbing eviscerations in this film, which somehow takes it from a silly space opera for children into more serious territory. They should have kept it light and g-rated, or made a film worthy of adults.

My disbelief failed to suspend in the face of such a ham-fisted production. Why would anybody design an enormous empty gallery through the middle of a spaceship? Oh, right, so a giant flaming meteor could roll through it later in the film, gotcha. Why is the meteor flaming and red hot? Because it's in proximity to a black hole, silly! And everybody knows that the most powerful force in the universe is... Gravity! Uh, no, actually; gravity is the weakest force known. Those of you at home can play "Spot the Glaring Errors"!

Worst of all is the ending. Oh, the awfulness! On the "other side" of a black hole (which is portrayed here as a whirlpool in a tub in a gravity well, oddly enough) is... A Judeo-Christian morality play! Surprise, surprise. But nominative determinism wins the day, with Maximilian Schell ending up in Maximilian's shell, in hell. Choose your child's name carefully, folks!

If you're a film effects historian, you should probably see this film, as it was a landmark and the last big Disney studio-system effects extravaganza. The results obtained may explain why they changed the system, actually...

If you want to prove your worth and brilliance by ridiculing a silly, terminally confused movie, you have found your victim. Beer, popcorn, irony!

If you are looking for a trip down nostalgia lane like I was, jump on board! Maybe without the wife, though.

But if you are looking for a film that is satisfying as a film, burn your main engines at full power to escape the lethal suck of... The Black Hole!

Ahead of Its Time

[mwendel · 8/10 · 21 May 2005]

With the advancement of movie technology today, I am awaiting a re-make of this film as I can see the enhancement of the Armageddon-like atmosphere of this movie.

Even though this film came out on the heels of Star Wars I feel that for its time and its budget it was awesome and very much overlooked. I think in this case, being a Disney film, didn't help its image either. As a kid this movie scared the pants off of me. It was dark and menacing and there was the big black hole staring me in the face the whole movie. (I can still recall the extent of the willies this movie game me).

While flawed I see this movie as an artistic and hard core science fiction classic. It uses many of what I see as key elements in science fiction - known science, theoretical science, possible futures, and our fear of the unknown (I personally think even with what we know, we still know very little about black holes).

This movie was made in the feel of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Moby Dick, with the mad, yet brilliant captain, sailing a state of the art ship, knowingly, into certain and utter doom in the name of some idealistic obsession. And as it usually goes you have your idealistic yet rational unwilling passengers who want to get off the ship and survive the mad man's nightmarish dreams.

The robots, while used in a highly symbolic fashion, were original in their concept and design. I particularly liked the way V.I.N.C.E.N.T. and B.O.B. were constructed as the "avatars" of humanity - completely man-made with human-like eyes and a "soul", that only allowed them to see the "right" side of things - as we see them. While on the other hand Maximilian was brilliant as the epitome of evil and twisted humanity in this movie - a man silently trapped and condemned to an inhuman fate as part of a mechanical nightmare.

Lastly, I feel that the space backdrops and the internal renderings of the space ship, which I feel have somewhat of an impressionistic flair, are awesome and were very well done for the period. If you passed on this movie the first time I recommend giving it a second chance. Take in the movie - see its symbolism, its social commentaries and far reaching vision. I think some of the issues the movie quietly addresses are still relative today.

Silly but fun

[bluemeanie-1 · 7/10 · 1 July 2003]

Sure it's kind of clunky in parts, and you have to assume no logic ever existed anywhere in the universe (I still haven't figured out that meteor rolling down the middle of the ship part), but it is good fun. The acting's not bad, some good effects, one of John Berry's best scores ever, and just a plain 'ol creepy haunted house in space movie makes it a rollicking good time. Better that most of the sci fi clunkers that followed Star Wars.

Great trailer - shame about the film!

[fhrandall · 1/10 · 18 December 2010]

I remember seeing the trailer for this and thinking "Wow, what a brilliant film it's going to be!!" To explain - the trailer featured "Gravitation anomalies Detector" - a grid on a display with (I think) the odd stretched-down point indicating the presence of a star or planet or whatever. Then there's a dirty great sink-hole appearing in the middle of the grid with no apparent bottom and that's when you see the title "The Black Hole" come up. After 30 years it still gives me the shivers! So, a couple of weeks later I go to the cinema to see this "great film" and what do I get? No cool Gravitation anomalies detectors, that's for sure. Just a load of standard Dismal crud. To put not too fine a point on it, I even deferred seeing Star Wars for almost another year after seeing the Black Hole as I was so dreadfully afraid that Chewbacca would be voiced by Slim Pickens (no respect to the late lamented actor and I loved him in 1941, made the same year) or some similar "old-timer" voice - in fact I planned to walk out of Star Wars had that been the case so I was most relieved when I heard growls instead. ANYHOW. The question, I suppose, is this: had I not seen such a great trailer would I still have gone to see the film? Probably. And been almost as disappointed. But making such a great trailer then a film that's such a pile of cack; well.....

A Forgotten Classic

[Andrew-31 · 14 August 1998]

Not only is The Black Hole beautifully made from a technical aspect, it has marvelous performances. Robert Forester (Jackie Brown), Anthony Perkins (Psycho), Ernest Borgnine, Maximillian Schell. It does get a little campy but it is a Disney movie after all and it can be forgiven its attempts at comic relief. This is a very unlikely sort of film for Disney, were it made today it would have been made under the Miramax header rather than Disney, and like another unlikely Disney film, Tron, it is tragically underrated. The special effects and set design are breathtaking, but it is the script which is the best part. The ending is one of the most surreal and haunting in any science fiction film (and especially bold for a Disney film) The characterizations are wonderful and the robots, especially Maximillian (in my book the greatest cinematic robotic villain to date), are unforgettable.

Want to live with this technology and opportunity to explore...

[DenaliBear · 7/10 · 19 February 2000]

This movie influenced me as a child as much as any other. Great characters, with the possible exception of the one portrayed by Anthony Perkins. Wanted to have my own Vincent. The special effects are amazing for 1979 and better than those in the original cut of Star Wars. Has an impacting score. THE BLACK HOLE is a SCI-FI classic and a film any fan of the genre should see at least once.

Whacky and worthwhile product of the 70s

[Siamois · 7/10 · 26 March 2009]

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.

No Wonder It's Called The Black Hole- IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!

[The-Shadow · 1/10 · 25 June 2007]

I recently developed a theory. We believe there to be only three basic types of movies: "Good" movies (movies that are really well done), "Bad" movies (movies that will never appear on a list of greatest movies ever made, but fun to watch) and "Ugly" movies (movies which are so bad, so can only watch them if you're with a friend and you're mocking it). In test of this theory, some a friend of mine and I watched three movies, one Good, one Bad and one Ugly. Titan A.E. was the Good movie and City Heat was the Bad. Black Hole was, of course, the Ugly movie.

Few films could fail so completely.

The first thing that annoys you when watching the film is he music. Music is supposed to support the scene, not contradict it.

Then there's the revelation about the woman's father. It wouldn't have saved the film, but that revelation should have come later into the film.

Then there is the telepathic robot. How a machine can be telepathic is beyond me. This robot, Vincent, becomes more annoying through out the film by quoting people. Sadly he is the character with the most character in the film.

Once on board, the villains ship, you meet robots who can shoot fast moving balls of light. Yet later on, they are unable to hit stationary objects...

After that, the films descends into a series of physically impossible feats. "Physics? We ain't got no physics. We don't need no physics. I don't have to show you any stinking physics." Memorably, in the final scenes the wall of the space ship is breached and yet the fleeing heroes are not sucked into space. I know it was made in '79, but everyone knew that was impossible.

The final scene is meant to be interpreted by the audience. Normally, that would be really cool, but with Black Hole, you wonder what was the point of watching the film.

I try to be fair when judging movies, so while it may seem like I'm ranting for the sake of it, I think I was fair to this movie. Sadly my friend died of internal hemorrhaging from watching this movie, and I was only able to survive but gnawing my left leg off.

So, take my advice, if you're thinking of watching this film, DON'T. I you want to watch something with essentially the same plot watch "Doctor Who": The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. Sure there is some blatant disregard for physics there to, but at least it doesn't insult you're intelligence.

A great sci-fi adventure from the late 70's

[chvylvr80 · 7/10 · 21 April 2003]

Again here's one of these movies that I have been watching since I was a kid and will enjoy always. I hadn't seen The Black Hole in many years and I wondered if it would stand the test of time. Well it did. The special effects are a little dated of course but they are still workable and the backgrounds in space are very beautiful, quite unlike the normal black space and white dots background of most films. The cast is excellent, not like the throwaway characters that you will find in most sci-fi movies. Robert Forster plays a strong Capt. Holland, while Maximillian Schell plays the sinister bad guy Dr. Reinhart as if he were born for the role. The robots in the movie add rather than detract from the movie. They aren't too cute and they aren't too annoying either. John Berry's score is very powerful and moving. I'd even go so far as to say one of the best scores in a Disney movie. The end is, without giving anything away, predictable and at the same time abstract and bizarre. I also love the trailer, it's on the DVD and the Jackie Brown DVD if you want to see it. Bottom Line: I love this flick and it is one of the best that Sci-Fi had to offer in the 70's. A worthy addition to any collector's shelf.

Disney's lone horror movie

[MBunge · 4/10 · 19 July 2012]

I'm no Hollywood authority, but I have to wonder if The Black Hole doesn't rank as one of the more significant films in the history of the Walt Disney company. Not because it's a masterpiece or some landmark achievement in cinema. I could be wrong, but I think this movie was largely both the death knell for a type of live-action filmmaking that had been synonymous with Disney for decades and the inspiration for the development of a sort of sub-studio system where films could be produced and marketed without having to put the Disney name on them. Of course, I could be wrong about all that. In which case, this would just be an example of the sort of Disneyfied storytelling that some people came to absolutely loathe.

As the spaceship Palomino travels between the stars, it encounters an amazing phenomenon. The lost exploration and research vessel Cygnus is found balanced perfectly on the edge of a black hole, seemingly indifferent to gravity so powerful that even light itself cannot escape it. Captain Dan Holland (Robert Forester) agrees to check it out, though he's not happy at taking the risk. Dr. Kate McRae (Yvette Mimieux) hopes that her father, a member of the Cygnus' crew, has survived its 20 years missing. Journalist Harry Booth (Ernest Borgnine) is more interested in the famed leader of the Cygnus' mission, the brilliant and egocentric Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell). Lieutenant Charlie Pizer (Joseph Bottoms) just wants something to shoot at, while Dr. Alex Durant (Anthony Perkins) is entranced at what the Cygnus' survival and current circumstance suggests.

Joined by a hovering, spherical, maxim-quoting robot named Vincent (voiced by Roddy McDowall), the Palomino crew ventures onto the lost ship. They discover Hans Reinhardt is alive and planning to take a voyage into the black hole and the great unknown beyond. They also uncover what happened to the rest of the Cygnus' crew and find themselves facing off with Reinhardt's mechano-minion, Maximilian. Can they escape before Reinhardt's fateful journey? What exists beyond the event horizon of the most destructive force in the universe? Do really huge sets and matte paintings hold up against modern CGI wizardry?

What you need to know about The Black Hole is that it is the one and only horror movie ever made with the Walt Disney name on it. There are some deeply disturbing things that go on in this motion picture. Or at least they were to me when I saw it in the theater as a kid. It may bear a PG rating but compared to the expectations the audience had for a Disney film at that time, they might as well have slapped an "R" on it. And it's not just the substance. The whole tone and look of this movie is dark and cold and creepy and some of the sound track reflects that.

Some. Not all. The rest of the music of The Black Hole fits with the corny, cloying, clownish, "family friendly" elements that have been jammed into the film because the people making it didn't understand that it was something different than The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes or That Darn Cat. There are scenes here that are positively Jar Jar Binksian in their badly forced humor and awkwardly intrusive sentimentality.

While the special effects are primitive, the sets and overall imagery of the movie remains fairly strong. It's kind of in between the futurism of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the stylized fantasy of TV's Star Trek, closer to the latter than the former. The Black Hole succeeds in being visually interesting on screen, something sci-fi flicks in the decades that followed often failed at due to a fetish for realism.

Ernest Borgnine is good, like that's some sort of surprise. Anthony Perkins commits to his small role and pulls it off. Joseph Bottoms is energetic and that's about all, which still places him above Yvette Mimeiux, who can be distractingly wooden, and Robert Forester, who frequently looks like he doesn't know how he ended up in this kind of production. Maximilian Schell is artfully restrained for this sort of part but, again, he's playing a very un-Disneyifed villain here. There's nothing about Reinhardt that lightens or alleviates his cold, menacing insanity.

As I mentioned, I saw this when it first came out as a child and I think I can remember there being a negative reaction to it from generations raised to expect a certain kind of live-action movie from Walt Disney. The Black Hole is not that kind. It falls so completely apart at the end and resorts to some badly staged action scenes, so I can't call this a good film. It is enough of an oddity that it might be worth a look, though, if you've ever wondered what a Disney horror flick would be like.

Way better than I remembered

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 13 December 2017]

The Black Hole is more than just the first Disney movie to be rated PG and to feature swearing (as well as one of the most expensive they'd produced at that point). It's also a dark film, one closer to Event Horizon than Escape from Witch Mountain.

For years, I believed that The Black Hole was a slow-moving effort, much like Star Trek: The Motion Picture. But after watching it again, I was taken with how quickly it moves and how gorgeous the visuals are, thanks to solid direction by Gary Nelson(who also was in the chair for the original Freaky Friday). The film is big and brash and bold, the way only late 70's movies can be - the movie starts with an overture, one of the last films to do so! It certainly is no ripoff of Star Wars, but obviously got made because of that films success.

wow.. you really have to be kidding....

[highlanddoor · 1/10 · 30 May 2007]

i just watched this movie again, second time in 28 years.. and it was just as bad now as it was then. I remember that as a kid I was more interested in the pop up book than the movie. I can still see why. Better plot development, better special effects, and better acting. I really thought this movie was horrible throughout. It was very evident that Disney tried to jump on the bandwagon with a big budget sci-fi flick to compete with Star Wars, but it is more than obvious that there was no heart or depth behind the story (not to mention a ridiculous premise). This movie represents EVERYTHING I hate about big budget Hollywood. Tons of hype with no payoff. Watching this movie actually made me angry. A robot with a southern accent?? named old bob even??? the robots that had AI, yet could only make right angle turns, maxi's blender blades of death.. seriously, I really hated this flick.. I know I'm rambling, but seriously, Star Wars was proof that a good movie with decent effects could be made in this era, with even a small budget.. Notice Disney quit the whole space thing after this monstrosity... ugg..

Underrated

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 29 May 2011]

Yes The Black Hole may have some silly dialogue and uneven acting, excepting Maximillian Schnell who is absolutely brilliant, but it is a very underrated film in my opinion. I love the story, it was an intriguing idea and it was compelling and moved at a good pace. The ending is wonderfully haunting and surreal, the direction is secure and the film's villain is one of the memorable ones I have seen in a while, twisted, tormented yet with a touch of humanity about him too. I did connect to the characters, yes even VINCENT and BOB. But what makes The Black Hole are the production values and music. The special effects, cinematography, design of the robots and set/scenery design are absolutely breathtaking and the score from the late legendary John Barry compliments the film perfectly. All in all, a very underrated film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Ah, them's proper spaceships :)

[aaronclawrence · 6/10 · 25 April 2005]

Well, the pacing is a bit sloppy, the acting is flat, and there are a couple of shocking "deus ex machina" moments towards the end, but boy, this has a proper BIG spaceship with BIG engines!

The spaceship "Cygnus", poised on the edge of a black hole, is a pretty unique and visually interesting creation, detailed and convincingly engineered. The hole itself is quite well visualised too. Unfortunately the smaller "Palomino" spaceship looks a lot like a tin can, but that's just the entree.

Sure, it was created to cash-in on Star Wars but the plot, visuals and ideas are quite different. "The Black Hole" is it's own film, not a straight copy.

Definitely worth a look for science fiction fans. Not a lot in it for others.

After watching this film, you wish you were sucked down a black hole!

[SciFiSheriff · 1/10 · 15 November 2011]

Never in my life have i watched such a mediocre film! this film I just...ugh.. I can't even describe it.

The plot goes like this; A bunch of space explorers find a ship that looks vacant. So they land and have a look around and find this man who has a crack-pot plan to go down a nearby black hole. The humans try to escape when they find out some gruesome truths about the man who runs the ship (I can't even remember his name). One nearly escapes but dies. The rest have this battle in the spaceship to escape with these annoying robots that you just want to take a hammer to.

Rubbish, rubbish, RUBBISH! The acting is beyond terrible. I wouldn't be to surprised if they picked up some randomer off the street and forced him to act in it. I looks very like that! Now if you have looked at my lists and are saying to yourself "This is rich coming from a guy who likes Batman and robin" To me, this is worse. Just watch it and see how terrible it is! The ending is absolutely horrible and pointless and when the credits roll up you sit there wondering "Why did I buy this pile of tripe" . The affects are also very bad. they were trying to go CGI which was a very bad idea. The plot line tries to be interesting but no wit or originality comes out. All the characters are Cleche and No character really stands out.

If the ending wasn't so horrible, they cleaned up the acting, came up with the movie 20 years earlier then maybe I might have liked it. Now don't get me wrong, I love B sci fi movies with low budgets that come up with imaginative story lines and inventive materials. B sci fi movies are My second favourite Genre and are a lot better than the modern ones. What I don't like is movies that you know have been fired out because the makers want to get every penny in your pocket. For a B movie, you need to have care and affection for the movie your making , not just wanting to make it for the money.

I know I'm nit-picking but this is what i honestly think of the movie.

If you want a good snoozer give it a watch. If not I can't recommend anything in this movie for you.

(I hope I haven't offended anyone in this review and I mean no offence)