Dark Star: the Hyper-Drive Edition

I hope everyone's aware that when something is described as a "cult classic", that usually means there're quite a few rough edges but it is essentially sound. That's a fair description of Dark Star, a product of two college students with a budget of around sixty thousand dollars (in 1970s era dollars). Technologically-wise, sixty grand didn't go very far back in those days, and Carpenter and Bannon seem to have made the most of it judging by the non-so-bad quality of the sets and effects.The acting is wanting but workable (the cast is also college-age).The story is spotty. It starts with a message from mission control on Earth in which their request for increased radiation protection is denied. "Cutbacks in congress" don't allow the dispatch of a supply ship to the Dark Star. We proceed with the destruction of a planet in order to clear a way for the following colony ships. This scene serves to show the viewer the Dark Star's mission to destroy "unstable planets" and the talking Thermostellar Bombs with which it is accomplished. Then a space storm comes along and causes the next Thermostellar bomb (No. 20) to mistakenly believe it has received an order to detonate. The ship's computer orders it to stand down and it retreats back into the bomb bay after some arguing (it really wants to blow up).Everything's good this far, but now we enter a long middle period during which the plot drags. The crew is very fatigued and is practically incapacitated with lassitude. They're in such a funk they can't even make repairs to their crew quarters, instead taking up residence in the food storage locker. They sit in the observation lounge staring at the stars and talking, playing notes on a makeshift xylophone made of discarded cans and bottles, take up target shooting at an unused hatch cover, etc. Then we have the celebrated beachball-alien sequence which is best left undescribed. The only significant thing that happens here is that the alien tampers with Communication Laser #17, which monitors the bomb release mechanism. Thermostellar bomb #20 is again activated and puts up a vigorous argument with the ship's computer when ordered to again stand down. It does, saying "Alright, but this is the last time."Talby suggests to Doolittle that they should look at the bomb and figure out what's wrong, but Doolittle overrules him with the excuse, "Well, we'll find out the next time it happens." And the crew goes back to goofing off while the bomb stews in the bomb bay. (ship's computer also announces the problem and declares that it will work on the problem)In the end sequence, the Dark Star arrives at the target planet in the Veil nebula and the crew prepares Bomb 20. Then Talby, having himself taken charge of the bomb problem, stumbles into the way of communication laser #17 and sends an electrical surge through the ship, preventing the bomb from separating from its launcher. After numerous attempts by Pinback and Boiler, the bomb is not so easily disarmed as it was previously: "Detonation will occur at the programmed time." The deceased but frozen former commander of the ship (killed in a previous mishap) suggests convincing the bomb that it cannot be certain it is perceiving what it believes it is. In his words, "teach it phenemology". So Doolittle suits up and goes EVA to talk with the bomb. Meanwhile, Boiler (ship's pilot) lights upon the idea of using the rifle to shoot out the retaining pins on the bomb and thereby releasing it from the ship. Pinback (bombadier) tells him to stop and holds Boiler back because as he says, "you don't know what you're doing...you'll miss the pins and hit the bomb" and "Doolittle's talking to it already". Doolittle's talk seems to work; the bomb goes back into the bomb bay and the computer indicates that it is disarmed. Talby is ejected out the laser hatch cover, and then the bomb announces, "Let there be light." and promptly explodes. Talby joins with the Pheonix Asteroids as he hoped to do, and Doolittle rides a piece of the ship's wreckage as a space surfboard into the atmosphere of the planet. The End.I cannot vouch for how funny all this is (my fault no doubt), but the story is not without its good points. It seems to be about human failure, or perhaps about the propensity for fatalism that humans have in alienating, enervating circumstances. That, or the crew is simply a bunch of slackers too far gone even to attempt saving themselves.The very fact that A.D. Foster was able to make a novelization out of the movie speaks for itself. I give four stars because the movie kind of makes sense when you think about it, which may make for the most interesting viewing experience of all.

The Crew of the Dark Star has had nothing but bad luck. They're all going nuts, each in their own way, but at least it's a hilarious story. As a comedy the Writer's first movie didn't do so great, but later, Alien was a Screaming Success. If you like Monty Python You will probably Love Dark Star. It might take you a few viewings to get into the flow of it, but it will start to stick with you. This isn't a Monty Python movie, but its humor is subtle and can be used as a lens for shows like Star Trek and Star Wars. In those, the crews more or less know what they're doing, and everything is Top Flight, more or less. In Dark Star, Murphy's Law seems to reign supreme. But it only takes until the end of the movie for each of them to find relief in one way or another.... I wonder if the Pheonix Lights will be passing by Alpha Century anytime soon..... hmmm...

Interesting to see Carpenter and O Brian in their early days.

Dark Star - you need to see Dark Star. If nothing else it's a testament to human ingenuity - proof that a bunch of people in a room who have only the slimmest idea of what they're doing can yet, with a bit of gumption, create something marvelous. A little rough around the edges, but marvelous.It's...sometime in the future. A bunch of guys have spent 20 years blowing up unstable planets. Their captain recently died a stupid and embarrassing death. They have a pet alien that nobody likes. And that's...sorta it as far as plot goes.Made by a bunch of film students with about the same amount as money spent on providing half decent catering on a Hollywood film for a week, Dark Star overcomes its humble origins with better than you'd expect special effects and a really winning story from fledgeling writer Dan O'Bannon, later to pen the infamous 'Alien'. The crew are a desperate bunch of bored, shaggy loosers, but there's pathos in the story of a working joe who realizes that he was never happier than when he was surfing the beaches of long-distant California, or of the crew member who sobs to himself when he realizes that he's trapped in a decade's long mission with a bunch of guys who couldn't even be bothered to wish him happy birthday. It's thoughtful, bleakly hilarious stuff, and that's even before the talking bomb shows up.So sure it looks like the film has been put together with duct tape and super glue (it was), but if you can get over your contempt for special effects that were far from special even in the 70s, then you can find that this film possesses something that all the blockbuster directors would kills to possess more of - raw talent, and the love for the medium to see a story through.

I will not review the movie itself. The first DVD in this 2-DVD set is the movie, and the transfer is decent.....this was never a movie to brag about in terms of quality of image or sound, but this version looks better that any other version I had in the past. The second DVD in the set is odd....it is mainly the long "making of" documentary that seems to be available nowhere else, and that is great....this is not one of those talking heads "making of" videos where all the actors congratulate each other. It is really the story of the making of the movie. The odd thing is, if you don't press the on-screen buttons correctly, it just plays the entire movie again, rather than playing the documentary. This means that the entire movie is present on both DVDs (unless my DVD player somehow recorded the entire movie DVD when I played it, and then tried to play that back when I inserted the second DVD, and I doubt that.

I CAN ALSO CONFIRM THAT THIS IS A Region '0' Disc NOT Region 1 as stated and therefore it should play on ANY DVD Players anywhere. It certainly plays on my British Region 2 Dvd Player.It was quite something to watch this DVD. Having first seen the film taped off the BBC one night by my father back in '81 or early '82 in what was probably it's British TV Premier at the age of 10.A little under two years ago I took the decision one quiet day to google the stars of Dark Star. One had died (Kal Kuniholm)just a few months earlier, another (creative force and writer of "Alien" and "Total Recall" (Dan O'Bannon) has died just a few months later, a third (Dre Pahich) whereabouts are unknown and a fourth Brian Narelle (Lt Doolittle) is alive well and productive.Brian and I have talked back and forth quite a bit since. He related to me some of the same stories he talks about in the extra's. I mentioned over a year ago that the DVD I had was "bare bones" with no audio commentary or documentary. Then last summer he mentioned that he had been interviewed by the distributors who were preparing this new Dvd.It's been very good to talk with the star of a film which made such an early and strong impression on me, on a semi-equal level. Don't get me wrong I have met a good number of celebrities over the years including some major British politicians; but it's great to talk with a cult movie star!I have little to add to what others have written about the disc. There is a huge 2 hour Documentary, well made, stylised and edited with lots of interviews. A quality audio commentary by a hard core Australian fan and an excellent 3D ("fly around" model of the Scoutship "Dark Star". They have even put subtitles on (for the first time I believe) in both English and Spanish. (though some of the captions bear little relation to what's actually being said but illustrate the action well!). After 30 years I finally found out what EXACTLY what Boiler says to Doolittle when he finds a "goodie" The part of the line I never got is "...probably go OFF it's orbit and hit a star" not "promethius office orbit NEW star" which is more or less what I heard all these years even if it made no sense !!The only thing I could think of that would have been great would be if they could have included the original script (which is available free on the net anyway) and even better why not include the Novelisation (which isn't on the net) hich I have never read and only really thought about after seening the author talk about it on the extras!Also as I mentioned to Brian Narelle before this DVD was prepared why not an audio commentary from HIM ?If you are any kind of fan of this film buy this version don't scrimp on buying the older cheaper versions with no extra's.GOOD LUCK... you will be happy with it.

I have been a fan of 'Dark Star' for many years, and this DVD is by far the best release so far. I'm not going to review the movie (safe to say, if you like the early years of 'Red Dwarf' you'll love it). Extras are plentiful (including an epic 'making of' documentary) and picture quality is very good (if not perfect, considering the 16mm origins of the original material).What I'm really writing this for though is to let UK buyers know that this DVD is 'REGION FREE' (not just region 1), so perfectly safe to buy. It is in the US standard format of NTSC, rather than PAL, but almost all televisions in the UK these days are NTSC compatible.Oh and if you're thinking of waiting for a Blu-Ray... the makers say there would be nothing to gain in picture quality so a Blu-Ray is not necessary.The only question now is, why isn't this Special Edition DVD being sold direct in the UK...?

Got this for myself for a birthday present. Not disappointed. Excellent condition. Exceptional value. Looked for this version for years. If you enjoy this movie you will love this edition. Must have for any fan of classic science fiction. Thanks Amazon!Make sure you are getting the appropriate version for your region.

Another classic that will still be a classic in fifty years from now.....

Love it! The special features are a great bonus