The Black Hole

[Tycho]

This was a Disney space epic made to capitalize on sci-fi's surge given to it by Star Wars no doubt.

V.I.N.C.E.N.T. was a direct knock off between R2-D2 and Spock actually (with his witicizms in response to everything the brash pilot Charlie Pizer said).

The uniforms are almost white variations on the StarFleet look done later on Enterprise, which are also similar to real NASA jumpsuits (the blues, minus the diapers of some fame as of late).

Captain Dan Holland was a cool character and "Reinhart" was well played as an obsessive madman.

I liked the heroic music played during the firefights with the robots. The other theme they had running during much of the credits and the Palamino's original approach of the Cygnus felt very dated and reminded you that this was a "B-movie."

Anthony Perkins played Dr. Alex Durant who you had to like before he met an unfortunate end at the hands of the killer-enforcer robot, Maximillian (who was undoubtedly the surrogate Darth Vader of the film).

The Sentry Robots were also knock-offs of the stormtroopers. But so what?

I had the action figures when I was a kid. They did most of them old GI Joe style (screws and rubberbands) and they lacked weapons. However they looked alright and the robots were cool!

I still love that scene when the crew is running ahead of the huge meteroite that crashes into the ship. It's like the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark X 100!

This concludes all my movie reviews until I have watched 7 years or more of Star Trek and tackle the Enterprise's movies. I've discussed everything I own in my personal video collection, and that I had an interest in renting, etc.

Of course I'll participate in on-going threads and new-movie threads -or start them if need be - but everything I know I plan to see this year has a thread:

Epic Movie
Hannibal Lechter
Fan Boys
Spider-Man 3
Transformers

I'm not sure if there will be more. I don't think I'll run and see Fantastic Four: 2 in the theaters. I wasn't really impressed with the first one.

But if anyone cares to discuss The Black Hole...

[Rocketboy]

Black Hole sucked.
How is it there was a Star Wars lawsuit against Battlestar Galactica and not against this crap?
Two guys and an old man (and two robots) go aboard the space station to save the girl from the evil old guy and his henchman robot.

[Tycho]

I don't think The Black Hole sucked. I rather liked it.

But I totally agree with your point about it being a direct Star Wars rip-off.

I'm not sure what the basis for a Battlestar Galactica lawsuit is, but I hope that to even be filed, it has more substance to it than similarities such as The Black Hole exhibits.

[mabudonicus]

Sedcond RB here, while some of the visuals were OK and Maximillian kinda looked cool, the film was carp, hell Space 1999 was almost better and it sucked too...

Hopefully there'll be no re-make starring Will Smith or something, but no doubt there's a plce for it in the crap that gets trotted out every summer...

I honestly can't remember a single scene that was anything more than subpar, but I ain't gonna toss away moeny or time making sure I'm right on that

Isobaws&

[JON9000]

While I wholeheartedly recommend “The Black Hole”, it needs to be understood going in that it is far from airtight and will only likely appeal to kids, those who remember loving it as a kid, or those interested in it as an example of the effects capabilities of the time. It suffers from schizophrenia. We have an extremely dark theme, a symbolic ending and a rather violent murder (the first I saw on screen as a kid- I was rattled) paired a couple of cutesy robots and some truly silly moments (ESP with a robot?).

Captain Dan Holland was a cool character and "Reinhart" was well played as an obsessive madman.

Anthony Perkins played Dr. Alex Durant who you had to like before he met an unfortunate end at the hands of the killer-enforcer robot, Maximillian (who was undoubtedly the surrogate Darth Vader of the film).

Don't forget Enest Borgnine and Roddy McDowell... that makes 5 extremely well regarded actors in this film.

I liked the heroic music played during the firefights with the robots. The other theme they had running during much of the credits and the Palamino's original approach of the Cygnus felt very dated and reminded you that this was a "B-movie."

The "Black Hole Theme" was done by John Barry (James Bond and several Oscars). It is a blatant rip-off of Bernard Herrmann's "Prelude" from the "Vertigo" soundtrack. It amazingly somehow gives one the sensation of being on the edge of a precipice, so I understand what he was shooting for.
This was actually a prestigious picture for Disney at the time- it had a very big budget and an ambitious script, so I wouldn't call it a "B", but it is obvious that corners were cut in a couple of places.

I still love that scene when the crew is running ahead of the huge meteroite that crashes into the ship. It's like the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark X 100!

With regards to the effects, when they work they are magnificent and hold up quite well. The Cygnus and the black hole are beautiful, and the big FX shot, that of a giant asteroid piercing the ship and rolling toward the heroes, still has me wondering how they did it. Unfortunately, in some ways the movie was far too ambitious for the technology of its time. You can see the wires in many scenes (thanks to the DVD’s picture quality) and the shot where the Cygnus is being consumed by the maelstrom was just impossible to film, I suspect.

How is it there was a Star Wars lawsuit against Battlestar Galactica and not against this crap?

"The Black Hole" owes a lot more to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" than it does to "Star Wars", and since "Star Wars" is almost completely derivative itself, this criticism isn't fair.

[Phantom-like Menace]

I liked it for what is was. V.I.N.CENT was pretty cool when I was young, and I even got the old Mego figures of him and Maximillian last year with the intent of trying to sneak them into Star Wars displays as a gag and tribute to a movie I used to like when I was younger.

[JediTricks]

While I wholeheartedly recommend “The Black Hole”, it needs to be understood going in that it is far from airtight and will only likely appeal to kids, those who remember loving it as a kid, or those interested in it as an example of the effects capabilities of the time. It suffers from schizophrenia. We have an extremely dark theme, a symbolic ending and a rather violent murder (the first I saw on screen as a kid- I was rattled) paired a couple of cutesy robots and some truly silly moments (ESP with a robot?).

You are a wise man Jon, those are all great points.

Disney had a weird period around then where they did films that were marketed to kids but way too dark, another one was "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and "Return to Oz".

Don't forget Enest Borgnine and Roddy McDowell... that makes 5 extremely well regarded actors in this film.

You counting Slim Pickens as old BOB?

This was actually a prestigious picture for Disney at the time- it had a very big budget and an ambitious script, so I wouldn't call it a "B", but it is obvious that corners were cut in a couple of places.

They spent so much money on effects that it created an effects house far more powerful than ILM at that time, unfortunately Disney the film studio wasn't as smart about using it as Lucas was with his rag-tag band. Disney had wanted to use the Dykstra cameras for the model work but Lucas wouldn't allow it, so Disney actually had invented a far more advanced system than what was on Star Wars.

With regards to the effects, when they work they are magnificent and hold up quite well. The Cygnus and the black hole are beautiful, and the big FX shot, that of a giant asteroid piercing the ship and rolling toward the heroes, still has me wondering how they did it. Unfortunately, in some ways the movie was far too ambitious for the technology of its time. You can see the wires in many scenes (thanks to the DVD’s picture quality) and the shot where the Cygnus is being consumed by the maelstrom was just impossible to film, I suspect.

"The Black Hole" owes a lot more to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" than it does to "Star Wars", and since "Star Wars" is almost completely derivative itself, this criticism isn't fair.

Another set of good points, especially 20,000 Leagues which TBH is directly borrowing from.

I think The Black Hole delivers on the more intelligent promises of sci-fi from the '50s, but sullies that with the kid marketing. In some ways, TBH reminds me of one of the best-made sci-fi flick of the '50s, "Forbidden Planet" - there are similar plot overtones and they're both set in a single place with the heroes there from a stranded spaceship. Actually, once we start looking close enough, TBH, Forbidden Planet, Star Trek TOS, and a lot of other "dawn of man's venture into space"-era sci-fi works share a lot of concepts (though with varying amounts of hope).


BTW, The Black Hole is not exactly a rip off of Star Wars, it had been a pre-production project at Disney since the late '60s I believe and was in early production in '75 while Star Wars was still in pre-production.

[JON9000]

You are a wise man Jon, those are all great points.

Thank you, kind sir. I forgot about Slim Pickens. It is worth finding a hi-fi surround system to watch the DVD on. You might be surprised how good the soundtrack is at the beginning and end of the film.

[Blue2th]

I liked this flick when I saw it years ago. I remember seeing the wires for the floating robot and thought that was fake. I also remember being traumatized as a kid when Anthony Perkins got shredded by Maximillian. I thought it odd that the villian was played by Maximillian Schell ordering Maximillian the robot to kill Anthony Perkins.

[Tycho]

What roles is Anthony Perkins famous for?