The Black Hole
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Movie Reviews of The Black Hole
Movie Review: Almost Epic
Summary: 4 Stars
This film is so close to being a truly great, great sci-fi epic. But the flaws are so painfully fatal...I have been fond of this film since I was a child and in later years realized just how close they came to greatness. What's great: it is the most visually stunning sci-fi film ever made (the wayward Cygnus ship, while completely impractical for its supposed purpose, is a masterpiece of sci-fi gothic weirdness), inspired casting and performances (notably from Maximilian Schell as the mad Dr. Reinhardt, Anthony Perkins as impressionable science officer Alex, cowardly reporter Ernest Borgnine, and stalwart commander Robert Forrester), a fantastic premise, majestic musical score in parts (but not so great in other parts), a wildly trippy but nonsensical ending worthy of "Clockwork Orange" mixed with "Fantasia", and one of the most genuinely frightening villains ever in the mechanized Frankenstein monster created by Reinhardt named Maximilian. With such a great premise and dark atmosphere, it is shocking at how cheesy and just plain bad the dialogue is. Perhaps it is the fact that it was a Disney film, they couldn't fully commit to the dark masterpiece they almost had on their hands. The cheesy robots Vincent and `Old Bob' are hard to take (clearly created to attract the kids, Disney tried to create another R2D2 and C3PO). Some of the supporting cast falls off precipitously from the quality of the big names. The action sequences could have been done a lot better as well. A fascinating case study of an almost great film, but I love it anyway. Of all of the remakes out there, this is the one that I think is most ripe for another look and to be done right.Movie Review: A Delightfully Confusing Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
In a way, it's a pity that the Black Hole came out after (and because of) Star Wars as this movie, like so many others of the times, tried to be in part another Star Wars. And in that it fails miserably. And sadly, the Black Hole also tries to be another 2001: A Space Odyssey-- and in that, it also fails.
The problem was that Disney had a really great idea but executed really badly. I don't often use the word cheesy to describe anything because I think that word is over used by people who don't appreciate the effort that goes into the special effects of any time period compared to this one now. But the Black Hole's SFX *were* cheesy: while some were brilliant, too many were people and things hanging on wires that could be seen or less than great animation. Too many of the effects look sadly like they were made on a $1.98 budget.
Yet some of the model work for the spachsips were incredibly well done and some of the set designs were superior to anything up to that time. It's this combination of the really great and the incredibly lousy that makes this film hard to say that is a bad film. because in many ways, it isn't; it's a very good film bogged down sometimes by crappy special effects and bad direction, but overall the film surpasses it many bad parts to become something very enjoyable and worth watching. I only regret that while the widescreen version of this movie is fairly cheap, the full screen version costs twice as much! What's up with that?
Movie Review: Better the Sominex
Summary: 4 Stars
This going to sound like I am being sarcastic but I am not.
I got a copy of the VHS tape of this movie when I was in Med school in 1982 and any time I could not get to sleep I would put this on and I would shortly drift off.
Having seen this when I was young and optimistic may have a good part to do with why I am fond of this movie. In truth the story is silly and the acting resembles that of a poorly done high school play. Everything from the wise cracking VINCENT Robot to the dumb "Scientific ESP" angle is almost too painful to watch.
But there is "something" about this movie.
This is one of those movies that has many bad aspects ( acting, script, and story) but the bad parts all fit together to make something that is better than the sum of its parts. Sort of like a dog that is so ugly it's cute. The old Batman TV show was the same way, it was so bad it was good. This movie fits together the same way.
All that being said, the cinematography is excellent ( I did not say special effects) and the soundtrack blends well the images on the screen.
Like 2001, it is a nice quiet movie that is very relaxing and will put any insomniac to sleep.
Maybe it is only because it evokes a time when I was much younger but I admit I like this movie. And it is a better than using sleeping pills.
Movie Review: Into the Depths
Summary: 4 Stars
Disney's "Black Hole" was an ambitious... failure. Made in 1979, Disney was competing with the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises. "Black Hole" ended up being "20,000 Leagues in Deep Space." It has a strong cast, some interesting ideas, and special effects that were advanced for the time. Bond man John Barry composed the eerie soundtrack.
In "Black Hole", Ernest Borgnine, far from the Ponderosa, is the captain of the Palomino. His crew comes upon an abandoned ship, and instead find themselves on the Cygnus,with its menacing Capt. Nemo (Maximilian Schell) with his appropriately named robot Maximilian. At first, Nemo is friendly. However, they soon realize his nefarious purposes for them. Anthony Perkins pays for his knowledge with his life, since Nemo is psycho. The ending is surrealistic. Nemo&Maximilian ended up being melded into one (the first cosmic same-sex union) There's a journey through Heaven&Hell. It's a strangely Christian movie, in contrast to Star Wars' Buddhism and the vague spirituality of Star Trek.
"Black Hole" has some lame "special effects",there are cheesy plot elements (such as the psychic Yvette Mimieux&her connection with her robot);it's a flawed classic. I remember enjoying this movie as a child because it's so... DIFFERENT. Take a journey into infinity and beyond!
Movie Review: Still good after all these years
Summary: 4 Stars
Read other reviews for more in-depth analysis.
I just want to give a few thoughts...
I saw The Black Hole in the theater on New Year's Eve 1979. This movie has great special effects but has a mediocre story, in my opinion. This was Disney's first attempt at a science fiction movie and actually got a PG rating. After Star Wars (1977) and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1978) came out, soon to follow were a bunch of science fiction TV shows and movies that had great special effects, such as Battlestar Galactica (1978 & 1980), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Alien (1979), Tron (1982), E.T. Extra Terrestrial (1982), The Terminator (1984), 2010 (1984), and so on.
I have good memories seeing this movie. It has stuck with me for the last 31 years. Like I said before, the special effects are better than the story, but it's good enough for me to give it a 4-star rating.
If you like late '70s and early '80s science fiction movies, give this one a try.