Lifeforce

Rating:
Summary: An imaginatively insidious science fiction film
Review: Toby Hooper's answer to the heavy handed intrusion he had endured at the hands of Steven Spielberg while directing "poltergeist" was to make a genuinely scarey science fiction/horror film. That film was "Lifeforce" and it remains to this day an ominous,operatic story of space vampires invading Earth. The effects are wonderful and Hooper's actors dive into the material with relish. The pace of the film is relentless. It is one of the very best vampire tales ever told on film. Genre lovers, if they haven't already purchased their own copy, should definitely check it out. Turn out the lights, hunker down, and prepare to be chilled by a classically spooky film.

Rating:
Summary: One hell of a movie!!
Review: This movie must be seen to be believed! And, unlike the reviewer at Amazon, I mean that as a compliment. I originally bought this movie because of the naked vampire , but I found other things to like too. There was plenty of action , lots of big explosion in London , and incredible FX by John Dykstra. Acting wasn't a strong point , though.Peter Firth was good as Agent Caine , but Steve Railsback was terrible. Mathilda May , as the naked space vampire , outacted him with what little dialogue she had , and a few hypnotizing facial expressions! If I were him , I'd be a lot happier if a beautiful naked space vampire wanted me as bad as she did him. But no , he has to go on whining about it. He's one of the whiniest "heroes" I've ever seen! That's the only flaw this movie has , besides an unsatisfactory ending. Do Railsback and the vampire survive at the end? I don't know , and I don't care , because by now so much cool stuff has happened that you can forgive the movie for a few flaws. You'd have to be an idiot to hate this movie!

Rating:
Summary: An exceedingly original vampire sci-fi adventure!
Review: Lifeforce is a rollicking synthesis of gothic lore, sci-fi dementia, outlandish gore, and apocolyptic angst. The acting and story structure are wildy uneven, but the film works in spite of these shortcomings...mainly because of its wild originality. Enough gore and gothic elements to satisfy vampire hounds, and your Romero fans will get a kick out of the rampaging zombies...oh yeah..and Mathilda May exudes quite a bit of silent charm as the naked (for just about the entire movie) vampiress. This is over-the-top sci-fi horror which merits a look. Don't expect subtlety..but its a very cool film....have fun with it!

Rating:
Summary: Crazy, and not in the cult classic sense
Review: What exactly was Tobe Hooper aiming for when he directed this movie? He seemed to have a lot of buzz behind him after he helmed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist. I watched Lifeforce twice (People usually say weird cult films need more than one viewing to like it although I don't see much truth in that) and I still didn't like it much better. It begins a lot like Alien and Event Horizon. A group of astronauts are sent to outer space only to encounter space vampires that come to Earth. Eventually, most of London has become infested by zombies. One man must stop a female vampire (who is naked all the time) who is behind the whole thing. Not surprsingly, the movie's climax has our hero making love to the vampiress. Whoa, and all this comes in only an hour and forty-five minutes. Lifeforce is a mix of science fiction, horror, and erotica. Does it work? No way. If Hooper had stuck to one of those genres (Erotica in this movie didn't exactly work) I think he would have had a lot more success. What exactly is wrong with this movie you might ask. It's the fact that each event that occurs in the movie doesn't match very well with the events before it. That may sound confusing, but if you watch the movie you'll understand.

Rating:
Summary: Railsback gives William Shatner a run for his acting money!
Review: A schizophrenic storyline that delivers more laughs than jumps, lifeforce is a good time. Reminiscent of some of Hammer Studios later good intentioned poorly plotted movies, Lifeforce amplifies gratuitous nudity, overacting and cool special effects. Steve Railsback's repeated cry of "Let me go" shortly before he kisses (Ironically) Patrick Stewart is pure William Shatner. The characters are all forgettable; the acting at points is painful but the movie is a spectacle that needs to be seen. The cuts of wideyed actors staring in terror of what's going on is only topped by utter disbelief of what the director was thinking (or drinking) during the filming and editing of campy poor excuse for a movie. It is, however, a fun, big budgeted attempt, at science fiction that will never be matched or backed by a big studio again. Look for Matilda May's entrancing eyes. A benchmark movie from which to judge the good and bad of science fiction movies.

Rating:
Summary: First rate SF. Well done movie. Must for any SF collection
Review: First rate science fiction. Great special effects and story. A must for any SF collection. Great acting. A touch of "horror" with the modern vampire theme.

Rating:
Summary: A fun movie!
Review: This is an entertaining movie with great special effects (Not to mention the fact that the vampiress is a knockout). It's a cross between Night of the Living Dead and a sci-fi flick. In short, Lifeforce is a movie to be enjoyed as entertainment; and don't take it too seriously.

Rating:
Summary: Lifeforce is a campy treat, not Citizen Kane
Review: How seriously can one take a space vampire flick? Not very. This movie is not scary or well acted(with a few exceptions), but it is FUN!! You can't look at something like this with a critical eye. You'll be too busy staring at the nude space vampire. And Steve Railsback might turn in a whiny, annoying lead performance, but a great actor would seem out of place in the middle of this lunacy. I might be prejudiced because I love Romero's Dead films so much(there are some great zombies on the loose scenes), but I think many genre fans will feel the same way, if just for the appearance of a pre-Picard Patrick Stewart. The DVDs added scenes don't shed much light on the plot(I didnt even realise what the added scenes actually were as I was watching), but the trailer is strange, as it features much nudity. Where was this shown? The picture quality is very nice, especially in its original widescreen format. A movie to laugh at, and to laugh with.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and quite different!
Review: Considering that this movie was shot back in 1984, it is an excellent piece of work. Horror and sci-fi, vampires and their «living-dead» victims, a beautiful woman, this movie has a real mix of genres that makes it different from anything else. Of course, don't expect the gadgets of an Aliens II or other similar, not to mention much more recent movies. But those who like classic horror movies won't regret buying this one.

Rating:
Summary: A Howl! Erotic sci-fi vampire extravaganza is lots of fun!
Review: Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) brings together 1) hysteria over the return of Halley's Comet, 2) an often nude 'space vampirette', and 3) near armageddon as London is decimated by life-force stealing vampires. But the highlight for *me* was seeing Patrick Stewart in his last role before taking the helm of the USS Enterprise (Star Trek: TNG, First Contact, Insurrection). When I first saw this in 1985, I had no idea who he was, but when I saw this on DVD, I had to laugh out loud! Stewart is PERFECTLY cast as the major domo at the insane asylum.