The Black Hole

Rating:
Summary: The Sci-Fi Seventies
Review: Growing up in the later parts of the 1970's and all of the 1980's I was mesmerised by science fiction. Yes, I too was the little boy who had to have all the Star Wars collectibles, and watched Star trek re-runs with my father. The Black Hole offered another film to mimic characters while playing on the playground, or filled your mind with fantasy. The story line was not as drawn up, or there was not much thought into the story...but given advances in film making technology, I would not be surprised to see an eventual remake, and personally I would pay to see it.

Rating:
Summary: A Cheesy Classic, FX Breakthroughs Galore
Review: I remember going to see The Black Hole at the drive-in when I was five years old, but I had to wait until I was 28 before I could see it again. By that time I was an FX gunkie, actually due mostly to seeing this film, and the movie floored me all over again with some of the most incredible film techniques to hit the big screen ever.

Keep in mind, this movie is a case of some of the most horrid script-writing you will ever see in sci-fi . . . the only cut I can think of that beats it is the Star Wars Holiday Special (yes, the writing is THAT bad). But if you are a space fan, or like me watch high-tech movies not to be wowed but to see if you can figure out how it is done, this is a MUST OWN for your collection. Many of the special effects that have become commonplace in filmmaking were done in this film for the very first time, including the development of a new camera that ended up being used in several shots of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as several films after (as a matter of fact, considering The Black Hole and Star Wars were in production at the same time, you will be shocked at how much better the effects are in The Black Hole; I can't help but think what Star Wars would have been if this crew had worked for Lucas instead). And the U.S.S. Cygnus is quite simply, in my very humble opinion, the single most gorgeous ship ever.

Do NOT pass this one by. Yes, you will be groaning, but you will also be amazed at what Disney could do before the advent of computer animation.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular visuals, minimal plot
Review: Seems as if the plot for the movie "The Black Hole" got sucked into the title phenomena. One of the most elegant looking science fiction films from the late 70's, "The Black Hole" demonstrates that Disney's visual effects department could generate state of the art effects as good if not better than most but they couldn't generated a good script or good acting from the veteran cast.

Disney generated a string of box office flops during the 70's. "The Black Hole" although it earned back its production cost was another disappointment in a long time of disappointments. It seems as if at this time the Mouse couldn't do anything right.

The Palomino crewed by Dr. Durant (Anthony Perkins), Captain Dan Holland (Robert Forster), the pilot Lt. Charles Pizer (Joseph Bottoms), Dr. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux), Harry Booth (Ernest Borgnine) and V.I.N.CENT. (the voice of the late Roddy McDowall) stumble across a missing research vessel the U.S.S. Cygnus at the edge of a massive black hole. When the Palomino is damaged trying to escape the gravitational pull of the black hole, they must dock with the Cygnus unaware that the ship is being commanded by Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell). Surrounded by a crew of robots he has designed, Reinhardt's isolation may have driven him mad or, perhaps he was that way all along.

Reinhardt has discovered an anti-gravity device that enables the Cygnus to stay within proximity to the black hole without being sucked inside it. Ultimately, Reinhardt plans on taking a probe into the black hole himself and traveling to wherever it might lead. Unfortunately, Reinhardt also has plans for the crew of the Palomino.

This new re-release has only a nice widescreen anamorphic transfer enhanced for 16x9 TVs. Unlike the Anchor Bay release of a couple of years ago, this edition also has a 16 minute featurette with optical effects wizard Harrison Ellenshaw discussing the making of the film. We get plenty of behind-the-scenes photos and stories about the difficulty and challenges that Disney's effects department faced making the film. Like the Anchor Bay edition the extended 3 1/2 minute trailer is included as well.

The vivid colors and exceptional production design of Peter Ellenshaw are faithfully reproduced. The image looks sharp although analog blemishes exist due to the fact that the film has so many process shots and the age of the negative. It's a pity that the alternate ending or storyboards of it weren't included. Harrison Ellenshaw discusses the alternate ending he dreamed up part of which was shot using Michealangelo's Sistine Chapel as a backing plate for the visuals. Ellenshaw also reveals that the studio was well into production and working without an ending. That's a big surprise. The perplexing ending that was tacked on to this adventure is fascinating but a bit too literal for me.

If you enjoyed the original film, this DVD is a step up with a beautiful, rich looking widescreen transfer. Additionally, we do get a nice retrospective featurette that takes us behind the scenes of the production. Be warned, though, this might not be quite as good as you remember it. Just sit back and enjoy your ride through "The Black Hole" and don't ask too many questions.

Rating:
Summary: A cheesy classic.
Review: The Black Hole isn't the best sci fi film ever made. I don't even know if its in the top ten. But there is just something about it that I love. Maybe it's because it's a throw back to the sci fi films of the 50s. Maybe because the effects are top notch. Maybe because that space station looks so damn cool! I'm not sure what it is, but the film is fun. There are major plot holes, bad dialogue and an ending that really doesn't make much sense. Let alone the fact that physics really don't mean anything in the world of The Black Hole. It's funny to think this film came out 4 years after Star Wars and 10 years after Kubrick's 2001.

Disney's release has little differences from the Anchor Bay release of a few years ago. There is no pan and scan on this version, but it is anamorphic. The overture is still present, although the a title card replaces the star-scape. There is also a documentary on the making of the film.

This film is for kids and the kid at heart. And like I said before, it's just a fun film that very cool to look at.

Rating:
Summary: Frustrating to love or hate it!!!
Review: How can one rate this movie when it has so many beautifully blended elements with so many gratingly annoying ones?

Plus sides:

1. The Cygnus emanates a deep sense of forboding throughout the movie.
2. The Cygnus' captain, a somewhat Nemo-construct, plays off the elements of being a crazed genius wonderfully.
3. The musical element to this film is astounding. I can still remember the chills of the musical crescendo as the Cygnus first lights up.
4. Maximillian makes one hell of a scary, scary robot and it surprised me that Anthony Perkins' death in the movie still allowed a PG rating. Keep in mind, I was 9 years old when I saw this!! Watching somebody get their insides spun around by rotating claws (even if you don't actually see blood or guts) is still pretty raw.

Minuses:
1. Ok, for the most part, I liked VINCENT. Even as a youngster, though, I hated BOB. HATED HATED HATED. That "old prospector" voice was annoying.
2. The most hilarious part is when our beloved captain rescues the damsel in distress. The music is triumphant and soaring, but he still manages a rather wimpy "ow" as he gets himself barely clunked by an attacking robot.
3. The whole STARR scene. VINCENT versus STARR. Was there a point to this scene beyond showing off effects? Even as a 9 year old, I was pretty much fast-forwarding through it.
4. Yikes...we're in outer space, people!! Even when I was 9, I knew that you did not have ANY air in outer space. Still, having a meteor rip through the garden and having our crew moseying around in outer space trying to get on to an escape rocket was hard for me to swallow. It was just plain WRONG.
5. Heaven/hell scene. Theology aside, why does the crew go to hell and the Cygnus captain goes to (although somewhat half-way; see the movie and you'll catch my drift) heaven? Does this imply that even if you make zombies out of your crew and a robot out of your XO, that you are still redeemed because you "had a vision?" Sorry, write me out of that one.

It is so hard to rate this film as a result. Despite its cons, there are its pros and if there were ever a movie that had something similar to bipolar disorder, this is the one. I still think it's worth checking out.