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Information
- Year
- 1974
- Runtime
- 83 min.
- Director
- John Carpenter
- Genres
- Comedy, Sci-Fi
- Rating *
- 6.4
- Votes *
- 18,891
- Checks
- 3,529
- Favs
- 196
- Dislikes
- 98
- Favs/checks
- 5.6% (1:18)
- Favs/dislikes
- 2:1
Top comments
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VVKT
Too bad. Could have been an amazing short film, instead of a boring feature film. 5 years 2 months ago -
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Siskoid
Dark Star is essentially John Carpenter's satirical take on 2001: A Space Odyssey (white model ships, space proceduralism, malfunctioning A.I., psychedelics), but I'm somehow better reminded of Silent Running in terms of pace and mood (this is not a positive). When the movie goes a bit broad - the beach ball alien - it fails, but making the astronauts jobbers with little ambition and/or ability does create some interest. In 1974, the Apollo program was falling out of favor, and so this projection makes complete sense. Directorially, Carpenter is still developing his style, but the camera moves well and he manages to create real moments of tension. And in those moments, you're not thinking about the low budget or the dodgy acting. Co-writer Dan O'Bannon is also touching on things he'll return to in absolute blockbusters later (Alien, Total Recall). A mixed bag, then, and hard going at times, but I absolutely love the final reel, from the resurrection of the dead commander, through the argument with the bomb, to that crazy ending. I wish the movie had been more like that throughout. 1 year 5 months ago
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 7 official lists
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This movie ranks #19 in BFI's 100 Science Fiction Films
BFI's 100 Science Fictio…
19 -
This movie ranks #47 in Total Sci-Fi's The 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies
Total Sci-Fi's The 100 G…
47 -
This movie ranks #113 in Badmovies.org's Best B-Movies
Badmovies.org's Best B-M…
113 -
This movie ranks #217 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
The Guardian's 1000 Film…
217 -
This movie ranks #318 in Emma Beare's 501 Must-See Movies
Emma Beare's 501 Must-Se…
318 -
This movie ranks #388 in Jennifer Eiss's 500 Essential Cult Movies
Jennifer Eiss's 500 Esse…
388 -
This movie ranks #1027 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…
1027