The Black Hole (1979)
After Star Wars changed everything in 1977 everyone was trying to figure out how to recapture that moment. And before Disney realized they could just buy Star Wars for themselves they tried to make their own version in 1979 with The Black Hole
The Black Hole is a sci-fi fantasy film about a spaceship crew that discovers a black hole with a ship mysteriously orbiting it. After a discussion about pros and cons the crew decide to investigate the ship. The ship turns out to be a ship that was considered lost 20 years ago. Once on the ship they find it full of robots being controlled by scientist Hans Reinhardt who says everyone else has died and he is on the verge of a great discovery. But things are not as they seem. Turns out Reinhardt has ulterior motives. He feels he discovered another dimension on the other side of the Black Hole. When the crew discovers that everything Reinhardt told them is a lie they try to escape. Reinhardt orders his robots to capture the crew before they escape. During the chase a meteor shower hits the craft and creates more mayhem. Eventually a few of the crew enter an escape capsule but are unable to escape the black hole’s pull. They end up going through the black hole and proving Reinhardt correct.
This is one bizarre movie. On paper the cast is amazing. You have 2 Oscar winners Maximilian Schell and Ernest Borgnine, Oscar nominee Anthony Perkins, and future Oscar nominee Robert Forster. You also have the voices of Roddy McDowall as the robot VINCENT and Slim Pickens as the robot BOB. With that kind of pedigree it’s hard to figure out why the acting is so bad. But one of the things I learned is that all the dialogue was done as ADR. Not sure if that is why all the deliveries just didn’t feel right or if it was just a bad script they were reading from.
It’s clear that Disney was going for some kind of mash up of Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey but somehow missing the mark of both. Taking from the Star Wars universe we got a crew made up of a young hot shot, an older wise man, a person that can communicate with their mind, and a wisecracking robot. You also got action, a killer robot army, and space chases. From 2001 you got what feels like it’s supposed to be a technological thriller and the trippy visuals at the end. The problem is it doesn’t mesh well. The action feels forced and the interactions between the cast doesn’t feel genuine. The robot is just bizarre and feels like a poor man’s R2D2. Also one of the crew members has ESP that she uses to talk to the robot which just feels bizarre. While they set up this scientific intrigue it just becomes a lot of talking and you never really understand what is going on. Then as the actions starts to ramp up they throw all science out the window. One of the classic scenes from the movie (and one that kind of gave me nightmares as a kid) is the scene of a flaming meteor rolling through the spaceship towards our heroes. While the scene looks amazing the science is so wrong you can't help but laugh (how are they still alive if the spaceship broke apart and they are exposed to the vacuum of space is my biggest question). In the end it’s just baffling.
Overall: The special effects are great and Maximillian Schell looks like he is having a great time as the villain. Unfortunately everything else is pretty bad. It neither captures the fun of Star Wars or the suspense of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you have fond memories of this film probably best not to revisit it.
Random Facts:
First Disney Film to be Rated PG mostly due to the deaths of some characters.
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