David W
Only really watched this initially as a huge fan of the great director John Carpenter and sci-fi in general. However, I was very entertained by this low budget, satirically sarcastic little sci-fi classic. Sure the acting is a bit uneven and it looks like it was made on a shoestring but Carpenter deserves a lot of credit for pulling this off. I first saw this maybe twenty or so years ago and it's stayed with me (unlike countless other films) so on that level alone I can very much recommend it. It's got a great ending but, just don't expect existential meaning on a 2001 level :)
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/09/24
Full Review
matthias s
I embarked on a cinematic journey with "Dark Star," and boy, was it a rocky ride through the cosmos! This film had all the ingredients for an epic space adventure gone wrong. To start, the plot was thinner than a slice of interstellar ham, leaving me grasping for a storyline.
The runtime felt like an eternity, with each minute dragging on like an infinite black hole of boredom. I even started calculating the time it would take for me to escape the theater discreetly. And to think, I've watched paint dry with more excitement.
The only saving graces were the funky soundtrack that temporarily jolted me from my stupor and the unforgettable beach ball monster that made me chuckle for a fleeting moment. But alas, even a beach ball couldn't save this disaster.
In summary, "Dark Star" is a cosmic catastrophe, a cinematic black hole that should be avoided at all costs. Unless, of course, you're a die-hard fan of interstellar insomnia.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
11/18/23
Full Review
Sparky B
A cult classic, B-movie if there ever was one. A lot of people don't know why this film is so....'Loved'. But we, of course, know better (wink-wink). It helps to have been at a certain age, at a certain time...but not required. Go watch it. I for one enjoy this film every time i see it. 😄
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
07/22/23
Full Review
Taylor L
Dark Star is a suprisingly influential cult classic, a relatively early parody of the space opera style that Kubrick and Tarkovsky were creating sincerely; it marked the directorial debut for John Carpenter and was an influence in the creation of Alien (both of which were written or co-written by the versatile Dan O'Bannon). Made on a very limited budget from a student-film inception, the production team makes good use of what they have on hand to create some pretty decent visuals but the comedy is muted, featuring hit-or-miss droll performances that don't really translate to actual dry humor. Despite a short runtime, the film suffers from its performances and never grabs you, relying on a strange combination of silly gags (including beachball aliens) and office-sitcom dark humor based around being stuck together in a tight space, or arguing with wayward computers. Personally, I could never get into it. Feels too airy and insubstantial, without much in the way of actual laughs. Carpenter would quickly move on to bigger and better things, and it's more how distinctive and unusual Dark Star is compared to the director's later filmography that makes it interesting. (1.5/5)
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
12/01/22
Full Review
wayne k
I was more than a little excited to see Dark Star, John Carpenter's directorial debut. The dude has left such an indelible mark on the cinematic world that even his biggest misses are still intriguing. Beginning life as a student's film and concluding with a paltry budget of $60,000, its cheapness and primitive nature is up on the screen for all to see. The special effects are glorious silly, as are the practical ones, the dialogue is cheesy and the acting makes it even more so, and the plot is paper thin. As mentioned, it was initially a student film, eventual expanded to sort of feature length, and as such the film contains a huge amount of padding. Much of the films pacing and emptiness is intentional, highlighting just how boring, repetitive and monotonous life in the depths of space would be. But some sequences, such as Pinback chasing a giant beach ball alien and struggling to get into an elevator take way too long to go anywhere. There's a few funny moments scattered throughout, and the concept of a sentient bombs that's frequently disobedient is a great addition. If you're going to watch it, I'd advice approaching it as an artefact of film history and not as a piece of entertaining media. If you're a Carpenter fan I'd say it's a movie you need to see, if only to see where one of the greatest directors of all time got their start in a business that they've had such a profound impact on.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
John Carpenter's debut is a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi diversion, equal parts claustrophobic space opera and no-frills parody. The humour doesn't always get through and the script is a little padded in order to reach feature length, yet "Dark Star" displays ingeniously creative usage of the small budget and contains some brilliant sequences, such as the particularly suspenseful, unexpectedly bizarre and downright funny 20-minute alien subplot, as well as the philosophical discussion with the bomb.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
Full Review
Read all reviews
>
