Dark Star

[Dark Star] can be praised for imagination and effort, if not for results... The story is mostly turgid, the acting is nothing special, and the waits between the bright spots seem interminable.

Hats off nonetheless to young whippersnapper John Carpenter, whose studenty tale of space tedium, aliens and molasses-black humour remains approximately a thousand times better than the director's last 15 years.

By introducing human eccentricities into the cold structure of SF, Carpenter creates a vision of the technological future that is both disillusioned and oddly affirmative in its insistence on the unscientific survival of emotional frailty.

The dim comedy consists of sophomoric notations and mistimed one-liners.

Isn't nearly as funny as it once was...but it nonetheless has its amusing moments.

Sheer delight.

It's great fun, and the ending makes gleeful hash of pretentious, "metaphysical" science fiction.

Witty, profound and cleverly scored by its producer/director John Carpenter.

Careers were launched with this student film-turned-sci-fi cult classic, blasting the genre into hyperspace (almost literally!) without actually being an especially good or interesting flick.

Dark Star is a student film with a studio release and it's exactly what you expect from that. Some of Carpenter's early promise is on display but whatever impressed in 1974 has mostly faded with time and age.