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Movies / On DVD / Dark Star
Dark Star

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Dark Star (1974)

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Reviews Counted: 20

Fresh: 16

Rotten:4

Average Rating: 6.5/10

Consensus: A loopy 2001 satire, Dark Star may not be the most consistent sci-fi comedy, but its portrayal of human eccentricity is a welcome addition to the genre.

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: John Carpenter's low-budget debut feature is a hilarious romp set in the deepest reaches of outer space. The haggard crew of the dilapidated Dark Star spaceship--Doolittle (Brian Narelle), Boiler (Cal Kuniholm), Pinback (Dan... John Carpenter's low-budget debut feature is a hilarious romp set in the deepest reaches of outer space. The haggard crew of the dilapidated Dark Star spaceship--Doolittle (Brian Narelle), Boiler (Cal Kuniholm), Pinback (Dan O'Bannon), and Talby (Dre Pahich)--is on an extended mission to seek out and destroy unstable planets. But after 20 years of the same routine, each crewmember is reaching the end of his tether. The journey is fraught with mishaps, and danger seems to lurk around every corner. There are misbehaving pet aliens, suicidal bombs that dream of detonating, frozen crewmates dispensing advice from beyond the grave, and a surly, unhelpful main computer that holds the men it serves in total contempt. Despite all these problems, the crew is still bored to the brink of madness. Co-written by the multitasking O'Bannon, who is also credited as the film's production designer and editor, DARK STAR brims with giddy jabs at the science-fiction genre (including George Lucas's THX 1138), an approach that Mel Brooks would later take in his own sci-fi spoof, SPACEBALLS (1987). In addition to writing, directing, and acting, Carpenter also composed the film's atmospheric score. [More]

Starring: Brian Narelle, Dan O'Bannon, Dre Pahich, Carl Kuniholm

Starring: Brian Narelle, Dan O'Bannon, Dre Pahich, Carl Kuniholm, Joe Sanders

Director: John Carpenter

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: John Carpenter
Composer: John Carpenter

[See More Credits]

DVD Info

 
 
 
 
Release:

Mar 16, 1999

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1 Encoding
  • Keep Case
  • Interactive Menus
  • Chapter Stops
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Biographies

Reviews for Dark Star

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image

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.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
06/06/07
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Uneven but enjoyable.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/06/07
Channel 4 Film
Ratings Image

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/06/07
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Ratings Image

An intermittently hilarious satire on 2001.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
06/06/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image

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

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/06/07
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

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

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
04/26/07
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
Ratings Image

Conta com idéias e momentos interessantes e divertidos, mas a precariedade técnica acaba comprometendo a experiência.

comment Comment
03/24/07
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image

Sheer delight.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
08/06/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

There are some funny routines here, though Mr. Carpenter doesn't seem to have cared much about integrating or sustaining them.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
01/21/05
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly
Ratings Image

A berserk combination of space opera, intelligent bombs, and beach balls from other worlds.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

It's the wonderful combination of sly humor and intelligence that characterizes Carpenter's best work.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
03/07/04
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies
Ratings Image

This little cult classic, even from the distance of nearly three decades and even with all limitations of its budget and age, looks much brighter than its title would indicate.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
07/01/03
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
03/19/03
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire
Ratings Image

John Carpenter's super-low-budget sci-fi pic gets a really slow start but becomes tons of fun for its last couple of acts.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/30/03
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image

Dark Star is, in many ways, the Anti-Star Trek, and deserves its cult classic status.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
Netflix
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
10/22/02
Elias Savada
Nitrate Online
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
08/30/02
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium
Ratings Image

The plot is something only film school students making an independent film could get away with: the Dark Star in question is a star ship that floats around endlessly in space looking for unstable planets to demolish.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
01/01/00
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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