science fiction

Dark Star Movie Review

Starring: Brian Narelle, Cal Kuniholm, Dre Pahich, Dan O'Bannon, Joe Saunders
Enter a review
of your own!
"Dark Star"
Message Board
Dark Star Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR: Joe

SCHOLARS:
Would you like to be a scholar and make five dollars per review? Click here to submit a review!

Click here for free online dating advice!

Review Summary
In an unspecified future, four astronauts, led by Lt. Doolittle, are on a mission to bomb unstable planets around the universe. Joined by Boiler, Talby, and Sgt. Pinback, Doolittle has taken over command of the scout ship Dark Star from Commander Powell, who was killed on a mission some years back. The astronauts battle boredom, fatigue, and each other after twenty long years in space. Along the way they also deal with an alien creature shaped like a beach ball, bombs that debate whether they exist before they blow up planets, and the ship's computer. On the last mission, a computer glitch destroys the ship and the astronauts.
Joe, Resident Scholar

Four astronauts are on a mission to blow up unstable planets that are standing in the way of colonization. One of the "smart bombs" becomes delusional, believing that is has received the command to explode. The crew members try to talk it out of exploding, using a philosophical argument in an attempt to bring the bomb to a correct understanding of its power, purpose and identity.

Horta, Resident Scholar

Long before "Halloween," "Escape From New York," and "The Thing," John Carpenter cowrote and directed this low budget comedy sci-fi spoof in which a ship of druggy, hippy astronauts cruise the galaxies and detonate unstable, dangerous stars to clear navigation routes. They encounter the difficulties of a 20-year mission -- boredom, running out of toilet paper, recapturing the beach-ball alien when it gets loose, consulting their dead commander who's frozen in suspended animation ... the usual. In the tense but hilarious climax, the sentient on-board computer considers self-detonation because of an existential crisis and a crew member tries to talk it down. "Dark Star" is grade C, grunge-y good fun.
David Loftus, Resident Scholar

The crew of the spaceship Dark Star have a simple mission: cruise the galaxy and detonate dying suns. For the most part life is simple and tedious, a run in with a beach-ball like alien a minor break in the routine. Matters take a dramatic turn, however, when a bomb jams in the launch bay, and its onboard computer decides to think about what it is doing, and why….         
Charles Smyth, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Dark Star
Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into
dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.

New movie search (click here) New book search (click here)
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 40%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzle - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%




**Fantasy or Science Fiction?** - science fiction story
Parody movie? Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - astronaut
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric: Yes - eccentric
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Body type - average (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
Sense of humor? - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Secondary Main Character
Identity: - Male
Hair color - brunette (Brown)
Body type - average build (man)
How much in movie? - 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)

Main Adversary
Identity: - Computer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - 20%
Sense of humor? - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average Intelligence
Physical condition - average physique

Setting
Spaceship setting: - futuristic human warship
Takes place in spaceship? Yes
In Space? - in spacesuit

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Comedy or somewhat funny movie? Yes
Any profanity? - Occasional swearing
Kinds of F/X - exploding spaceships - exotic aliens
Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking
Spaceballs starring John Candy, Dick Van Patten, Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks
batteries not included starring Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Pena, Dennis Boutsikaris
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Men in Black II starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Rip Torn, Lara Flynn Boyle
Galaxy Quest starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman
Think you can enter a better review
of this movie? Click here to try!




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Book search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed book search
(click here)
or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion


Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!


Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!


Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game


Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

The Borrowers: The Borrowers 5/11/2008 10:53:57 PM

Xena: 37 reasons why Xena and Gabrielle are... you know.... 5/11/2008 7:02:04 PM

Star Trek Voyager: Did B'nana find her labor pains to be erotic? 5/11/2008 6:55:09 PM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 5/8/2008 8:17:30 PM

Blade Runner: Blade Runner 5/6/2008 12:23:07 PM

The Space Explorers: The Space Explorers 5/6/2008 10:16:13 AM

2010: Exactly why was 2010 a lame movie? 5/4/2008 10:19:38 PM

Star Trek Classic: "Mark of Gideon"--A pitch for family planning 5/4/2008 10:15:47 PM

Star Trek Classic: Star Trek's dim view of earth-hugging hippies 5/4/2008 10:10:06 PM

Star Trek Classic: Nancy Crater a bisexual monster? 5/4/2008 10:02:29 PM


Newest slaves:
Murdock (A Team) 12:22:04 PM
Leela 12:20:42 PM
Gandalf the White 12:20:42 PM
Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs) 12:20:21 PM
Anakin Skywalker (adult) 12:19:24 PM
David Tennant Doctor Who 12:18:09 PM
Rebecca DeMornay 12:17:35 PM
Catherine Bell (JAG) 12:16:46 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 12:15:27 PM
Cameron Diaz 12:14:48 PM
All slaves
(click here)


Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)