The Black Hole (1979)

Disney's foray into big-budget science fiction, close on the heels of Star Wars, had some of the most impressive special effects to grace theater screens in the 1970s. Graced by handsome production design--most notably a glass and latticework interstellar craft that looks like a battleship crossed with a modern skyscraper--The Black Hole is in many ways the most beautiful science fiction film of its era. Unfortunately, the graceful and gorgeous picture is jarred by dialogue that wouldn't pass muster in a comic book and a silly conclusion that plays like a murky, dime-store knockoff of 2001. Too bad, because the visual realization of the film is a veritable haunted house of futuristic phenomena, from the cloaked zombie-like drones shuffling through corridors to the devilish, crimson robot Maximillian, the strong arm of the mad scientist played by Maximilian Schell (a kind of wild man Captain Nemo with an even more ruthless temperament). Only the way-too-cute robot V.I.N.CENT (voiced by Roddy McDowall), a merchandising gimmick that looks like a Fisher-Price toy, mars the technological landscape. Robert Forster is the quietly authoritative captain of an exploration ship that stumbles across the seemingly derelict ship, and Anthony Perkins, Yvette Mimieux, Ernest Borgnine, and Joseph Bottoms fill out his crew. This is one case of a triumph of art direction and special effects over story--it's worth sitting through it to see the magnificent scene of the fireball rolling through the ship's enormous hull alone. The rest is just atmospheric gravy. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

Pretty interesting ideas and set conveyed in a slow boring fashion

The premise for this movie is good. Even the characterisation is not bad, however, the plot seems to have large periods of meandering without purpose. Having built a fantastic set, created a wonderful villain, the crew of heroes are fairly bland and characterless. Also some of the dialogue could be tightened. Not as fun as some other films from the era (Battlestar Galactica, Flash Gordon) but with an interesting premise. Definitely recommended for fans of 2001 - a Space Odyssey, although it achieves nothing of the intensity of that movie. July 2, 2008

Into the Depths

Disney's "Black Hole" was an ambitious... failure. Made in 1979, Disney was competing with the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises. "Black Hole" ended up being "20,000 Leagues in Deep Space." It has a strong cast, some interesting ideas, and special effects that were advanced for the time. Bond man John Barry composed the eerie soundtrack.

In "Black Hole", Ernest Borgnine, far from the Ponderosa, is the captain of the Palomino. His crew comes upon an abandoned ship, and instead find themselves on the Cygnus,with its menacing Capt. Nemo (Maximilian Schell) with his appropriately named robot Maximilian. At first, Nemo is friendly. However, they soon realize his nefarious purposes for them. Anthony Perkins pays for his knowledge with his life, since Nemo is psycho. The ending is surrealistic. Nemo&Maximilian ended up being melded into one (the first cosmic same-sex union) There's a journey through Heaven&Hell. It's a strangely Christian movie, in contrast to Star Wars' Buddhism and the vague spirituality of Star Trek.

"Black Hole" has some lame "special effects",there are cheesy plot elements (such as the psychic Yvette Mimieux&her connection with her robot);it's a flawed classic. I remember enjoying this movie as a child because it's so... DIFFERENT. Take a journey into infinity and beyond! June 13, 2008

Lost masterpiece? Not quite, but a surprisingly interesting film

In a review below, Dave observes, "It's almost as if they thought they had a great sci-fi movie in their hands, but the contract said: "kid's stuff". "

I totally agree. I had the same exact thought while watching this recently, for the first time in over two decades. It feels very much like a film whose target audience for the first hour should properly be adults and older teenagers, but one that's had kids' elements bolted onto it at a late stage. The scene with Holland rescuing Kate from the "hospital" later on in the film is the epitome of this, with the heroic-sounding overture (so different in feel from the rest of Barry's brooding, menacing score) feeling literally bolted on. Ditto for the laser gun shoot-out with the line of sentries on the bridge: a scene and an accompanying musical cue that feel totally out of place alongside the menacing first two acts with their slow-burning pace.

And, I mean, this is a film which [SPOILERS] has as its central revelation the fact that the original crew of the Cygnus have been turned into *zombified slaves*, and which has a central character killed by a robot that drives whirling blades into his chest. This is the stuff of horror stories. In terms of its atmosphere The Black Hole has a lot in common with dark 70s films such as The Stepford Wives and The Clonus Horror. It's shocking in retrospect that Disney gave it a green light as a mainstream film aimed at children.

Make no mistake, there is clunkiness throughout the movie, and a third act collapse. But if The Black Hole is a failure, it's a really fascinating one (a bit like David Lynch's "Dune"), which is why I've given it four stars. The first hour is very slow moving, and kids would surely have been bored by it, but for an adult it holds a genuinely mesmerising quality, helped in no small part by the sumptuous set designs and John Barry's swirling, brooding score.

Great movie? No. Recommended nevertheless? Yes. April 14, 2008

Exciting Sci-fi romp from Disney!

The crew of the spaceship Palamino known as Captain Dan Holland (Robert Forster), Dr. Alex Durant (Anthony Perkins), Dr. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux), Harry Booth (Ernest Borgnine) and special robot V.I.N.CENT (Voiced by Roddy Mcdowell) stumbles across a lost spacecraft called Cygnus far from the edge of a mysterious Black Hole. As they investigate, the ship is operated by scientist Dr. Hans Reinhart (Maximillian Schell) and his crew of robots who refused to be rescued because he wants to find the secrets of the mysterious Black Hole and wants to take the crew of Palamino with him.

Entertaining Sci-fi thriller from Walt Disney Productions is their first PG rated motion picture, sure some of the effects are kind of cheesy especially the two robot buddies V.I.N.Cent and Bob who look unrealistic and kind of cartoony but some of the effects are very good for their time. It's a fascinating and dark epic into Science Fiction that Disney thought up in the wake of "Star Wars" since it made Sci-fi and fantasy popular again but bombed in theaters due to competetion against december 1979's other Sci-fi movie "Star Trek The Motion Picture". As of today, it has built a small cult following due to it's nature and scientific themes, it's worth a fan for fans of stunning cult Science Fiction.

This DVD contains good picture and sound quality with two extras like a featurette and a theatrical trailer.

Also recommended: "Event Horizon", "Heavy Metal", "Barbarella", "Lost in Space", "Forbidden Planet", "The Fifth Element", "Stargate", "Star Trek Saga", "Star Wars Saga", "Flash Gordon", "Total Recall", "Armageddon", "Transformers (1986 and 2007)", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "2010: The Year we Make Contact", "Battlestar Galactica The movie (1979 and 2004)", "Metropolis (1927 and 2001)", "Contact", "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)", "Deep Impact", "Outland", "Superman", "Silent Running", "Alien Series", "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)", "Dark Star", "Logan's Run", "Lifeforce", "Dune (1984 and 2000)", "Zathura" and "Titan A.E.". April 10, 2008

A Disney Classic!

I really have enjoyed this movie as one of the best early sci-fi classics. For the time period the effects are incredible, and the story line is gripping. Add to that an all-start cast and you have one great tale. Furthermore, it's a well-rounded technical achievement that the whole family can enjoy! February 29, 2008

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