The Black Hole (DVD, 2004)

The Black Hole was released by Walt Disney in theatres in 1979. It was Disney's big budget extravaganza that was competing with movies like Star Wars, Close Encounters and Battlestar Galactica. With an estimated 20 million dollar budget Disney went all in hiring well known actors like Roddy McDowall, Ernest Borgnine, Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster and Yvette Mimieux.

The movie starts off well with crew introductions and the finding of a long lost seemingly deserted spacecraft, the Cygnus. After boarding the ship they find that the captain, played by Schell, is still alive and studying a black hole. He has developed technology that allows the ship to remain untouched even though it is perched on the event horizon of "the most powerful force in the Universe". After spending time with Schell the crew soon discovers that he has gone at least slightly mad. They are soon at odds and some spectacular laser fights erupt as well as some great special effects sequences. The Cygnus firing her engines and the meteor rolling through the ship compares with the best effects of today's movies. The crew eventually escapes, sort of, and the doomed ship is pulled into the black hole.

The Black Hole is an impressive movie to watch. The backgrounds and special effects are gorgeous and the Cygnus looks like a monster of a spaceship. Parts of the movie, especially in the beginning, are really eerie especially with the zombie like crew shuffling around. The story, finding a derelict spaceship in the outer reaches of space, was initially done well. The musical score was also pretty good. The problems I had with the movie have to do with the dialogue and the robots.

Forgetting that whole "I need air to breathe while floating through outer space concept" there are a ton of issues with the movie but none surpass the ridiculous robots. Vincent, voiced by Roddy McDowall, is possibly the most annoying character ever portrayed on the big screen (yes, Jar Jar Binks was more annoying). Why did they give a robot who quotes Shakespeare big giant cartoon eyes? Why does the big red robot (Max to his friends) have propeller blade attachments? Are they going to a lake or something after they fly through the black hole? Why do some of the robots stagger around like drunks and others march in cadence? Also, if they couldn't hide the guide wires they used to have Vincent "float", then they should have put him on wheels. The wires were really distracting in a 20 million dollar epic. In regards to the dialogue, Maximilian Schell almost sounded like Captain Nemo at times. And that ending? The captain standing on top of a mountain in the robot suit overlooking Hell? The cast flying through Heaven or something with angels? Wow, no wonder 1979 audiences were stunned.

Regardless of the flaws, The Black Hole is still a Disney gem. It's a beautifully made film from an era where everything was done by hand and not by computers. This DVD version has been digitally remastered and sounds great. It also has a featurette, "Through the Black Hole", an extended movie trailer, and some nice commentary. This is a must have film for any science fiction fan's collection.

Keeping the PG rating in mind, this film brings the family wholesomeness, we have come to expect from Disney, home. Original music scores and an adventure through a Black Hole are marred, though, by similarities to Star Wars that are too obvious to ignore. Examples include the lovable swivel headed robot VINCENT who has lasers, a telescoping arm, and who repairs space ships in mid flight. They also include a deranged madman (played by Maximilian Schell), with a loyal enforcer (Maximilian the Robot) who remind us of The Emperor and Darth Vader. There are humans with psychic powers (the force) and robot armies. Holes in the script, such as how humans can survive in the vacuum of outer space, leave me wanting more. The kids that would not make these connections are likely too young, for the PG rating, to watch the film. Despite these failings there is enough original story to have kept me entertained.

This is, I believe the Only Disney movie in which actor Anthony Perkins ever starred or appeared. So, If just for that reason alone, it is unique. The rest of the cast is great as well, Ernest Borgnine and Maximillan Schnell for example. While the sci-fi technical issues are a bit "spacey", like how did such a fragile spaceship even make it to the event horizon of the Black Hole and why do robots need cute little, cartoon like eyes? The music, one of the first digital recordings done for a film, some of the concepts and theories, and especially the sets and special effects are interesting and well done. In fact they did get a nomination for their special effects for an Oscar that year in 1979. I have heard the ship alone cost $100,000 just to produce and develope for a quality film look. Overall, it is a fun, sometimes slow, but exciting entry into sci-fi, an area which Disney doesn't often venture. I would recommend it for family viewing with the exception of the younger age groups due to some of the more scary looking robots and violence involved. I often wonder if Anthony Perkins was proud of his work on this one. I guess we'll never know on that one. WFC

plot: 2130 AND a search for other life in the Universe ~ had an DARKENED space station close to a black hole with a Captain gone mad~ worth watching once~ STELLAR CAST~ oh bad pun~ LOL

DISNEY KNOCK OFF ON STAR WARS MADE IN 1980~ every studio was making their space& movies in 1980 including Disney~ the USS Palamino is on a look for other life in the Universe mission and stumbles across the USS Cygnus perched on the edge of a HUGE black hole~ able to defy gravity the ship comes to life~ soon the Palamino crew (Robert Forester, Yvette Mimieux, Ernest Borgnine, Joseph Bottoms and Anthony Perskins are the unwilling Guests of the Cygnus captian MAXAMILIAN SCHELL ~ we see a ship full of humanoids who are at his back and call and a menacing HEAD robot in RED no less named MAXIMILAN we is obviously the BAD robot~ add a cutsie droid for the good guys named VINCENT~ (uncredited voice of Roddy McDowell) and you have the GOOD guys~~ the mad (Schell)plans to enter the black hole and space history~ the twist is the HUMANOIDS are the remains of Schells HUMAN crew~ some good special effects for the time~ SCENE STEALER HERE IS SCHELL whoS own moster head robot has him terrified~ worth watching once~ this DVD has some nice extras and is pristine~ I GIVE IT 4 OUT OF 5 FOR DISNEY FUN AND raised up from being 3 STARS by the actors~ which are top notch~

ADDED TRIVIA~ RODDY MCDOWELL is uncredited as the voice of droid Vincent and Chill Wills as the geezer droid~ and $20 million budget which was big for Disney at this time~ (1980)~ glad they finally released it on DVD~

As I started into my formative teenage years, two main things erupted into my life altering it forever. Those two things were the movies "Star Wars" and Disney's "The Black Hole". Each grabbing my imagination and intellect in unique and life-altering ways. Never again did I see things as simple because it made me begin to rethink every experience and idea. In "Star Wars" it's all about the light being SO good and SO right that they overcome the dark forces and win the day. But in Disney's "The Black Hole", that is NOT the case. The light is struggling to STAY in the light, while the dark side simply flexes and moves and shows it's power. In that story, the characters of the light are dependent upon the powers that the dark have created in order to simply survive.

I could rant and rave and even tell you spoilers, but none of that would help. You simply need to watch the movie and decide for yourself. This is NOT for little kids because there are parts that will startle and scare them. This is as much a dark, intellectual, sci-fi temptation-of-the-soul as Star Wars was a light and perky space-opera. Star Wars left you happy and eager to face the next adversity. Disney's The Black Hole will leave you haunted, pondering, and perhaps even inspired.

Lieutenant Charles Pizer: Vincent, were you programmed to bug me?
V.I.N.CENT: No sir, to educate you.