The Black Hole

The Black Hole possesses a certain magic, a certain charm to it. On one hand, it takes this very eerie story set aboard a seemingly derelict spaceship(The USS Cygnus) and throws in an unforgettable killer robot named Maximillian, a mad scientist named Reinhardt and the charming and heroic robot V.i.n.Cent along with the valiant crew of the USS Palamino, which is forced to dock with the USS Cygnus. While there are things here and there that may take you out of the movie, there's no denying there is a certain appeal amid the creepy atmosphere that is held aloft very easily by John Barry's eerie and sometimes uplifting and exciting musical scoring. There's some fun and great action in this movie. In some ways, The Black Hole is truly a sci-fi classic and its haunting ending and powerful imagery may leave you confused and asking questions, but sometimes that's what the best sci-fi does.

The Black Hole isn't perfect, but then the first Star Trek movie was far from perfect as well. For all the problems The Black Hole might have, it still remains, in my mind, as an incredible movie. Dark, creepy, but also capable of lighthearted and amusing moments as well. Not something a lot of movies can pull off. It also has one of the most haunting scores I have ever heard in sci-fi. In addition, the special effects were and still are brilliant. Disney had intended to rent equipment from ILM, but when the price was too high, they were forced to invent the technology for themselves, and the results really paid off. I first watched this movie when I was just a little kid, but even after all these years I still have a great deal of fondness for this under-appreciated gem.

TBH is Disney's pathetic answer to Fox's Star Wars even down to the John Barry monotonous music score. It is a mixture of different movies, none of it is original. They have substituted Darth Vader with their own Captain Nemo. It's science is absurd as is the story. The dialogue is embarrassing laughable with lines as "Activate the micobeam", "Contact [the robot] with your ESP", and "If there is any justice at all, the black hole will be your grave". There is a little of Airplane! in this movie now too. The acting is dreadful by all the actors, even the the ones that are playing robots, which is surprising considering the cast included Tony Perkins and Ernest Borgnine. The worst performance has to be by Yvette Mimieux followed closely by Mr. Perkins. The special effects are cheap and cheesy looking even for Disney, especially that of the Star Wars-type droid call Victor played by Roddy McDowell. TBH is not even worth the $3.99 rental fee. You'll want your 2 hours of your life back. If there is any justice at all they will bury this movie is the same landfill they buried ET - The Game.