Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Stoutor
It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Tweekums
As this episode opens the crew of the spaceship Palomino stop to observe a giant black hole; to their surprise they see another ship positioned near the black hole. It is the USS Cygnus; an exploration vessel that hasn't been heard from for twenty years. The Palomino's crew make their way to the Cygnus. Here they find its commander Dr Hans Reinhardt alone apart from a crew of robots; he claims the original crew left and presumably died. As well as his humanoid robots he has created an army of combat robots and the sinister Maximillian, a large red robot with some unpleasant weaponry. The crew of the Palomino are divided about what to do; some think Reinhardt is clearly dangerously insane as he plans to take his ship into the black hole; others think he is a genius and wish join his mission. Eventually they learn the truth and must struggle to get away before it is too late.Made by Disney shortly after Sci-fi became all the rage following 'Star Wars' this film is surprisingly dark at times. Early on it feels as though it may be typical Disney fare with a cute robot, Vincent, amongst the crew. Once aboard the Cygnus, and especially after the introduction of Reinhardt and Maximillian, there is a sense that something isn't right. Another cute robot, the battered Bob, later explains the sinister truth about what really happened aboard the Cygnus. The cast is solid enough, Maximilian Schell, is suitably menacing as Reinhardt, and I enjoyed Slim Pickens' uncredited performance as the voice of Bob. This may be a Disney film but there are some disturbing moments... while we may not see what happens and there is no blood seen there is one particularly horrific death! The special effects do show their age at times but are still decent enough. I'm unsure about the ending with its religious undertones but it isn't enough to spoil the film. Overall I'd recommend this to sci-fi fans.
invadermac
I was 13 & awash in the glow that Star Wars brought us all- alas this was an interesting but pallid attempt by Disney- I just wanted to express the two things I think are/were good about this film- mainly, Maximillian Schell as the maniacal villain( a worthwhile villain can sometimes save a movie- sadly not here) More importantly, the score is great I still like it quite a lot. Ah well maybe they'll try again with updated science, effects and maybe a working script.
jimbo-53-186511
The Black Hole is a film that actually has a relatively good and interesting premise and it's a shame really that this 'good' premise is very rarely taken advantage of. The idea of an eccentric, disillusioned lonely megalomaniac effectively turning his own crew into humanoid robots who obey his every command coupled with the idea of said lunatic then trapping the innocent crew members of a research ship on board his vessel has all the hallmarks of a film that could have been both insightful and thrilling, but as mentioned it rarely achieves these basic objectives...For a start, the narrative is a little threadbare and doesn't reveal much about what had happened on board Reinhardt's ship? What sent him mad? How did he create his army of robots? How did he survive there for 20 years? These are just a few things I could think of 'off the cuff', but I'm sure there are more weaknesses in the writing.Another failure with this film is in its complete failure to make the main antagonist interesting; Maximilian Schell's performance has all the trappings of a Bond villain (I couldn't help shake off the notion that I was basically watching Hugo Drax from Moonraker), but he's given no real depth meaning I ultimately didn't end up caring for him or his deluded cause. I also didn't find him a particularly menacing villain - although to his credit Schell is still the best thing about this film by a mile.The idea of a man going insane and turning his own crew into a humanoid robot crew is quite unique and interesting, but as mentioned the filmmakers only really scratch the surface here and never really develop this aspect of the story - the main focus of the story seemed to be about Reinhardt trying to enter The Black Hole which just never really held my interest to be honest.More notable problems lie with the utterly horrendous visuals; I was honestly gobsmacked how awful the whole thing looked - the whole thing looked like it was made on a budget of 75p. In fairness the poor visuals are complemented well by generally poor performances from everyone (I was especially surprised by Borgnine who is usually excellent). The robot helper Vincent (or Dusty Bin as I prefer to call him) was presumably intended as 'comic relief' but he really isn't that funny and when he meets his 'mate' on Reinhardt's ship their whole shtick can be likened to the lamest double act you're ever likely to see.The fact that this film has an intriguing premise, a creepy isolated setting and the potential for some interesting humanoid/robot insights AND yet still manages to be boring, uninteresting and not exactly enlightening is rather shocking in all honesty. With seemingly so much working for it this could and should have been so much better.
FlashCallahan
For five years the crew of the Palomino has ranged through deep space, searching for evidence of alien life. With their mission almost at an end, they discover the largest black hole ever encountered. Drifting perilously near it, is the long-lost legendary starship Cygnus. It's commander who designed the Cygnus and planned its epic voyage still survives, served by a horde of mechanical slaves. But Commander Hans Reinhardt has no desire to be rescued. He has a rendezvous with the incredible forces of the titular hole, and he plans to take the Palomino crew along on his doomed adventure.The Black Hole is a film that has to be seen to be believed. Not because of its wonderful story, narrative, or characterisation, it's the blatant ripping off of Star Wars that Disney has seemingly done......and it's a wonderful disaster.If Perkins had Switched roles with Schell, then it may have been a little bit more darker than it is here, it's odd to see Perkins looking threatening even when he's a seemingly harmless Doctor, and having Schell apologise every five minutes for his red hot robot.Story wise, the film sucks, and ironically, one of the main plot holes involves that word,so go figure.But, it's a technical marvel. It's the best Bond theme Barry never did, the effects are pretty cool for the seventies, and there's always the charm of seeing weightlessness depicted with people on wires.Forster looks permanently embarrassed as the Will Robinson caricature, McDowell is okay as the below par cowboy wannabe R2-D2, and the extras as robots look like something straight out of a Kraftwerk.It's an oddity movie for sure, not very good, but certainly not boring, and it has one of the most bizarre, psychedelic last shots I've ever seen in a film.A technical achievement, purely because it's pretty dreamy to watch.
