Disney's 'The Black Hole' pulsates ponderously
Part Soylent Green, 2001: Space Odyssey, Alien, Star Wars and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, the Black Hole was an attempt on Disney’s part to capture some of the Star Wars mania that swept the nation in 1977. The film itself features Maximillan Schell, Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine and, in voice roles, Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens.
The score for the film is ponderous and pulsating, emphasizing the dark turn that this film will take. While it has its unintentionally funny moments, the scope of the Black Hole is truly breathtaking, especially considering the state of Disney films in 1979. The sets are huge and beautiful.
However, it is the robot B.O.B. who steals the show. While McDowall is stuck playing the know-it-all V.I.N.C.E.N.T., Pickens gets to voice the comical sidekick who makes good in the end. The rest of the cast does well with what they are given, and the ending may leave people confused. And there are a couple of lines, including one about how it’s not possible to program robots to feel, that don’t make sense in context of the film – B.O.B. clearly feels fear.
Other than the slow pacing, the Black Hole will provide you with a nice retro way to spend a couple of hours. It will also allow you to ponder what happens when man becomes machine and what’s on the other side of a black hole without ever giving you the answers.
The score for the film is ponderous and pulsating, emphasizing the dark turn that this film will take. While it has its unintentionally funny moments, the scope of the Black Hole is truly breathtaking, especially considering the state of Disney films in 1979. The sets are huge and beautiful.
However, it is the robot B.O.B. who steals the show. While McDowall is stuck playing the know-it-all V.I.N.C.E.N.T., Pickens gets to voice the comical sidekick who makes good in the end. The rest of the cast does well with what they are given, and the ending may leave people confused. And there are a couple of lines, including one about how it’s not possible to program robots to feel, that don’t make sense in context of the film – B.O.B. clearly feels fear.
Other than the slow pacing, the Black Hole will provide you with a nice retro way to spend a couple of hours. It will also allow you to ponder what happens when man becomes machine and what’s on the other side of a black hole without ever giving you the answers.