Coming Attractions: DARK STAR (1974) Theatrical Trailer

Not too long ago, I wrote about the Dark Star paperback novelization by Alan Dean Foster. That got me thinking that it was time to watch the movie again, and that reminded me that I hadn't yet posted the trailer to the John Carpenter-Dan O'Bannon sci-fi comedy here on the blog. So... here it is! Enjoy.

DARK STAR (1974) Novelization By Alan Dean Foster

First, a confession: I have this book somewhere in my collection, but I don't believe I've ever read it. That said, I'm glad I own a copy (and will read it, one of these days), because I just love the fact that 70s sci-fi superscribe Alan Dean Foster not only penned the novelizations of the screenplays to Star Wars, Alien, The Black Hole and a bunch of Star Trek animated episodes, but the offbeat, satirical Dark Star, too! (Oddly, the British posters for the movie actually credit Foster for the film story, which of course, was written by John Carpenter & Dan O'Bannon...)

The prolific science fiction author Foster actually appeared on VCI Entertainment's special "Hyperdrive" edition DVD  in an interview segment (also included with the more recent Blu-ray version) where he discusses how he came to write the novel and his thoughts on the film that inspired it. Over the course of the segment, he also discusses his career, specifically how he came to become the "go-to guy" for genre film tie-in paperbacks.

DARK STAR (1974) Video Art by Thomas Warkentin

To celebrate today's release of John Carpenter/Dan O' Bannon's sci-fi comedy Dark Star on Blu-ray today (review), here's the very cool Thomas Warkentin artwork that graced the VHS and first DVD editions of the film from VCI Entertainment. Enjoy!

DARK STAR (1974) "Thermostellar Edition" Blu-ray Review

This new high-definition Blu-ray of 1974's Dark Star is the third version of the John Carpenter-Dan O'Bannon cult classic I've reviewed from VCI Entertainment, so I won't synopsize the story again (you can check out my last DVD review here).

This new "Thermostellar Edition" Blu-ray version features a newly remastered 1080p HD, widescreen 1.78:1 transfer of the 83 minute "theatrical cut." Originally shot cheaply on 16mm film and then blown up to 35mm for theatrical exhibition, Dark Star has never really looked all that good, and even with the extensive work put into this Blu-ray, it still doesn't look particularly good. But it is a noticeable improvement over all previous home video releases, with brighter, more stable colors and significantly better contrast. The overall image is still frustratingly soft, and it looks like it may have been subjected to overzealous digital scrubbing to eliminate visual "noise."  Faces are unnaturally smooth, and there is very little fine detail or textures evident anywhere in the movie. That all said - it's still the best-looking presentation of the film I've seen, including the one theatrical showing I attended years ago.

The Bonus Features are identical to those included on VCI's previous "Hyperdrive Edition" DVD: an audio commentary track by "super fan" Andrew Gilchrist, an on-camera interview with science fiction author Alan Dean Foster, who discusses the challenge of writing the film's novelization back in the 70s (as well as the rest of his career), a 3D Visual Guide to the Dark Star spaceship, an interview with actor Brian Narelle (Doolittle), text trivia, and the original theatrical trailer.

Missing from this edition is the shorter, 68 minute "student film" version of the film, which means that I'll probably be hanging onto my old DVD just for completion's sake.

If you're a fan of the film and have a Blu-ray set-up, it's worth picking up. Picture and audio quality are better than previous editions, and while the visual quality can't match the HD transfers of its big-budget studio contemporaries (never mind today's digital spectacles), it's probably the best this particular film is likely to look for the forseeable future.

The Dark Star Blu-ray streets today, or you can pick it up for less than twenty bucks from Amazon: Dark Star - Thermostellar Edition (Blu-ray)

DARK STAR (1974) Theatrical Posters

A selection of theatrical one-sheets for the 1974 John Carpenter/Dan O'Bannon sci-fi satire, Dark Star. Funny how the top poster name-checks SF author Alan Dean Foster, because as far as I know, his only involvement with Dark Star was penning the paperback novelization (which I know I have somewhere around here, but I can't seem to find, dammit).

News: DARK STAR (1974) "Thermostellar Edition" Blu-ray Coming In October

VCI Entertainment has announced that the 1974 Dan O'Bannon/John Carpenter sci-fi satire, Dark Star, will be receiving a high-definition Blu-ray release on October 2. The VCI website gives few details, but presumably, this will contain all the features of the previous DVD edition released by VCI, along with a new, high-definition transfer (and much more attractive packaging).

In the mid twenty-first century, mankind has reached a point in its technological advances to enable colonization of the far reaches of the universe. DARK STAR is a futuristic scout ship traveling far in advance of colony ships. Armed with Exponential Thermostellar Bombs, it prowls the darkest reaches of space on a mission to seek out and destroy unstable planets ahead of the colonist. But there is one obstacle that its crew members did not count on -- one of the ship's thinking and talking bombs is lodged in the bay, threatening to destroy the entire ship and crew! DARK STAR was originally intended to be a 68 minute film. Jack Harris, the Hollywood producer, convinced the filmmakers to shoot 15 minutes of extra footage and he released the expanded version theatrically in 1975 through Bryanston Pictures.

The suggested retail price is a very reasonable $19.95; Amazon already has it listed for pre-order at a discounted price of $14.99.

Pre-Order: Dark Star - Thermostellar Edition (Blu-ray)

DARK STAR (1974) - Hyperdrive Edition DVD

"Don't give me any of that intelligent life crap, just give me something I can blow up!"

The long-awaited special edition of the Dan O'Bannon/John Carpenter cult classic, DARK STAR (1975) is now available from VCI Entertainment.

The quirky science fiction comedy began its existence as a $60,000 student film, co-written and directed by Carpenter (HALLOWEEN, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK) and scripted by O' Bannon (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, DEAD & BURIED). It was picked up for theatrical distribution by Jack H. Harris (THE BLOB), who requested that the young filmmakers shoot additional scenes to bring the movie to feature-length.

In an unspecified future time, the patrol ship Dark Star, with its crew of five - Dollittle (Brian Narelle), Boiler (Cal Kuniholm), Talby (Dre Pahich), Pinback (Dan O'Bannon) and the cryogenically frozen corpse of ship's Commander Powell - is on a mission to destroy unstable planets with artificially-intelligent "thermostellar" warheads. Unfortunately, the ship has been away from Earth for twenty years and is falling apart, damaged by meteors and plagued with system malfunctions. The crew isn't in much better shape - unkempt, neurotic, and apathetic. When one of the aforementioned malfunctions causes warhead #20 to threaten to explode and take the ship with it, Lieutenant Doolittle has to try and talk the bomb out of fulfilling its prime directive.

DARK STAR is a crudely crafted but ingenious science fiction film, executed with style, wit and humor. The comedy is of a decidedly dark variety - very 1970s - and the amateur cast isn't always up to the task of carrying it off, but there are plenty of chuckles to be had, especially during Sgt. Pinback's extended struggle with the ship's alien mascot - a beach ball with claws.

Released previously by VCI in an unimpressive but adequate "Special Edition," (review here) this new, "Hyperdrive Edition" is an improvement in nearly every way, with better video and lots of new bonus features. 

A two disc set, Disc One contains the 83 minute theatrical cut, presented in a noticeably-improved 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, sourced from a new 35mm source and digitally restored. It still doesn't look like a modern HD production - the movie was originally shot on 16mm stock and blown up to 35mm for theaters - but it's far better than the previous transfer. Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1. English and Spanish subtitles are provided. Extras on this disc include an audio commentary track by "super fan" Andrew Gilchrist, an on-camera interview with science fiction author Alan Dean Foster, who discusses the challenge of writing the film's novelization back in the 70s (as well as the rest of his career), a 3D Guide to the Dark Star spaceship, an interview with actor Brian Narelle (Doolittle), text trivia, and the original theatrical trailer.

Disc Two contains an equally-improved, anamorphic widescreen transfer of the original Carpenter "student film" version, running roughly 68 minutes. This disc also contains a new, informative retrospective documentary, LET THERE BE LIGHT: THE ODYSSEY OF 'DARK STAR.'

Both versions now include a new text introduction by the late O'Bannon.

It's not perfect - the lack of participation by director John Carpenter is disappointing - but it's a pretty damned good DVD package, and a genuine upgrade over the previous release. For fans of this seminal sci-fi dark comedy, this new "Hyperdrive Edition" is highly recommended.

BUY: Dark Star - The Hyper-Drive Edition

Captain's bLog 1028.10

Hey, Star Kids.Yeah, I know. It's been a while. All I can say is that I've been occupied elsewhere, and will get back to regular posting here as soon as possible.

•  Right now, I'm looking for some information. I know that there was a series of Flash Gordon paperback novels published in the 80s with cover paintings by Boris Vallejo (such as the one on the left, which, as Space: 1970 reader Jason Shepherd pointed out when he sent me the scan, has Flash in virtually the exact same pose as Buck Rogers in the Vallejo piece I posted a couple weeks ago). I would like to track these books down, but I don't know any of the titles, nor the author(s).

Can anyone provide or direct me to that information? For that matter, anyone know if they're any good?

• I've just received a copy of the new Dark Star: Hyperdrive Edition DVD from VCI Home Entertainment, and while I'll be posting a detailed review over on my DVD Late Show website in the next few days, I can say here that this new two-disc release is a marked improvement over the company's previous edition in almost every way, with a notably better transfer and a slew of supplemental materials.

It's not perfect - the lack of participation by director John Carpenter is disappointing - but it's pretty damned good. If you're a fan of the film, the new DVD is highly recommended.

You can order it here: Dark Star - The Hyper-Drive Edition

• Although the show doesn't really fall under the chronological purview of this blog, U.S. Gerry Anderson fans who may not have already heard, may be interested to know that his 1994-95 series Space Precinct, starring Ted Shackleford, is due out on Region 1 DVD from Image Entertainment on November 23rd.

I only saw two episodes of this when it aired late at night in my South Florida market, and I also read a novelization of the pilot episode, but I thought it was pretty interesting. I can understand why U.S. broadcasters were confused by it, though. It kinda looked like a kid's show, but the stories (at least the ones I saw) were rather serious and adult.

Anyway, I hope to review it for my Late Show site before it comes out, but if you're an Anderson completist and would like to pre-order the 5-disc set, you can do so here: Space Precinct: The Complete Series

News: DARK STAR (1974) "Hyperdrive Edition" Announced & Available for Pre-Order

After literally years of rumors and teases, it looks like VCI Entertainment finally will be bringing the Dan O'Bannon-John Carpenter classic, Dark Star, back to DVD in a new, improved, "Hyperdrive Edition."

This new DVD will contain both the shorter 1974 “Original” student film version and the longer 1975 “Theatrical” release version. The 2010 “Hyperdrive Edition” DVD has been sourced from a new 16x9, 35mm transfer, with a further painstaking, frame-by-frame digital restoration of the video master to produce "the best picture ever seen." The soundtrack has also been digitally enhanced and restored to Dolby Digital 5.1.

The disc will also include 2 hours of bonus features, including a new retrospective documentary featuring interviews with actor Brian Narelle, cinematographer Doug Knapp, art director Tommy Lee Wallace, SFX artist Greg Jein, distributor Jack C. Harris, and the late Dan O' Bannon. Additional supplemental material includes an interview with novelization author Alan Dean Foster, a "3-D Guide to the Dark Star ship," an audio commentary by fan Andrew Gilchrist, and more.

Dark Star - Hyperdrive Edition is already available for pre-order at Amazon (see link below), and is due to hit the streets on October 26, 2010.

Pre-Order from Amazon: Dark Star - The Hyper-Drive Edition

DARK STAR (1974)

While attending USC, students John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape From New York) and Dan O'Bannon (Return Of The Living Dead) produced a $60,000, 68-minute science fiction black comedy called Dark Star (1974). The film was picked up by producer Jack H. Harris (The Blob, Dinosaurus), who paid the young auteurs to film additional scenes and bring the running time to feature length.

In an unspecified future time, the patrol ship Dark Star, with its crew of five - Dollittle (Brian Narelle), Boiler (Cal Kuniholm), Talby (Dre Pahich), Pinback (Dan O'Bannon) and the cryogenically frozen corpse of ship's Commander Powell - is on a mission to destroy unstable planets with artificially-intelligent "thermostellar" warheads. Unfortunately, the ship has been away from Earth for twenty years and is falling apart, damaged by meteors and plagued with system malfunctions. The crew isn't in much better shape - unkempt, neurotic, and apathetic. When one of the aforementioned malfunctions causes warhead #20 to threaten to explode and take the ship with it, Lieutenant Doolittle has to try and talk the bomb out of fulfilling its prime directive.

Written by O'Bannon (who later co-wrote Alien) and Carpenter, and directed by Carpenter, Dark Star is a crudely crafted but ingenious science fiction film, executed with style, wit and humor. The comedy is of a decidedly dark variety - very 1970s - and the amateur cast isn't always up to the task of carrying it off, but there are plenty of chuckles to be had, especially during Sgt. Pinback's extended struggle with the ship's alien mascot - a beach ball with claws.

The special effects are surprisingly decent, especially considering the microscopic budget, and the sets and props demonstrate considerable ingenuity on the part of the tyro filmmakers.

VCI Entertainment offers two versions of Dark Star on its DVD. The theatrical version, and a shorter, "Special Edition," which purports to recreate the original student film. Both transfers are in 1.85 widescreen, with the "Special Edition" version looking slightly better than the theatrical. Both versions, though, are rather soft and dark, which is to be expected, considering the film was shot in 16mm. Both also show some wear & tear, but nothing egregious. Supplemental material is limited to the theatrical trailer and some text bios.

Dark Star is an entertaining curio and fascinating look at the nascent talents of Carpenter, O'Bannon and their crew. It is extremely accomplished for a student film, and while it lacks the polish and production value of a big studio motion picture, it's easy to see why Carpenter and the late O'Bannon were able to go on to forge such impressive movie careers.

There have been rumors of an improved special edition being in the works for several years, but no official announcement has been made. If you haven't seen Dark Star and are a science fiction fan or interested in Carpenter's work, you should at least try to find a copy to rent. The DVD's technical quality's not the greatest, but the film is definitely worth seeing.