Nightflyers

My VHS tape of Nightflyers was a prized possession of mine, until that media died. THEN, I found a digital copy of a laserdisc(?) WooHoo! Methinks, mehopes, that a 'remastered edition' will be released with the new Nightflyer Series! The film has such an immersive quality, an original sci-fi story and the soundtrack is classic 80's! Thanks to George Arr Arr Martin!

So if you like cheesy 80's music, TV and movies, then please see this. Otherwise, just pass. It really isn't that good. The cast is fun with Catherine Mary Stewart and everyone's favorite 80's rock star - Michael Des Barres. And there is some decent effects and atmosphere to spare. But it looks like 'Robert Collector' was going for a Michael Mann style look and just came up short. Again, good for 80's nostalgia. But that's kind of it.

Why the heck are high-tech spacecraft so misty in the interior!? Apparently, the humidity controls on the ship's air conditioning system were set up to maximum; either that or the filmmakers were trying to rip off Alien. Other than the spectre of mist, the action and the acting was pretty lacking and even grinded down to a halt at times. From the laser beam shooting out the side of the gun (bad, bad editing) to the cornball scenes of the headless, decapitated body choking someone, this movie is filled with flaws, but the worst flaw was the awful mist which seems to condense on my television.

I need to comment on this movie since reading all of the other comments and knowing how many times I've seen this movie...I should say something. First, I read the book after I saw the movie and was surprised by the different direction the movie took. Most of the names were changed, some of the characters themselves were totally different that described in the novella. Having seen the movie before reading the book, however, I thought it was an interesting story. Getting past the sets, editing, script and continuity issues, I saw interesting character study and flow of events. At least we got a little glimpse of some of the character's pasts, if we listened closely to some of the sometimes rambling conversation, and saw briefly into their personal lives...especially Royd Erris and Jon Winderman. When I look at the movie, I try to get into the meat of it ...as if it was really happening at that moment. What were they thinking, experiencing. What kind of emotional bond was going on between some of the characters. However, after I read the book, I thought the movie could have been so much better. I gave the movie an 8 out of 10 for a great attempt at creating the mood of the characters and atmosphere of the Nightflyer described in George R.R. Martin's awesome short story. I found the book at an old used bookstore 600 miles form my house. I believe you can get in online. Read it!

As far as low-budget, sci-fi horror goes, Nightflyers is definitely above the fray. I can't say enough about Catherine Mary Stewarts character: beautiful, courageous, mysterious and intelligent. Her performance also lists as a cut above the average. Sure there are deficiencies in the script; but I thought that Nightflyers was an ambitious little entry into the sci-fi film market and definitely worth the effort. I am anxiously awaiting a potential DVD release.