Escape Velocity

This movie re-uses the Dead Calm premise of hostage taking except sets it on a research space ship with a crew of 3 - the The role of the bad guy is played by Peter Outerbridge, who seems to be really coming on as an actor. His performance is not a typical cliche and really works . Interesting special effects sequences. Michelle Beaudoin is also good as the spoiled teen stuck with her parents who turns to the Outerbridge character for some interest.

On a distant planet a psychopath is saved from execution by a space monk. He releases a few fellow inmates and breaks out of the prison in a spaceship. They dock onto a ludicrously enormous spacecraft that is orbiting a supernova star. This massive craft is populated by only three people, presumably because the budget of the film did not extend to hiring many actors. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the three goodies end up in a game of cat and mouse with the baddies.

The psychopath in this movie is curious in that he is annoying. 'Annoying' is generally not a term one would use to describe a lunatic - unhinged, frightening, dangerous maybe but not 'annoying' but he is. The three people manning the giant ship are seriously unconvincing as warranting such important roles - this ship is practically the size of a city! Considering that the film is set approximately 50 years in the future, it is somewhat optimistic that such a huge man-made craft could exist, never mind the fact that it is used for such a relatively mundane task. Despite the vast size of the spaceship, the crew all have appallingly kitted out, tiny rooms and the dining room consists of what appears to be a plastic table and chairs. But there are a lot of corridors.

The film is fairly well acted and it works as an averagey sci-fi thriller. But nothing great.

This film is like a Deep Calm in space.A family of research scientists find themselves trapped and terrorized by an escaped convict who they are trying to help. Good performances throughout, especially by Peter Outerbridge playing Nash, the escaped convict. Worth checking out.

Ok...watch this movie and just have fun! There are a lot of things that the audience could pick apart - like the ridiculously long space ship, or the countless meaningless shots of empty corridors, or the sometimes 'campy' dialog. AND...I can't leave out the irritating character of the daughter, Ronnie. She whines and whines and ...ok, you get the picture. BUT...Wendy Crewson is great! It is such fun to see her as the tough gal with a gun! It proves again, that this fabulous actress can turn just about any role into a gem. She is gutsy and sexy, and even manages to be convincingly maternal with her whiney daughter. That alone should have guaranteed her an academy award nod! Don't expect "Aliens"...just expect an evening of entertainment. This little film can deliver that.

The plot is familiar - small group of people being held hostage by crazy bad guy. However, the acting is good, and the story works. Set in space, a family is terrorized by an escaped convict that they have rescued. The daughter naturally falls for the good looking visitor (afterall, she is bored and stuck in space with her parents). Soon, the whole family is in trouble, but in this one, it is the mother who pulls off the save of the day - and quite believably as well. Good performances all around.