The Black Hole - Cute and dark at the same time

What was Disney's reaction to the Star Wars phenomenon in 1977? The answer: make the Black Hole. The outcome? Not a phenomenon. Sadly. However, the film is actually pretty good, even though it never really set the box office on fire at the time.

It tells of a story of a space ship's crew who discover a giant ship, holding orbit just out of reach of a menacing black hole. When they investigate this `ghost ship' they find it's populated by sinister robots 
and a mad scientist.

Perhaps one reason it never found its audience was because it is both `ultra cute' and `pretty dark' all at the same time. The good robots are designed to appeal to children (despite never being as annoying as you think they might be), but the overall tone of the piece is pretty foreboding and bleak. I won't give too much away, but it's not a happy-go-lucky affair, plus it has an ending which the younger audiences might not get (I didn't, until I grew up and confirmed it on the internet!).

Also, whereas Star Wars was timeless (showing few signs of being made in the seventies), The Black Hole looks a little like `old science fiction' with the uniforms and robots. Then you have the budget... I couldn't work out whether it had a big budget or a shoestring one. The set for the derelict spaceship is truly awesome, showing vast expanses and giving off a greater sense of space than either the Nostromo (Alien) or even the Death Star (Star Wars). Plus there are a few scenes near the end (i.e. the crashing meteorite) which are truly breathtaking. Maybe they spent all their money on the sets and didn't have enough money left over for stunt men? The bad robots are similar to Star Wars Stormtroopers, yet they are blatantly models - when they're knocked over, you can see there's no one in them and they just topple over stiff as a board. This kind of shows the film up as a lesser budget and is one example of a few which highlight a lack of budget.

I'm not sure how many new fans The Black Hole will pick up nowadays. It's a product of its time. I think young boys (under 10?) will still like the robots and sense of good vs evil, plus people who grew up with it (such as myself) will always regard it fondly. Or, maybe it you're just looking for some nostalgic sci-fi, then this will certainly tick all boxes.

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather