Lifeforce
It's 1986 and Halley's Comet has returned to the solar system after 76 years and a specially adapted shuttle takes a research team on an international survey mission to it. However, once they get close enough, they discover a 150-mile long alien spacecraft in the head of the comet. The ship appears to be dead in space and isn't responding to....
It's 1986 and Halley's Comet has returned to the solar system after 76 years and a specially adapted shuttle takes a research team on an international survey mission to it. However, once they get close enough, they discover a 150-mile long alien spacecraft in the head of the comet. The ship appears to be dead in space and isn't responding to hails so, not being able to leave well alone, they enter it.
Once inside the ship they find it deserted except for loads of long dead, giant bat-like aliens. Obviously their presence has been detected as the ship unfurls a huge umbrella like structure and a way opens to a chamber containing three transparent containers holding what appears to be three humans in a kind of suspended animation. One is an absolute babe and not wearing a lot (Mathilda May) so they have to take them (and a dead alien) back to Earth. However, on the way back communications with the shuttle are lost.
The rescue team find the shuttle burnt out, the crew dead and the escape pod missing. All that appears to have survived are the three alien containers, so they take them back to the European Space research Centre in London for further investigation. Unknown to them, the shuttle commander (Steve Railsback) has survived in the escape pod and by the time he gets back to London, the vampires are loose…
Review
I've always been a fan of vampire and sci-fi movies and I remembered seeing this on TV a few years ago, so when it turned up really cheap in a sale I thought I'd better have another look at it.
Directed by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist), the screenplay co-written by Dan O'Bannon (Dark Star, Alien) and visual effects by John Dykstra (Silent Running, Firefox, Star Wars), there were high expectations for this movie. It has a plausible story with different twist on the vampire theme. However, regardless of a budget of $25 million, it flopped at the box office. But, take no notice of that, it's excellent stuff. If you love vampire movies, over the top acting and effects and naked ladies (well one anyway), you won't be disappointed.
Steve Railsback, the token American actor with a long career of 'B' movie parts and a large repertoire of facial expressions, plays the lead as the surviving shuttle commander and he, and the rest of the mostly British cast are pretty dreadful all round. Peter Firth plays Caine, the pompous SAS colonel trying to thwart the aliens. Frank Finlay is Dr. Fallada, a biochemist working for the ESPC and, strangely, an adept in the study of the psychological and social aspects of death and dying. Patrick Stewart has a small role as Dr. Armstrong, the chief of a psychiatric hospital, but the prize goes to Mathilda May, the lead vampire, for gadding around mostly starkers and not saying a great deal, which is probably a blessing given the terrible script.
One flaw that jumps out to me is the fact that the lead vampire is a gorgeous female and she says to Railsback "We took our forms from your minds". Now, given that the shuttle crew were mostly blokes, who are supposed to think about sex every six seconds or so, how did we end up with one female and two male vampires? Something dodgy going on here or are most astronauts gay?
The effects are pretty good given that it was made in the eighties but it's never really scary. There are a few shockers in there that'll make you jump first time you watch it though and there are scenes near the end reminiscent of Quatermass and the Pit and Dawn of the Dead, where most of the population of London has been converted into lifeforce sucking zombies.
Did I mention Mathilda May being naked most of time? No I'm sure I didn't so I'd better watch it again just to make sure!
Audio/Video
The picture quality is actually not bad but it's ruined by the the letterbox format 2.35:1 image. However, I can't see anyone investing in a re-mastered anamorphic transfer here, which is a great pity as I'd buy it.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also pretty reasonable, which helps with the eerie effects required of the space horror genré.
Extras
Not much - just a theatrical trailer.
Overall
There are no extras to speak of but it's an absolute classic cult space horror movie and a "must have" for any fans of the genré.
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