Dark Star (1974)
73%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Dark Star, John Carpenter’s student film turned cult classic, is a delightful romp through space that manages to blend science fiction with molasses-black humor and human eccentricities. While some critics may dismiss it as sophomoric or lacking in substance, Carpenter’s vision of the technological future is both disillusioned and oddly affirmative in its insistence on the unscientific survival of emotional frailty. With amusing moments and a slacker satire of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dark Star is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys anarchic humor and a good old-fashioned space adventure.
Dark Star is a wild ride through space that will have you laughing and scratching your head at the same time. While some critics may find fault with the film’s sophomoric humor and primitive special effects, it’s hard not to appreciate the sheer anarchy and creativity on display. John Carpenter’s student film may not be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of Star Wars, Alien, Halloween, or The Thing, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Just don’t expect any intelligent bombs or beach balls from other worlds.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
1974
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 23m
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Language(s):
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2001
Genre(s)
Sci-fi
Keyword(s)
sci-fi, John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon, Brian Narelle, Cal Kuniholm, Dre Pahich, Joe Saunders, G rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adam Smith, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Nick Schager, Janet Maslin, Roger Ebert, Anton Bitel, Cody Leach, John Fleming, Eddie Harrison, Jacoba Atlas, satire, astronauts, rogue planets, human eccentricity, technology, emotional frailty, space travel, special effects, set designs, horror, comedy, aliens, molasses-black humour, 16mm, 35mm, mono, flat (1.85:1), directed by John Carpenter, written by John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon, produced by John Carpenter, original language English, runtime 1h 23m, streaming release date Jul 3, 2001
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Dan O’Bannon – Pinback
Cal Kuniholm – Boiler
Dre Pahich – Talby
Joe Saunders – Commander Powell (uncredited)
John Carpenter – Director
John Carpenter – Producer
John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon – Writers
Director(s)
John Carpenter
Writer(s)
John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon
Producer(s)
John Carpenter
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (30) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (7)
Hats off nonetheless to young whippersnapper John Carpenter, whose studenty tale of space tedium, aliens and molasses-black humour remains approximately a thousand times better than the director’s last 15 years.
June 6, 2007 | Rating: 5/5
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
By introducing human eccentricities into the cold structure of SF, Carpenter creates a vision of the technological future that is both disillusioned and oddly affirmative in its insistence on the unscientific survival of emotional frailty.
June 6, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The dim comedy consists of sophomoric notations and mistimed one-liners.
June 6, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Isn’t nearly as funny as it once was…but it nonetheless has its amusing moments.
April 26, 2007 | Rating: B-
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
There are some funny routines here, though Mr. Carpenter doesn’t seem to have cared much about integrating or sustaining them.
May 9, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
A berserk combination of space opera, intelligent bombs, and beach balls from other worlds.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
student film plays like a slacker satire of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), exposing all the ennui and idiocy of deep-space travel.
December 16, 2022
Anton Bitel
BFI
Dark Star is a student film with a studio release and it’s exactly what you expect from that. Some of Carpenter’s early promise is on display but whatever impressed in 1974 has mostly faded with time and age.
September 10, 2022 | Rating: 2/5
Cody Leach
Cody Leach (YouTube)
Dark Star is well worth 83 minutes of anyone’s time: perhaps the most enjoyable piece of anarchy since the Marx Brothers.
July 22, 2022
John Fleming
Starburst
…a must-watch for anyone who dug Star Wars, Alien, Halloween or The Thing…
February 24, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
If it weren’t for the extremely primitive special effects and set designs (though decent considering the budget), the picture might have succeeded as outright horror.
August 29, 2020 | Rating: 2/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
All good fun, without much substance or lasting power.
December 9, 2019
Jacoba Atlas
Los Angeles Free Press…
Plot
Dark Star is a satirical sci-fi comedy about a crew of bumbling astronauts on a mission to destroy rogue planets.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t say anything goofy or funny or odd about the film Signed in.
John-Carpenter.jpg
