leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (07/02/85)
LIFEFORCE
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Everybody is saying that the big science fiction film of the summer is
COCOON. I have heard very little negative comment on COCOON and very little
positive comment on LIFEFORCE. Based on this I get a strong impression that
LIFEFORCE is not a film I should recommend. Let me say then as a minority
opinion that for me LIFEFORCE is THE big film of the summer and that it is
the kind of film that I wish more people were making.
The filmmakers have remembered that what makes a science fiction film
is ideas and showing the viewer visually the effects of these ideas. You
will see sights that could only occur in science fiction films. Unlike in
TERMINATOR, you won't see car chases that could be from a "Dirty Harry"
film. You won't see Don Ameche break-dancing either. You will see a
science fiction/horror/fantasy film with science fiction or horror or
fantasy in virtually every frame of the film. There is too much story here
to fiddle around with cute characters or standard human drama.
This is not to say that the film is totally original--far from it.
There are elements of FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH, ALIEN, DAWN OF THE DEAD,
GHOST BUSTERS, a number of 1950's British science fiction films, even
DRACULA, but there is also a great deal of metaphysical speculation that
belongs to this film alone.
LIFEFORCE is a film that has more right with it than wrong, and it has
more wrong with it than a film like COCOON has right or wrong. This is a
film densely packed with ideas and visual effects. The story begins with an
expedition to Halley's Comet discovering a 150-mile-long spacecraft filled
with dead aliens, Yes, in some senses it is not all that different from
ALIEN. And it stays like ALIEN for a good five or ten minutes. But while
you are watching the film, don't think you have it pegged as a particular
kind of film; it won't stay that way for long.
John Dykstra, who was pivotal in the special effects of STAR WARS,
created the effects for LIFEFORCE and they stand as a showcase of just about
every special effects' technique seen in modern fantasy films. The story
calls for blue screen effects, for laser light effects, for some effects I
don't even know the names for. There are also make-up/model/prosthetic
effects and those play an important role in the film.
Along with Dykstra there is an odd collection of familiar names
associated with this film. It was directed by Tobe Hooper, who directed
such diverse films as TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, 'SALEM'S LOT, and
POLTERGEIST. It was produced by Golan and Globus, two Israelis who usually
do films of the Chuck Norris ilk with pricetags a good deal beneath this
film's $23 million budget. The screenplay was co-authored by Dan O'Bannon,
known for DARK STAR, ALIEN, BLUE THUNDER, and STAR CHAMBER. The source
material was the novel THE SPACE VAMPIRES by Colin Wilson, a philosopher who
is a sometimes science fiction writer. The surprisingly riveting score is
by Henry Mancini (of all people), who used to score such horror films as
TARANTULA but is better known for soft music such as "Moon River" or "Days
of Wine and Roses." The film stars Steve Railsback (Manson in HELTER
SKELTER, and THE STUNT MAN), Peter Firth (the disturbed boy from EQUUS), and
Frank Finlay (who played Van Helsing in the PBS/BBC version of COUNT
DRACULA). LIFEFORCE was released by Tri-Star, the film-making arm of Home
Boxoffice.
The reason that LIFEFORCE runs into problems is that there is simply
too much story for a 101-minute film. Often the plot line becomes cryptic.
The viewer often sees something that is clearly spectacular, but also is a
little hard to interpret. Some scenes of destruction become a little
repetitive, but are required to convey the scope of the events of the film.
In general the plot runs quickly and in several unexpected directions.
LIFEFORCE will not do well at the boxoffice and most who see it will
not care for it. Still, it is a remarkable and an unusual film. I gave it
a +3 on the -4 to +4 scale on leaving the theater, but on some reflection I
might drop that to a +2. But I had a whale of a good time and a lot more
pleasure out of LIFEFORCE than I got out of E. T., STARMAN, and COCOON
combined. This is a film for a narrow audience, but I found it straight on
target.
Mark R. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper