Ambiguous "Black Hole" Fell Short... In Its Time (Archive)

Certain things happen in your childhood and they somehow manage to stay in your memory very vividly as the years press on. For me, The Black Hole was one of those things. I was one of those kids who, instead of being endlessly fascinated by dinosaurs, I was always intrigued by the heavens- stars, planets and of course, black holes. This is why I rented the film when I was about 8 years old. I watched it by myself. I was thoroughly creeped out! And through the years that experience of being scared stuck with me, buried deep in my psyche, nagging me to go back and watch it again. So not only did I watch it again, but I had to find and buy it merely to do so.

A testament to a different time, it carries a PG rating, but I would argue that this film isn't for kids, at least not when I was 8. Now being an adult, I was very excited to go back and see just what it was that frightened me back then and to see if it held up at all. The results are mixed, but its not what I expected.

This film IS creepy! Of this there is no doubt. The atmosphere created and presented in this film are genuinely eerie. But watching this film in 2007 I saw how utterly cornball major aspects of it are which results in this film being completely ambiguous. Its not that this movie is of poor concept or even poorly made (from a cinematic aspect), but it doesn't work on a lot of levels, namely in that is tries unsuccessfully to combine a very heady concept with light hearted action, which itself is oddly paced and feels extremely out of place. This is probably the result of this film having been Disney's first major effort to move into a new genre and the fact that in 1979 it came on the heels of the wildly successful Star Wars franchise which launched in 1977.

Buried in its shortcomings, this film is a gem and, as a friend pointed out after our viewing completed, was well ahead of its time conceptually. This film deals with some very abstract concepts, dark themes and its setting is gripping - it gets to you.

The film opens in deep space where the crew of the Palamino is in the midst of a long voyage of exploration when they encounter a ghost ship- the Cygnus, a ship lost for nearly 20 years. Not on is the discovery of the Cygnus an amazing find, but it is found to be sitting perilously (but completely motionless) on the event horizon of a massive black hole. The crew of the Palamino take an examining pass of the Cygnus detecting no signs of life. Then, after narrowly escaping the outer pull of black hole, the crew of the tiny ship suddenly see the ghost ship come to life with a dazzling array of lights. They have only one choice- they must go aboard. Naturally.

This is where the film becomes unnerving. The ship indeed apparently lifeless. The crew is slowly ushered further and further into the bowels of the ship where they finally encounter an small army of robots and one lone surviving human- Dr. Hans Rheinhardt, a legendary, arrogant, but genius scientist. They come to learn that he has harnessed enough power to resist the pull of the black hole and he stands on the verge of perhaps the greatest discovery in human history - he is going to go in and through the black hole! Is he mad? Is he capable? Is he really alone on this ship?

In truly great storytelling fashion, all of those questions remain debatable even past the credits, a true testament to the ambitious efforts of the film's creators. Indeed, something unthinkable did happen to the crew of the Cygnus and it is the discovery of the truth that brings an abrupt halt to the crew's visit, or so they think. They suddenly find themselves destined to accompany Rheinhardt on his final voyage into the unknown. In what turns out to be yet another impressive feat of storytelling, the end truly is unknown, or rather unexplained, much like the endlessly discussed (and maligned) ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Below the very cheesy surface, including a robot with a southern drawl and unimpressive and clunky action sequences, the ideas and concepts explored in The Black Hole are BIG! This film reminds me of films like 2001 for its conceptual ambition and others like Event Horizon for its macabre and unnerving tone and feel. (I don't want to give anything away, but throughout the film you always feel as if you are always being watched wherever you go, and that despite being alone, you are not) But ultimately it doesn't fit in its own skin, that of a vintage classic, a take from the old guard of cinema. (Fact: It was one of the last films to be released with an Overture) The ideas of this film are not nearly the same shades of black and white of previous generations of film. They are abstract, open-ended and conceptual... more in the vein of many of the movies that find popularity with today's audience. At the same time, this movie simply looks too goofy at times to fit with more modern films. It truly is an orphan, perhaps best classified as an experiment.

Another friend looked at me and said, "This film deserves a re-make." Normally, I am not gung-ho for re-makes, but in this case I agree that it would be appropriate. If handled right, this film could make for an amazing project, with the correct use of special effects and a fine-tuning of the science behind the concept.

At 25 years old, I immediately understood why I was frightened by this film nearly 20 years ago. I was still creeped out this time around, only this time I appreciated what lay under the surface of this story. It held up where I had hoped it would but fell apart in many, many places. I probably cannot recommend this film to the general viewing audience. But if you appreciate bold ideas and non-standard fair, check this movie out. ... If you can find it. 6/10