Dark Star 4K 1974 Ultra HD 2160p

A low budget, sci-fi satire that focuses on a group of scientists whose mission is to destroy unstable planets. 20 years into their mission, they have battle their alien mascot, that resembles a beach ball, as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.

User Review

Dark Star deserves the attention of film buffs for one reason alone: it is the debut work of John Carpenter, master of horror and a very talented director in general. What is most surprising is that the film is a science fiction movie, rather than a horror film, which is what you would most expect from Carpenter. It is an incredibly talented and heartfelt debut, largely because the filmmakers put their hearts and souls into it and did not try to make money from it. The main roles are played entirely by Carpenter's friends, and he also wrote the script. The budget was only $60,000, which is a very small amount, but with that money, they managed to make a small masterpiece.

Dark Star has many merits, the most important of which is that it is very cinephile, that is, it has many quotes, references, and humor that is only understandable to a select few, while others will either not understand it or be annoyed by it. In reality, the film is very funny, starting from the first scene of the message from Earth, where the military commander's monologue sets the overall ironic tone of the film. In general, the film is also tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the cosmonauts and their duties. For example, in Dark Star, the heroes simply blow up unstable planets, more for entertainment than anything else. By the way, the budget is very well allocated, from the good sets to the innovative methods of showing space and aliens (for example, a charming alien lives on the ship, who is a mischievous, large... balloon). And in general, every scene is imbued with a certain sense of soulfulness, as if you have been with the characters for a very long time and know them very well, which speaks to the well-written characters, and the dialogues are sharp, subtle, and to some extent witty, and most importantly, many moments are very funny, and you also notice this thing: Carpenter showed his style right from the start, and in many ways his great love for electronic music, which makes up the soundtrack of the film, really resembles the melody from the film ‘The Thing’.

The atmosphere is very good, which is always a strong point for Carpenter. The film is captivating and, surprisingly, can be watched in one sitting. Overall, you can see the double meaning that the director has skillfully hidden beneath all the irony and humor of the production. In reality, we see the drama of the main characters, who are locked on the ship, and each of them wants something more spacious. The result is an ending that cannot be called happy, but it is not bad either. Overall, everyone gets what they want, and the moral of the story is that it is better to do what you want, but everyone will find their own moral in general, of course, if they dig deeper and do not linger on the surface. And in the end, after watching it, there remains a slight feeling of satisfaction of a cinephile's need for good cinema. It's easy on the soul, and in general, it becomes easier. You don't even have to think too much about the meaning and the deeper meaning; everything comes naturally. Oh yes, there is also an incredibly beautiful ending, full of metaphors.

Conclusion: an insanely cinematic, funny, smart, ironic debut from the master of horror, who has shown that he is also capable of shooting science fiction. The wonderful script, excellent dialogue, gorgeous soundtrack, and hidden meanings add to the excitement of this film, but overall, this is one of those movies that you evaluate with your heart rather than your head.

Many thanks to John Carpenter for giving us 80 minutes of pure delight.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (80.1 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Info Audio

#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
#French: DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0

Info Subtitles