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Dark Star

Dark Star

Comedy · Science Fiction · 1974

A group of scientists are sent on a mission to destroy unstable planets. Twenty years into their mission, they have to battle their alien mascot as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.

Movie details

Dark Star

“Bombed Out in Space with a Spaced Out Bomb!”

1974 Comedy · Science Fiction 1h 23m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.1 / 10

29.1K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

74 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

66 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

A group of scientists are sent on a mission to destroy unstable planets. Twenty years into their mission, they have to battle their alien mascot as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Dark Star?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks!

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A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.

Chaos Walking

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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Oblivion

Oblivion

Action · 2013

Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Evolution

Evolution

Comedy · 2001

A comedy that follows the chaos that ensues when a meteor hits the Earth carrying alien life forms that give new meaning to the term "survival of the fittest." David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore are the only people standing between the aliens and world domination... which could be bad news for the Earth.

Legion of Super-Heroes

Legion of Super-Heroes

Animation · 2023

Kara, devastated by the loss of Krypton, struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Her cousin, Superman, mentors her and suggests she leave their space-time to attend the Legion Academy in the 31st century, where she makes new friends and a new enemy: Brainiac 5. Meanwhile, she must contend with a mysterious group called the Dark Circle as it searches for a powerful weapon held in the Academy’s vault.

The Adam Project

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Automata

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Jacq Vaucan, an insurance agent of ROC robotics corporation, routinely investigates the case of manipulating a robot. What he discovers will have profound consequences for the future of humanity.

Sleeper

Sleeper

Comedy · 1973

Miles Monroe, a clarinet-playing health food store proprietor, is revived out of cryostasis 200 years into a future world in order to help rebels fight an oppressive government regime.

Rim of the World

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Sci-fi · 2019

Stranded at a summer camp when aliens attack the planet, four teens with nothing in common embark on a perilous mission to save the world.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Carpenter

Written by

John Carpenter · Dan O'Bannon

Brian Narelle

Brian Narelle

Lt. Doolittle

Cal Kuniholm

Cal Kuniholm

Boiler

Dan O'Bannon

Dan O'Bannon

Sgt. Pinback alias Bill Fruge

D

Dre Pahich

Talby

A

Adam Beckenbaugh

Bomb #20 (voice)

Nick Castle

Nick Castle

Alien

J

Joe Saunders

Commander Powell (voice)

Court is in session

Put Dark Star on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.