DARK STAR: Carpenter’s Worthy Science Fiction Debut

…, which became the foundation for later creators (as a kind of model to follow, which the film industry often exploited) and, at the same time, a quality in and of itself. However, not all films referred to by this term as the first ones paved the way, and not all ideas used in them were of first freshness. Why do I start the review with such banalities? Because not everyone knows that classics such as Alien or Star Wars were not the ones that blazed the trail. Someone did that a little earlier. In 1974, young director John Carpenter, together with his friend Dan O’Bannon, made a low-budget science fiction film titled Dark Star.

The film is kept in a comedic tone, at times bordering on parody, with elements of adventure cinema, road movies, and horror, and thanks to these attributes, it can be considered a classic, pioneering work, worth imitating, and, quite importantly, incredibly modern for its time. It is regarded as Carpenter’s first feature film and is considered by many to be a cult classic.

The vastness of the universe

The film’s action takes place aboard the spaceship Dark Star. The five-person crew’s mission is to destroy unstable planets, those that may pose a threat to the expanding human civilization in the universe. From the very beginning, we learn that one of the crew members, Commander Powell, died in an accident, and his spirit exists thanks to the freezing of his body in a cryogenic chamber (?!). Another crew member, Sergeant Pinback, takes care of an adopted alien (the alien looks like a beach ball with claws), while the rest of the crew engages in various activities to help them forget their homesickness. In this setting, Carpenter presents scenes from the life of astronauts, but to keep it from being too boring, traditional activities do not go as they should. Our heroes encounter various problems (of a truly cosmic nature), which will turn life on the ship upside down.

Despite the archaic special effects (which at times look almost laughable), Carpenter succeeded in brilliantly conveying the character of the vastness of the universe. The Dark Star crew, hundreds (thousands?) of light-years from home, destroys more and more planets. The crew members approach this task in a very mechanical way (even though they do it for the good of humanity), as if their mission would never end. The cosmic infinity and its emptiness thus create a feeling of claustrophobic confinement aboard the ship. The film’s characters repeatedly perform the same tasks, engage in the same distractions, and encounter increasingly serious problems (a computer malfunction; a mischievous alien who refuses to return to its room), which deepens the sense of hopelessness in the situation and raises doubts about the meaning of the mission and its end. And despite the rich (at times almost adventure-like) action, the viewer also feels this extraordinary atmosphere.

This is one side of the coin; on the other hand, there is intelligent situational humor, which, in the face of the seriousness of the situation, almost borders on parody. For example, in the scene where a bomb (a self-aware machine) is accidentally armed, one of the crew members convinces the bomb to disarm itself, as it has no intention of doing so (or rather, no intention in its warhead…). The entire dialogue with the bomb is extremely witty, and the conclusions that the bomb will reach will leave many in fits of wild laughter.

The story is told efficiently, dynamic scenes are interspersed with witty dialogue. There are elements here and there that today are considered Carpenter’s trademarks, as well as those that served as inspiration for later creators. Despite its rightful age, the film still surprises, whether with humor, some ideas, or technical solutions. Since Dark Star, many creators have imitated or drawn from Carpenter’s work, sometimes in large amounts, with varying success. The specific atmosphere and humor make it still original and one of a kind to this day.