United Kingdom – 1980
Director – Stanley Donen
CBS/FOX Home Video, 1987, VHS
Run Time – 1 hour 28 minutes
Until my friend laid this old tape in my hands I had never heard of Saturn 3. That isn’t saying much I suppose, but he hadn’t either, and we are both big fans of robot oriented space-fiction so it was a pleasant surprise. Before watching the film I did a little research and discovered some interesting stuff. Despite not initially wanting to write extensively about what is a fairly mainstream film, after watching I was inspired to say something about it its relationship to space-fi in general.
The important thing to remember about Star Wars, especially because it has compounded its cultural significance in the last decade, is that it wasn’t very creative. As I’ve said before, it’s an entertaining movie, but the plot as we know is a generic and predictable white hero myth. Saturn 3 is not as epic or inspiring than its predecessor, but neither is it any less creative. What was so remarkable about Star Wars (and this is what I think most people find so endearing about it) was the visual design. Saturn 3 interestingly enough, was written and (initially) directed by John Barry, the same man responsible for the look of Star Wars.
I’ve always cushioned my disappointment with the termination of sci-fi cinema’s great sagas with a simple philosophy; If the human geography of space has been expanded as much as my favorite films claim, then it is quite possible that each space-fiction film (of a nominally similar quality) merely represents another local facet in the same broad story. In that sense, there is no “end” to what I call the “Space-Fi Narrative Continuum”*. Garnished with moments of genuine intelligence and clothed in awesome visuals, Saturn 3 definitely makes the cut.
*In the future I'll refer to qualifying films under this label. Previously reviewed films which qualify have been back referenced.
This Japanese poster is from Movie Outlaw
8 comments:
Saturn 3 is one of a number of post Star Wars/Alien b-movies that I love. Others that I saw around the same time: Battle Beyond The Stars, Galaxy Of Terror, Humanoid, Forbidden World. The coverage of these movies in mags like Starlog and Fango always made them look like epic space operas. Not quite.
No, none of them are quite as operatic as the mothership. But you know what; that's what I like about them, they don't over-reach. I mention in my review of Arena that a fantastic look at the mundane is what is appealing about much of science fiction. I think that applies to Saturn 3 and it's ilk, warts and all.
I haven't seen this in forever, but I remember that box you have above being the one on display at my local video store growing up. Always cool to get a blast from the past like that.
And the box doesn't do Hector justice. I fuggin' love that brain-tube.
"a fantastic look at the mundane"
... yes that's an interesting point. 2001 is full of close examinations of mundane activities, and is all the better for it. MOON too.
Oh yes, MOON. That's a fantastic film! 2001 as well, but I feel like they're both more about social introspection. Saturn 3 and its ilk are more about extrospection if that makes any sense.
SomeTHING is wrong on ... SATURN 3!
I have this very same copy of Saturn 3 (matching poster too). With all of it's flaws it's held up beautifully. Tt has just enough unintentional humor AND there's a giant robot. It's a win-win situation. Also, not being a huge Harvey Keitel fan, I was never quite sure why I didn't mind him in this. Come to find out, he was dubbed. The voice of Benson is not the voice of Harvey Keitel. So if you're like me and had an instant aversion to that nasally cry in Bad Lieutenant, that's a another major plus for Saturn 3.
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