Product Description

"Starship Troopers" meets "Top Gun" in this no-holds-battle for the future of mankind. A vicious alien race, the Kilrathi, has discover the coordinates to Earth and is heading our way with plans of the total destruction. Now it's up to two young hotshot fighter pilots to blast their way through the Kilrathi's defenses and save their planet from this new breed of enemy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19882 in DVD
• Brand: PRINZE,FREDDIE JR.
• Released on: 1999-07-06
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.com
Video games are interesting because they're interactive, and movies because they aren't. In a video game, you're the actor; moviegoing depends on your connecting with those people up on the screen;. There's really no easy crossover.

That's the problem with Wing Commander, based on the bestselling computer game series created by Chris Roberts. Roberts helms the film, too, having previously directed "cinematic" sequences for the game, starring Mark Hamill from Star Wars, no less. But a feature-length story is something else again. Maybe gamers will find something to enjoy here, but that sets the rest of us adrift.

There's war between the Terran Confederation and the evil Kilrathi, who are so evil they want to destroy the whole universe. (They probably aren't thinking that through very clearly. But then they're evil.) They've stolen the Pegasus Navicom A.I. device that enables them to "jump" behind enemy lines and destroy the Earth part of the universe. Freddie Prinze Jr. stars as Blair, a Pilgrim, which means he's hated by everybody for having this film's answer to the Force. His pal Matthew Lillard plays Maniac (his usual role). So you've got two guys with a Top Gun complex, bent on preventing the Kilrathi from destroying Earth. You'd expect lots of action from these combat-ready flyboys. But there's scant little of that, and lots of static dialogue scenes, including one cinematic quote of Howard Hawks's classic Only Angels Have Wings to explain how pilots handle the death of one of their own. Presumptuous. All it would have taken to make this film a success is a series of action set pieces and a thin plot to hang them from. What director Roberts needed was a Navicom device to help him "jump" behind Hollywood lines. That and a decent script. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews

Very, very disappointing
With the original Wing Commander computer game series, Chris Roberts had a great thing going...a great plot, good character development, and, for the last two, great actors, including the animatronics used for the Kilrathi. The thing that really got the computer gamer was that there was great gameplay with an equally good story...you really understood all the characters, good and bad. By converting this great thing into this dreadful movie, Roberts has in one fell swoop destroyed everything he created in those games...the movie lacked all credibility. Once you've played as Blair and seen how his character developed, including his interactions with his friends and the Kilrathi, you could never believe this was the same "person" on screen. Maniac, a classic from the games, was portrayed very poorly and did not resemble the "real" Maniac at all, and the Kilrathi were given no substance at all...if you've played the games and loved them like I did, then stay away from the movie at all costs, because it leaves a very bad taste in your mouth.

Miserable
I saw this movie having already heard that it wasn't too great. Well, those observations were made by people that hadn't played the computer games, and I can assure you that it is far worse than 'not too great.' This film is reinforcement for the proven thesis that one should never make a movie out of a video game.

I should note that in most cases, the movie version of a video game had at least a better story. Take Mortal Kombat for instance, or Super Mario Bros (that one's a bit debatable due to how much it sucked). In this case, however, the movie story actually isn't as good as the game version! I was especially appalled when I learned that Chris Roberts directed this piece. The man must have been smoking some heavy crack while he read over the script.

I'll admit the movie had some interesting plot aspects to it, like the stealing of the navigation 'black box' at the start. However, this curious plot element was not followed up in any intelligent manner. The fighters in general looked markedly different from the ones in the game, and in my opinion don't look half as intimidating. Kilrathi ships also look fragile and clumsy, though they are supposed to act tough and agile. The Tiger's Claw was oddly cramped for an attack carrier, looking more like a submarine than a starship from the inside. I suppose it's an interesting change of ship design, but it doesn't follow anything in the games.

Now, about that plot. This was the real strength of the Wing Commander product line and what made the last few installments in the game series especially fun. The Kilrathi really seemed brilliant, diabolical, and cruel. They didn't just rampage around like your typical alien invader, but hunted human captives for sport, disintegrated prisoners of war, stole Terran warships and used them to ambush whole fleets, and even pretended to be defeated so as to rebuild their huge navy. They were unique villains that made you feel like a patriot whenever you blew one away. Here, they are about as interesting as the little colored blobs you zap in Space Invaders.

Everywhere but in the movie, Wing Commander characters were well developed and each had a unique and often humoring personality. Not so here, where the humans are basically a bunch of fighter jocks looking to stick a few more kills on their Rapiers. The most interesting (read: least 2-D) character was 'Angel' Devereaux, who in my opinion is the only act deserving any credit. Maniac was supposed to be a snobby, annoying cur (and was hilarious for that), but is a pretty-boy sentimental wreck in the movie. Others of the Tiger's Claw wing that were well developed elsewhere were hardly even seen in the movie. The Kilrathi are completely undeveloped. You barely even SEE one of them, let alone get a sense of who or what they are.

On the note of the Kilrathi- they are supposed to be scary! Terran marines are terrified of going up against them in close combat, because they're huge and have big teeth and claws. The wimps you see in that action scene (and by the way, pilots aren't supposed to act as shock troops) don't do them justice. I think their house cat ancestors would have been more frightening.

All right, so there has to be a reason for my not flat-lining this production. That would be the graphics. While they aren't up to the standard of what ILM produces, the folks at Digital Anvil have done a pretty fine job for their first theater production. The torpedo battles were especially cool. In fact, they were probably the only thing I liked about the movie. The only thing that had me scratching my head is- didn't the Tiger's Claw have guns in addition to torpedo launchers? Funny that it seems like it's the only capital ship lacking those.

The bottom line is, this is a renter, if even that. Don't waste any money on it, unless you are really itching for some sappy space drama.

Did I miss something?
I saw the movie Wing Commander and all I have to say is,"What the hell was that? " the acting was terrible the story was bad and there were more plot holes than swiss cheese in it. They never explained why the "Pilgrims" were so hated or feared during the movie. They explained that they were "God Like" with there abilities but they didn't say what they did to upset everyone if anything. They just needed to put a conflict between a high ranking oficer and the main character that his abilities will come into play later on in the movie which will save everyone and all will be forgivin. I like the fact that they based the ships and the plans after WW2 subs and planes. that was pretty nice but other than that....I can't think of one good reason why anyone would want to rent or buy this movie. Best to launch this film into deep space and hope no intelligent life finds this.