Going through my Netflix list the other day I was shocked to see that they added Dark Side of the Moon to instant stream. I used to love this movie as a kid. It used to freak me out, but, I would still rent it on VHS every couple months. A hell of a great time and it was quite creepy too. I’m hoping to still enjoy it as much as I did over 15 years ago. Growing up, and even now, I have always liked movies about the Bermuda Triangle and the stranded Alien, Leviathan, Event Horizon type movies. Might need a couple cold ones to get the 90’s movie fun train up and running though.. Good thing I came prepared.
In 2022 Space Core 1 is on a mission to repair a nuclear satellite, and according to the opening credits its “dangerous… Very dangerous.” I get a kick out of corny opening credits. Its just a normal day in space until a systems malfunction leaves Space Core 1 floating helpless with less than 24 hours till they crash into the surface of the Moon. Things start to really get strange when the space shuttle Discovery comes out of the darkness heading towards them and proceeds to dock with SC1. The same shuttle that crash landed in the Bermuda Triangle decades ago is now looking straight outta the junk yard and filled with ocean water and sea weed. Meeting up with the Discovery is far from an accident. And when they link up in hopes of repairing their own ship they find an evil straight from Hell. Its not resting till it has their souls.
To say this movie is filled with crazy moments of revelations would be an understatement. Our hero Giles Stewart (Will Bledsoe) is really able to put things together. It seems, the number 6 is in the longitude and latitude of each of the 3 points of the Bermuda Triangle. Uh oh. Just so happens there have been 665 total disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle before SC1 came drifting in. You know what that makes them…. Super cheesy. I also think there is a standard space ship set that every sci-fi movie used in the 80’s and early 90’s. Same randomly blinking lights with dozens of switches and computer monitors that all look the same. I sure do miss those days.
The characters in this movie are clichéd, disposable, and don’t really fit the parts they are put in. The exception is Joe Turkel. Best known for his roles in Blade Runner and The Shining. And Camilla Moore is easy on the eyes playing the always necessary ship’s robot.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Dark Side of the Moon was a cool trip down memory lane. Even though flawed by today’s standards, it’s a really fun movie. The film was released in 1990, but, holds together better than some of the junk we have now. Even with some of the similar sci-fi movies this one does manage to give us a little originality. How often do you get to see Hell’s space program? Check it out free on the Netflix instant view.
