Disney, 1979

starring: Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Yvette Mimieux and Maximilian Schell

directed by: Gary Nelson

the plot: In the reaches of space, the crew of the research vessel Palomino spots a spaceship drifting dangerously close to the edge of a black hole. Capt. Dan Holland (Forster), the Palomino’s commander, orders an investigation. The mystery ship is the Cygnus, a massive spaceship that’s been missing for close to two decades. The Cygnus is important to one of the Palomino’s crewmembers, Dr. Kate McRae (Mimieux)—her father was aboard the Cygnus when it went missing. Boarding the old vessel, Holland and his crew find that robots are piloting the ship. Only one human remains on board, Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Schell), the brilliant scientist and the ship’s designer. Reinhardt has been lying in wait, conducting experiments and planning for his boldest exploration ever: a journey into the black hole. But that isn’t Reinhardt’s only secret. As Holland soon discovers, Reinhardt orchestrated the disappearance of the Cygnus and its crew to prepare for his mission, and he has a similar fate in store for the crew of the Palomino.

why it’s good: Made just two years after “Star Wars,” “The Black Hole” is Disney’s answer to Luke, Obi-Wan and the rest of the gang from a galaxy far, far away. But apart from the awesome special effects and the anthropomorphized robots, the two movies couldn’t be more different. “The Black Hole” isn’t as epic as “Star Wars,” but it certainly feels like a big movie. The Cygnus is a huge ship, all full of glass walls and metal spires, as if the future really did turn out to look like it was imagined in the early 20th century. And as the crew of the Palomino explores the Cygnus, it reveals all sorts of hidden wonders, from a lush greenhouse to a bizarre robot funeral. “The Black Hole” is all surface, but what surface! Even the orchestral score is sweeping and grand. The performances—and the rest of the plot, for that matter—don’t match up, but that’s easily overlooked. Schell is the main attraction among the cast. Pompous, arrogant and slightly insane, he has a grand time as Reinhardt, and it shines through. Forster, Mimieux and co-star Earnest Borgnine are all fairly subdued, but Anthony Perkins displays the just the right kind of creepy charm as Dr. Duran. Also distressing is the dodgy science that plagues “The Black Hole.” Yeah, yeah, it’s science fiction and no one ever complains about lightsaber duels, but if you’re talking about black holes, at least get some of the facts straight.

why you should own it: “The Black Hole” is a decent rent, but only hardcore fans will want it in their DVD library. While Anchor Bay’s edition of the film is bare bones, Disney’s DVD features a making-of featurette.