Voyage of the Chimera

This film was apparently made on a budget of $20,000, and shot entirely on green screen which is itself a remarkable achievement. It's a 2021 independent film directed by Michael Gates, co-written with his brother Patrick, and co-produced with his wife, Laura.

"Civilian aristocrat Marcus De Vol enters military service on a purchased commission as captain of Chimera - a battered and hybridized old destroyer spacecraft with a bottom-dollar crew. Initially given the relatively safe job of running down pirates and blacklisted vessels for prize money, a change of orders sends Marcus and his crew far from home and into very real danger. Marcus must become a leader despite his youth, inexperience, and self-doubt."

This film was clearly made by a fan of military science fiction so if you like David Weber, John Ringo and the like you'll probably appreciate this. Most of the film takes place in the submarine-like bridge and cabins of the ship but the occasional exernal space scenes are really pretty decent. The climactic scene is a pretty good 'naval-warfare-style' battle which you don't often see in science fiction films.

Jay and Silent Bob do space talkie Ed Wood style. Cheese Wiz is thick on this one. Cool concept of total CGI background with cast all mostly commissioned officers in brass insignia and pony tales and beards with like two enlisted guys in dish rag styled shirts. No women. Must be an all male bathhouse movie.

This is certainly a low budget film. Given the low budget, the green screen work is good. The acting is horrible. It's worse than a high school play. Stunted delivery of lines. Monotone dialogue. The script is simplistic at best. The crew is portrayed as though they are on a WWII navy cruiser rather than on a futuristic high tech spacecraft. Lighting looks like it was done with utility lamp from Lowe's. I'm pretty sure this production was made on an ipad.

This is not the kind of movie you watch when you're looking for an edge of your seat thriller.or even one that will keep you awake. This is the kind of movie you put on Amazon Prime when you have absolutely nothing else to watch on a Sinday afternoon.

This is a barely tolerable fan-film quality movie, that without any warning is the first part of a series. I give a film two stars merely for that insufferable stunt.

Whoever wrote and directed this film is obviously a major naval ship battle fan who decided to conduct such in deep space. The Captain reminds me of Wil Wheaton. His crew... I'm not sure whether they're actual actors, investors, or friends and neighbors making a very low-budget film.

The story is somewhat intriguing (mainly because there's a mystery involved), that mystery isn't solved in this film. The special effects and battle scenes are admirable considering the tiny budget. So kudos for that. But it's pretty obvious with a $20k budget that the actors were working for potential take rather than a direct paycheck. Still, the film is more than I would expect for that kind of money. But when a movie is continued without any prior notice, it will be the last of the the series I watch, whether it's continued or not.

If you enjoy the idea of spending 75% of the film in a mock-up ancient-tech submarine control center listening to military commands being thrown back and forth, boy is this the film for you. For the average viewer... you'll likely want to watch something else.

Now, let's see how many family / friends / actors and others involved with this film decide to neg-rate this review. ; )

The sheer movie-making achievements herein are nothing short of amazing. That said, the movie itself is a big, fat turd. Excellent premise, but not nearly enough detail, horrible acting, and a weird Jules Verne take on what space ships will be like in 300+ years. This movie is like a bunch of high school whiz kidz made Das Boot in Space -- with about 5% of Das Boot's impact and character.

Combine the technical achievement displayed with the rest of a real movie and you will have something special -- special beyond an amazing technical, low-budget success.

You have been warned.