Solar Crisis

Disowned by Richard C. Sarafian, this disaster stunk up Japanese theaters before coming to the States and going immediately to video, where it was not seen again until the Turner networks needed something other than infomercials to fill their 3am-6am time slots and found this tape at the bottom of their bin. The Smithee name is supposed to be used when the studio hacks the movie so badly that the director no longer wants his name attached to it. But I'm afraid that Sarafian can not blame the studio entirely on this one. The actors, mostly recent graduates of "Overacting 101", deliver one cornball line after another. The plot is convoluted. The special effects are unimpressive. The parts that aren't laughable are just plain boring. The script or the book must have been good - why else would Palance, Matheson, Boyle, or Heston agree to appear in this dud? But something went horribly wrong from the page to the screen. Summary: Avoid. Not even bad enough to be so-bad-it's-good.

Well, Solar Crisis really isn't all that bad. It has the look and feel of an "A" movie that didn't quite make it. It's also a little too long for what it has to offer. Ninety minutes as opposed to one hundred fifteen minutes would have given it more movement, and impact. Yet whenever we get the opportunity to see Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, and Peter Boyle in the same film, there is going to be some fun. I like the premise of the film, and much of its execution. Though it never comes together in a compelling package, it is definitely a film that a Sci Fi fan should see at least once. I think the climax is moving, and very well done.

There is a healthy dose of Japanese mindset behind the scenes, that seems to create some differences of perception of what works in science fiction. The Japanese have an intriguing cultural perception of reality, and I love many of their films. But that sagacity does not seem to extend fully into "space" films. I don't think they have never quite exceeded their heritage of gimmicky, "comic book" science fiction movies.

Solar Crisis has excellent actors, sustained suspense,lots of drama, and reasonable action. But it tries to be too much, too broad, and just never quite reaches its goal.

The arcs you see coming out from the sun's "surface" are not solar flares. They are called prominences. Prominences may last a day... or a month. A solar flares can extend far into space, and solar storms, a flare combined with a coronal mass ejection can be very dangerous.

Here's the set up. Earth is going to be half fried by a giant flare the sun is getting ready to shoot off. A ship is sent to drop a bomb on the sun to make the flare go off away from Earth.

Not a bad premise, and the film has a lot going for it. But...

The problem is with a subplot. Half the population is in danger of being fried to death, and someone on Earth wants the mission to fail.

Why?

Otherwise there are great special effects, a few tense scenes with real conflict. If they had edited out that sub plot, it would be a much better film.

Still recommended for science fiction / space buffs. Worth a look.

This is one of my favorite movies. I saw the Japanese subtitled version known as 2050. I saw Solar Crisis years later. There are significant differences between the two. 2050 is more artistic. I well up with tears when watching some scenes. I am particularly touched when Corin Nemec is found by Charlton Heston at the seaside. The music and waves are quite touching as they try to reach Corin's father on the daring mission to the sun.

The print of the 2050 is much darker visually than Solar Crisis. But the overall impression of 2050 has more cinematic impact. The music is used to greater effect. The heroine is Alex Knopf, a biogene logician. Her inner turmoil as a biologically enhanced organism is aggravated by being programmed to end the mission to the sun.

A key scene in the movie is when they must stop a premature countdown of a bomb. It has all the hallmarks of any failsafe situation where humans find themselves at the mercy of their technology. All is almost lost until the computer is supplied with proper voice authorization to halt the detonation.

Another is when a crewmember volunteers to fix a mission critical system that will surely result in his death to save the mission. I found this scene to be riveting. This was a character that I cared about. He is Joe Anyman. But the selflessness of his nobility saves the day for the rest of us.

The special effects are top notch. The orbital platform Skytown. The mission to the sun is staged with key shots of loading Freddie The antimatter bomb onto the main space vehicle. Paul Williams is the voice of Freddie and provides an example of a virtual agent interface to a bomb that will trigger a solar flare. The OS of the bomb relates its functioning to how a person would feel. For example annihilation events are felt by Freddie. He feels ill until magnetic suspension fields are corrected to optimize containment of the antimatter.

All in all I like the execution of the movie. I found it very believable. With touches of a technologically jaundiced eye at the fallibility of computer software and hardware. And imagery that makes one appreciate the fragility of our blue jewel in the cosmos. A heartwarmer.