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The Black Hole (1979)

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 1

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45

liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 8,985

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Movie Info

An ambitious sci-fier from the Disney folks, The Black Hole takes place in the future. A quintet of space travelers stumble across a "black hole." Not wishing to be sucked into the void, the crew prepares to flee, but stops long enough to investigate a mysterious space vessel near the entrance of the hole. Manning this craft is mad scientist Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximillian Schell), who intends to explore the black hole in hopes of finding the universe's energy source. The cast includes Anthony

Apr 20, 1999

Cast

All Critics (28) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (18) | DVD (25)

It is good to see the Disney craftsmen doing what they do best on such a grand and risky scale. If one has time for only one space opera this season, this is the one to choose.

March 9, 2009 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It cost half as much as Star Trek and looks better -- not as lavish, perhaps, but more original. The special effects are fancy, and the design even more so.

May 9, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Takes us all the way to the rim of space only to bog us down in a talky melodrama whipped up out of mad scientists and haunted houses.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comment
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Creepy robots and lukewarm ending haunt sci-fi classic.

December 8, 2009 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

The problem...is that the protagonist, Schell, is nuts, and we find it difficult to root for him. The other characters are never fully developed, and so the picture becomes a triumph of style over substance.

March 9, 2009 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Is let down by the weak script.

November 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The science of this fiction is as hokey as the drama, but the imaginative art design and excellent special effects are magnificent.

October 13, 2007 Full Review Source: Turner Classic Movies Online | Comment
Turner Classic Movies Online

An elegant, if stubbornly unexciting, popcorn-muncher that flips into a chin-scratcher, with a crew of mostly bland heroes.

July 23, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

Ranks among the very best films to come from the post-Star Wars sci-fi boom.

February 14, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

...ultimately revealed to be an underrated and surprisingly dark Disney effort.

August 19, 2006 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

Disney's most ambitious and costly production to date -- about a spaceship crew which encounters a Black Hole and a long-lost madman -- and if looks were everything, you could hardly fault it.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

For-its-time state of the art effects help flat story and acting.

June 2, 2005 Comment

Even as a fantasy-lovin' boy of 14, I was bored silly by this movie, and a repeat viewing just last week revealed that the film has, if anything, gotten worse over time.

September 1, 2004 Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | Comment (1)
Creative Loafing
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Black Hole

I saw this movie when I was a kid and I found it profoundly boring. It's another of the Star Wars wannabees, this one's from Disney too. I didn't care for it, but I may give it another try someday.

September 6, 2010
ajv2688

Super Reviewer

Sure, it isn't all that amazing if you pit it up against Star Wars (which everyone seemed to do), but this is more of a pure sci-fi movie anyway. It doesn't get much more hardcore than a movie about black holes and their purpose. Of course Robert Forster steals the show as the too cool for school captain and you have

December 16, 2010
ythelastman89

Super Reviewer

    1. Lt. Charles Pizer: Vincent, were you programmed to bug me?
    2. V.I.N.CENT: No, sir, to educate you.
    – Submitted by Nick S (54 days ago)
    1. Lt. Charles Pizer: We'd be better off without you and Maximilian trying to knock heads.
    2. V.I.N.CENT: I can handle that thing.
    3. Lt. Charles Pizer: Well, far be it from you to admit there isn't anything you can't handle.
    4. V.I.N.CENT: There are three basic types, Mr. Pizer: the Wills, the Won'ts, and the Can'ts. The Wills accomplish everything, the Won'ts oppose everything, and the Can'ts won't try anything.
    5. Capt. Dan Holland: Well, do us all a favor, V.I.N.CENT, and try to be a Can't, especially where that monster is concerned. We need you, not another corkscrew.
    – Submitted by George B (59 days ago)

Latest News for The Black Hole

September 27, 2010:
Joseph Kosinski on Tron Legacy and The Black Hole
In an exclusive interview with Collider, director Joseph Kosinski discussed his experiences filming...

July 9, 2010:
Joseph Kosinksi Talks Black Hole Remake
He's still focused on "Tron Legacy," but director Joseph Kosinski is already thinking about his next...

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Foreign Titles

  • Black Hole, The (1979) (DE)
  • Black Hole, The (1979) (UK)
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