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Lifeforce (1985)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
5/18
5/18:
Recovering from the disaster of not really having directed Poltergeist, Tobe Hooper tries again three years later
by taking the helm for Lifeforce, which is a mix of sci-fi and horror in the vein of
2001: A Space Odyssey, and the results are decidedly mixed.
For starters, when the heck did England get its own space center that's fitted with a rocket launch site? And why would NASA
be part of England's operations? It's a branch of the federal government in the United States.
The opening credits states: "And introducing Mathilda May." Perhaps "And introducing Mathilda May's nude body" would be
more appropriate, yes? I hate the hypocrisy that she's fully naked yet the filmmakers went great pains to cover
up the pubic region for all males.
Having spent $25 million and written at least eight drafts, Lifeforce went over schedule. It
ultimately grossed $11.6 million at the box office. Many scenes were either not filmed or cut out for failing to fit the
narrative. Hence, this disaster should've signaled the end of Tobe Hooper's career, but the studios continued to stay
stupid by allowing him to do three more films in the next five years including
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
Only dumb people will bring (English-speaking!) aliens to their spaceship, let alone the idea of entering Earth
with them. And never, ever do anything everybody takes for granted when coming across foreign bodies without established
procedures in place which will require a bunch of tests for safety reasons.
Despite being brilliant in Equus, Peter Firth didn't appear in much afterwards, so it's nice to see him
in a starring role for Lifeforce. He helped me stay awake to get through this snoozefest.
All in all, when a film like Lifeforce wants to spend a lot of time showing off a female's nude body, it's a signal
of the schlock that's to come.