The movie is so full of stars, it’s inevitable that it would Supernova. The entire cast of the explosive science fiction movie was James Spader (The BlackList), Angela Bassett (American Horror Story, Robert Forster (Jackie Brown, Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba), Peter Facinelli (Twilight), Robin Tunney (The Craft), and Wilson Cruz (My So-Called Life). This was a space filled with familiar faces. Even the director was familiar to outer space. Walter Hill (Southern Comfort) had been a producer on Alien. So he seemed a natural fit to do his own version of people trapped in space with something truly alien. Francis Ford Coppola supervised an edit. Yet even with all the talent, Supernova imploded at the box office in 2000. In space, nobody can hear you ponder why?
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The crew on the rescue spaceship Nightingale 229 is the sexiest ship in deep space. Seems everybody has the hots for another or wishes for it. Lou Diamond Phillips and Robin Tunney enjoy zero gravity hooking up. James Spader is trimmed down and muscled up. Angela Bassett hates Spader because of his sketchy past. He’s had some issues and she ain’t putting up with it. They get a distress signal from a moon that’s nearly 3,000 light years away. They must answer the call which makes them perform a dimensional jump to get that far across the galaxy. Before the big leap the crew gets ready by stripping down and getting naked in the transport tubes. Whomever is in need of help is going to get rescued by buff crew.
What they find at the other end is Peter Facinelli as the sole survivor of an ice mining operation. He has found a strange object that seems to be a gateway to another reality. Or maybe something even weirder. The gang doesn’t have too much time to figure it out since the planet is near a star that’s on the verge of going supernova. Making things complicated is that Facinelli had a relationship with Bassett previously. That’s why he called for her. Turns out he’s completely nuts and he’s doesn’t want to share his alien treasure with the crew. No need to worry about an alien when he’s going to take care of business.
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Supernovahas it’s cult joys. The performances of the high profile crew keeps the action in orbit. This is better than the normal SyFy original flick. Facinelli does a dazzling psycho as he goes after various crew members. It’s fun to see Forester back in space after The Black Hole. There are plenty of issues that keep it from becoming the next Alien. Walter Hill has a ship populated with a macho crew including Bassett and Tunney. There’s nobody that compassionate on this rescue vessel. There’s also just strange moments that don’t seem too right. Supernova is a shaggy and sexy dog from outer space.
The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The high definition transfer brings out the time the stars spent in the gym. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo which works for the interior of the space ship. The movie is subtitled.
Making of Supernova (25:01) allows the producers to explain how their low budget flick became a studio project helmed by a major director with a serious cast. They cover how Hill departed from the production and Coppola’s edit. Robert Forester recounts his time on the set. Lou Diamond Phillips complains about the script pages showing up right before the day of the shoot. He had no idea what to do. Walter Hill was rewriting before hitting the set. This is a bonus feature that is must see viewing for filmmakers.
Theatrical Trailer (2:18) is hilariously bad with a bad soundtrack. It’s cut to look like an outer space sex comedy. This is also the PG-13 version. This might be a trailer that made audiences say, “Where the hell is this film?” They have the “Mama Told Me Not to Come” song as a teaser to the “funny” action. This is so not the movie that was made.
Deleted Scenes (14:40) is more time with the crew.
Alternate Ending (5:27) puts a little more fear into what happens to the survivors.
Supernova is an OK science fiction film. This Blu-ray is worth getting for the dissection of how a low budget film exploded with a massive budget. The trailer is also something worth collecting.
Scream Factory presents Supernova. Directed by: Walter Hill (as Thomas Lee). Written by: David Campbell Wilson. Starring: James Spader, Lou Diamond Phillips, Robin Tunney and Angela Bassett. Running Time: 91 minutes. Rated: R. Released: January 13, 2015.
