No Budget Theater: The Black Hole
Overview
The Black Hole was Disney's attempt to cash in on the sci-fi craze
launched by Star Wars a couple years prior. This movie's major
problem is that it's not sure what it wants to be: on one hand it tries to
be cute and kiddie-friendly, but then the next it's dark and disturbing
(from a kid's perspective...from my perspective when I was a kid
anyway). None the less, when I was a kid, I thought this show was
awesome. I thought Max was pretty scary and I even drew him as a
monster in art class back in 6th grade.
Now that I'm older and only slightly more mature, I realize a lot of currents within the movie that I just didn't pick up on as a youngster. Specifically, I'm referring to all the Christian mythology and symbolism throughout the entire show: playing god, Dante's Inferno, Heaven and Hell on the other side of the black hole. Interesting that these elements are so heavy in a Disney flick, as I always remember fundamentalists always accusing Disney of having occult-like symbolism (witches, spells, talking animals, etc.,).
Plot Overview
The crew of the minnow …I mean the Palomino…a small ship of explorers, on a mission to find inhabitable worlds discovers a large ship, the Cygnus, resting on the event horizon of a huge black hole. They identify this ship, using an Atari 2600, as the same ship with Kate’s father aboard, but it looks derelict. Harry realizes who’s commanding the ship and gives some exposition on the good doctor and brings up some old science debates. They fly overhead and examine the seemingly abandoned ship just before the gravity of the black hole starts pulling them in.
They take some ship damage when Vincent, ESP robot boy, makes some smart ass remarks and heads outside to fix a hatch. They make it back towards the derelict ship and suddenly the lights come on. They dock and board the ship seeking the means to repair their own.
They ride a Disney ride towards the control tower while Cowboy stays and guards the ship. They are greeted by a large red machine before they realize Dr. Reinhardt is alive and well, and still in command of the ship. He explains the rest of the crew turned back to earth once given an order to abandoned mission, but he stayed behind with his robot friends.
Vincent and Maximilian butt heads a little bit before the good Doctor sends them off to requisition some parts with Max. Max does a lame twirl spin to show off. Here’s where we meet Bob, a beat up version of Vincent, hanging around in a storage unit. Bob nearly got caught sniffing some lines because he’s trembling like a fiend. Captain parts with Max, Vincent, and Cowboy to discover empty residential quarters. Meanwhile, Harry sneaks off the bridge while Kate watched Durant’s man-crush on the good Doctor. Harry discovers robots having a funeral. And someone discovers a large greenhouse.
The good doctor tells some lies. He invites them all to dinner to explain his great plan. He wants to watch
Quotes
Captain Dan, "Way ta go Charlie!"
Charlie, to Max, "Let’s get cracking"
"Search for inhabitable life"?
Last Modified: 12/2008
Authors: Clockworkcanary, Scarboroughchic, & Zombies_Ate_My_Neighbor