NIGHT FLYERS

US, 1987, 89 minutes, Colour.
Catherine Mary Stewart, Michael Praed, John Standing.
Directed by Robert Collector.

Night Flyers is interesting and entertaining popular science fiction. The plot and the treatment certainly derive from many films in the space science fiction genre: there are echoes of the Star Trek adventures as well as 2001 with its hostile computer. The visit into the galaxy is reminiscent of Saturn 3 with robots, Alien with its monsters and Forbidden Planet and Galaxy of Terror with their overtones of psychological monsters. There is even a touch of The Tempest with the heroine's name being Miranda.

Catherine Mary Stewart (Last Starfighter, Night of the Comet, Dudes) is an intrepid heroine. English Michael Praed is the hologram become human hero. There is a mixture of British and American cast.

The film, too often, descends to the pedestrian, especially in its dialogue. However, the ideas are always interesting - and quite well executed (except, perhaps, for a touch too much gore).

1 Interesting and enjoyable science fiction? The traditions and the genre? The film deriving from these traditions?

2. The importance of special effects: space, the ship, its decor, the elaborate computer, action sequences, gruesome sequences?

3. The appeal for an audience: pop audience, serious audience?

4. Miranda and the introductions, the serious tone, the sense of mission, establishing the characters and their skills? Men and women?

5. The expedition and its goals? Real or not? then? The journey into space? What was achieved?

6. Royd as the hologram, the effect of his presence? In himself, in his story, relationship with his mother, her destruction being turned into~ a computer, her control? His defying her and breaking free? Getting the trust of Miranda and the crew? Adara as the mother, her brilliance, transformation, spying on the crew? Her seeking a human form, the using of Jon, taking him over? planting Miranda's body? her plot, being foiled? Her malice, her indestructibility? Getting the crew outside the spaceship and destroying them? The final confrontation between Royd and Miranda and herself? Defeat?

7. Miranda as heroine, strengths, managing the expedition? Her understanding of each of the characters? The situation? Potential victims? Relationship with Royd? The final confrontation and her victory?

8. The men as pawns, controlled and destroyed? The women as strong and fighting?

9. Jon and his assistant, his capacity for reading minds, the effect on him, his assistant's death? His being taken over by Adara, his vision of her? His finally being cut up? The headless body and its attack on Miranda?

10. The men, the black man and the white, their jobs, relationship, their failure? The two women and their working together, relationship, one blown out of the ship, the other ultimately destroyed? The pessimism of the film?

11. The professor and his dreams, oblivious of what was going on, in the unit, attracted by the vision, it being a mirage and destroying him?

12. The ship, its decor, old style? The computers? New computers? Adara and her transformation? Blood-red?

13. The action sequences, the horror sequences? As expected?

14. How well did the film work: at the pop level, of myths, psychology, menace and vision?