Space Mutiny | |
---|---|
Directed by | David Winters Neal Sundstrom |
Written by | Maria Danté Ian Yule (uncredited) |
Produced by | David Winters |
Starring | Reb Brown Cisse Cameron Cameron Mitchell James Ryan John Phillip Law Graham Clark Billy Second Rufus Swart |
Cinematography | Vincent G. Cox Andrew Parke |
Edited by | Bill Asher Charlotte Konrad Catherine Meyburon |
Music by | Tim James Mark Mancina Steve McClintock |
Distributed by | Action International Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
Countries | South Africa United States |
Language | English |
Space Mutiny is a 1988 South African/American space opera science fiction film whose credited director is David Winters and replaced by Neal Sundstrom during production. Produced by Hope Holiday and shot in South Africa, it stars Reb Brown, Cisse Cameron, Cameron Mitchell, James Ryan, and John Phillip Law.
The film is about a mutiny aboard the generation ship known as the Southern Sun which is stopped with the aid of a visiting pilot, the protagonist.
Upon the first shooting day, it was announced to director David Winters that his father had died. Being emotionally troubled and with a funeral to attend, Winters was unable to perform his duties and passed it on to his assistant director Neal Sundstorm. However, he was informed that the investors had agreed to the film only if Winters was its director, and could face litigation if he withdrew, hence his credit. After its release, Winters disowned the film.
The film has the reputation of being an amusing, unintentionally funny, and campy B-movie. It was later included in an episode of the TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 .
The Southern Sun is a generation ship, a spacefaring vessel that contains a large number of people, whose mission is to colonize a new world. Its voyage from its original homeworld (implied to be Earth) has lasted thirteen generations, so many of its inhabitants have been born and will die without ever setting foot on solid ground. This does not please the antagonist, Elijah Kalgan (John Phillip Law), who conspires with the pirates infesting the nearby Corona Borealis system and the ship's Chief Engineer MacPhearson (James Ryan). Kalgan hatches a plot to disrupt the Southern Sun's navigation systems and use the Enforcers, the ship's police force, to hijack the ship and direct it towards this system. At this point, the inhabitants of the Southern Sun will have no choice but to accept his "generosity".
Kalgan sabotages a key part of the ship just as a small craft with an important professor aboard is on a landing trajectory. The loss of guidance control causes the craft to crash and explode. The pilot, Dave Ryder (Reb Brown), is able to escape, but the professor dies in the explosion. This sabotage seals off the flight deck for a number of weeks, which gives Kalgan the opportunity to attempt to wrest control. With the Enforcers in his hand, and with the flight deck out of commission, he holds the entire population of the Southern Sun hostage. Commander Jansen (Cameron Mitchell) and Captain Devers enlist Ryder's assistance, aided begrudgingly by Jansen's daughter Dr. Lea Jansen (Cisse Cameron), to regain control of the ship.
According to credited director David Winters, the casting of Reb Brown as the lead was due to the positive reviews he received for a previous film. While being offered the role, Brown asked Winters if he could hire his wife Cisse Cameron, for which he accepted. John Phillip Law was hired because of his credentials and to add extra marquee value. James Ryan and Cameron Mitchell were hired because they had good working relationships with Winters. [1]
Winters explained that on the first day of production, he received a call that his father died. Upon receiving the news, he passed on the directorial duties to his assistant director Neal Sundstrom, and took the first plane from its filming location in South Africa back to the United States. [1]
The funeral took a lot of energy from him, was emotionally distraught, and when it was done he decided to stay in the US to comfort his grieving mother. [1]
Eventually, the law firm in charge of the production contacted him to explain that on the contract with the investors, it was agreed that they would get a film directed by David Winters, and could sue if not delivered as such. Not feeling up to the task, Winters with producer Hope Holiday decided that he could stay in a hotel in Johannesburg for the remainder of the shoot and if any investors showed up he could go to set. [1]
Ever since Winters has disowned the film. [1]
Danny Reagan, in his review published in the Abilene Reporter-News , found it enjoyable and said it "is strictly B-grade sci-fi movie fare, but pretty good B-stuff. And B's usually are made for family viewing, as is this one". [2]
Mike Mayo wrote in The Roanoke Times that the film was comical and "high level camp". He graded it two stars and a half out of five. His consensus was that "for fans of alternative video. This one is a treat". [3]
In his review published in The Times, Tom Lounges gave it three out of five stars. While he thought the dialogue wasn't very good he said that the "film is never at loss for action and special-effect sequences". He found John Phillip Law's performance too campy, but liked the ones from James Ryan, Reb Brown, and Cameron Mitchell. [4]
A Variety reviewer who goes by the pseudonym "Lor" declared the film to be "an okay space saga" noting that "Cute model shots provide a patina of space opera section though the special effects are decidedly chintzy." [5]
The movie-mocking television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 lampooned it. Writer Bill Corbett recalled "one of the movies that stood out for me was Space Mutiny. It was a South African film that was really fun and really dumb and gave us the gift of having a character killed off pointedly one moment and then, five minutes later, sitting back at her desk". [6] Kayleigh Hearn of Looper.com said it was the second best episode of the show and said 'action-packed and incredibly quotable, Space Mutiny is a perfect entry point for viewers new to "MST3K."' [7]
In 2020, the plot of Space Mutiny was adapted for an audio drama Saga of a Fugitive Fleet, that served as an unofficial continuation of the original Battlestar Galactica series. In the revamped Space Mutiny plot, Kalgan is the head of Fleet Security and stages a mutiny designed to divert the fleet from its search for the planet Earth, among other plot points. Original cast members Terry Carter, Noah Hathaway, Anne Lockhart, Sarah Rush and Laurette Spang participated. [8]
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then moved to nationwide broadcast, first on The Comedy Channel/Comedy Central for seven seasons until its cancellation in 1996. Thereafter, it was picked up by The Sci-Fi Channel and aired for three more seasons until another cancellation in August 1999. A 60-episode syndication package titled The Mystery Science Theater Hour was produced in 1993 and broadcast on Comedy Central and syndicated to TV stations in 1995. In 2015, Hodgson led a crowdfunded revival of the series with 14 episodes in its eleventh season, first released on Netflix on April 14, 2017, with another six-episode season following on November 22, 2018. A second successful crowdfunding effort in 2021 produced 13 additional episodes shown on the Gizmoplex, an online platform that Hodgson developed which launched in March 2022. As of 2023, 230 episodes and a feature film have been produced as well as three live tours.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is a 1996 American science fiction comedy film and a film adaptation of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, produced and set between the series' sixth and seventh seasons. It was distributed by Universal Pictures and Gramercy Pictures and produced by Best Brains.
Robot Monster is a 1953 independently made American black-and-white 3D science fiction horror film, remembered in later decades as one of the worst movies ever made. It was produced and directed by Phil Tucker, written by Wyott Ordung, and stars George Nader, Claudia Barrett, and George Barrows. The production company was Three Dimensional Pictures, Inc. The film was distributed by Astor Pictures.
Let's Bowl is a scripted bowling game show that aired on the Comedy Central television network from 2001 to 2002 after a brief run on several TV stations across the U.S. in the mid-1990s, the first three being Minneapolis-St. Paul stations: KXLI-TV 41, KLGT-TV 23, and KARE channel 11.
Gamera vs. Guiron is a 1969 Japanese kaiju film directed by Noriaki Yuasa, written by Niisan Takahashi, and produced by Daiei Film. It is the fifth entry in the Gamera film series, following Gamera vs. Viras, which was released the previous year. Gamera vs. Guiron stars Nobuhiro Kajima, Miyuki Akiyama, Christopher Murphy, Yuko Hamada, and Eiji Funakoshi. The film was released theatrically in Japan on March 21, 1969. It did not receive a theatrical release in the United States, but was released directly to American television that year by American International Television under the title Attack of the Monsters. The film was followed by Gamera vs. Jiger the following year.
John Phillip Law was an American film actor.
Cameron Mitchell was an American film, television, and stage actor. He began his career on Broadway before entering films in the 1950s, appearing in several major features. Late in his career, he became known for his roles in numerous exploitation films in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Stranger is a 1973 science fiction television pilot directed by Lee H. Katzin, and starring Glenn Corbett and Cameron Mitchell.
Action International Pictures (AIP), also known as West Side Studios, is a film production and distribution company founded in 1986. AIP was founded by David Winters, David A. Prior and Peter Yuval. It also provided video distribution for many international films. Winters bought out his partners in 1992.
Alienator is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Fred Olen Ray, produced by Jeffrey C. Hogue, and starring Jan-Michael Vincent.
Reb Brown is an American former football player and actor. Born in the Los Angeles area, Brown played football in high school and college. He first appeared on film and television in the early 1970s, playing minor or supporting roles up until 1979, where he played Captain America in two made-for-tv films.
Cisse Cameron is an American television and film actress.
Lords of the Deep is a 1989 American science-fiction horror film co-produced by Roger Corman, about an underwater colony being attacked by alien life forms. Actors included Bradford Dillman and Priscilla Barnes.
Night of the Blood Beast is a 1958 American science-fiction horror film about a team of scientists who are stalked by an alien creature, which implants its embryos in an astronaut's body during a space flight. Produced by exploitation filmmaker Roger Corman and his brother Gene, it was one of the first films directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and was written by first-time screenwriter Martin Varno, who was 21 years old. It starred several actors who had regularly worked with Roger Corman, including Michael Emmet, Ed Nelson, Steve Dunlap, Georgianna Carter and Tyler McVey. The film was theatrically released in December 1958 as a double feature with She Gods of Shark Reef.
Barry Mahon, born Jackson Barrett Mahon was an American film director, cinematographer and producer.
James Ryan is a South African actor, writer and director. Ryan played the lead in the South African made martial arts film Kill or Be Killed (1976), which became an international success. This launched Ryan as an actor, who also found success with its sequel Kill and Kill Again (1981).
Manhunt in Space is a 75-minute 1954 American science fiction film, consisting of three consecutive episodes of the TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, which told a continuous story. It was released only on 16mm for home movie rental and television syndication. It was directed by Hollingsworth Morse. The film is now in the public domain. It appeared as an episode of the American television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1992.
12 to the Moon is a 1960 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced and written by Fred Gebhardt, directed by David Bradley and starring Ken Clark, Michi Kobi, Tom Conway and Anna-Lisa. The film was distributed in the U.S. by Columbia Pictures as a double feature with either Battle in Outer Space or 13 Ghosts, depending on the local film market.
Go for Gold, sometimes referred to as Go for the Gold, is a film about a runner and the dilemma he faces. He has a choice between the benefits of his sport and what means a lot to him. It stars James Ryan, Cameron Mitchell, M'zwandile Ngxangane, Sandy Horne, Tamara Franke, Brian O'Shaughnessy and Patricia Sanders. It was directed by Stuart F. Fleming.
While crime in Antarctica is relatively rare, isolation and boredom affect certain people there negatively and may lead to crime. Alcoholism is a known problem on the continent and has led to fights and indecent exposure. Other types of crime that have occurred in Antarctica include illicit drug use, torturing and killing wildlife, racing motorbikes through environmentally sensitive areas, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder and arson. Sexual harassment also has been reported.