Even Tarantino Calls This Obscure Sci-Fi a "Masterpiece" (and It's Free to Watch Now)
Quentin Tarantino loves making (and talking about) movies that are different and daring, which makes his style stand out.
His cinematic influences are diverse, drawing from Jean-Luc Godard's French New Wave, Brian De Palma's thrillers and crime dramas, Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, and Akira Kurosawa's philosophical samurai films.
When it comes to genres like sci-fi and horror, however, Tarantino's insights are particularly intriguing. He has praised films like Takashi Miike's Audition as one of the greatest horror films ever made.
Another filmmaker Tarantino admires is John Carpenter, known for classics such as Halloween and The Thing. Interestingly, Tarantino's admiration extends to Carpenter's debut sci-fi feature, Dark Star.
John Carpenter's First Feature Film
Released in 1974, Dark Star was co-written by John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon, who would later write Alien and Return of the Living Dead.
At the time, science fiction was already a significant genre in Hollywood, with classics like Forbidden Planet, Godzilla , Star Trek , 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, and Solaris shaping the landscape.
Despite this, Dark Star received a lukewarm reception upon release, overshadowed by big-budget blockbusters. The film, with its modest production, revolves around the crew of a spaceship sent to destroy potentially colonizable planets. After 20 years on the mission, the ship is deteriorating, and the crew is gradually losing their sanity.
Dark Star may not have achieved the popularity of Star Wars or Alien, and Carpenter himself did not consider it his best work. However, the film is a remarkably clever piece, offering more than just a parody of popular franchises. It serves as a countercultural critique of Hollywood and showcases Carpenter's innovative approach to the sci-fi and horror genres, which he would later revolutionize.
Tarantino's High Praise
Quentin Tarantino 's high regard for Dark Star is evident in his discussion on The Video Archives Podcast.
"I'm practically trepidatious about how I feel about the movie now. For the simple fact that the thing I don't want to do on this podcast is throw around the M-word. I want the M-word to mean something. The M-word is masterpiece. […] And I don't want to use the M-word on the very first movie we talk about, but I think actually think it applies to Dark Star. It's a science fiction masterpiece. It's a counter-culture, anti-establishment, hippy filmmaking masterpiece. It's an early 70s masterpiece."
Where to Watch Dark Star
Dark Star is now available to watch for free on various platforms:
- Ad-supported platforms:
- Plex
- Tubi
- Pluto TV
- Crackle
- The Roku Channel
- Peacock
- Ad-free platforms:
- Kanopy
- Internet Archive