Space Truckers

Ich war zufrieden! Ich habe genau das bekommen, was ich von einer Science-Fiction-Geschichte über Weltraum-Trucker erwartet habe, vielleicht sogar noch viel mehr. Stuart Gordon war ein visionärer Schrottregisseur. Dennis Hopper als Hauptfigur (was nicht allzu oft vorkommt) ist absolut cool und seine Weltraumabenteuer würde ich gerne auf der Leinwand einer Filmreihe verfolgen. Die Weltraum-Trucker sind ziemlich naiv, aber dennoch bewusst gemacht und großartig stilisiert mit dem coolen Hopper, den furchterregenden mörderischen Robotern, der zeitlich eingefrorenen Milf Barbara Crampton und den übertriebenen Rollen für Charles Dance, was will man mehr, Leute? (24.05.2020)

Unfortunately, Gordon’s attempt at a space opera fails due to its underestimation of the basics of the genre. Space Truckers has a great and inventive concept – instead of the usual revival of fairy tales or westerns against the backdrop of colourful sci-fi worlds, it is derived from the marginal genre of trucker films (besides American classics such as Convoy, Black Dog and White Line Fever, contributions to this genre also include Japanese cinema in the series Torakku jaró and in post-revolutionary Central Europe in Fontána pre Zuzanu 2). Except Gordon and screenwriter Ted Mann not only are unable to bring a trucker ethos to their space adventure, but they do not have any likable heroes who could carry the film. The cast does not help either, as Stephen Dorf and Dennis Hopper come across rather more as hopeless clones of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo than asa well-coordinated duo. Furthermore, it is again confirmed that Gordon is a major gadgeteer where special effects are concerned, but he is not capable of or, said more precisely, at all interested in decently directing anything else. As soon as the dialogue scenes (of which there are more to see here than in his previous presentations of mechanical effects) begin, all energy is suddenly drained from the scenes and is replaced by the stiffness of television productions. The result is some sort of bizarre Star Trek or Red Dwarf, but without proper humour, charisma or adventure. (19.01.2017)