6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
John Canyon is one of the last independent space transport entrepreneurs. Rough times force him to carry suspicious cargo to Earth without questions being asked. During the flight the cargo turns out to be multitude of unstoppable and deadly killer robots.
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Stephen Dorff, Debi Mazar, Charles Dance, Barbara CramptonThriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo corrected
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Never heard of Space Truckers? Join the club. This subversive 1996 British sci-fi comedy was directed by the singular Stewart Gordon (best known for Re-Animator and also as the co-writer of Honey, I Shrunk The Kids) but never released theatrically in the US. Would it have set the American box office on fire? Probably not... but both The Fifth Element and Starship Troopers made their mark just one year later, so anything's possible. And while Space Truckers isn't as good as either of those films, it's still a fun, entertaining, and creative venture that deserved a wider audience.
Fueled by an admittedly great script, Space Truckers gets petty good mileage out of its premise and the cast is up to the challenge. Hopper is great in the lead role and Charles Dance likewise understands the film's goofy but occasionally serious tone, which sporadically detours into full-on satire and even action/horror at several points. Stephen Dorff and Debi Mazar do what they can with limited characters, which attempt to subvert clichés but mostly exist to wear very little clothing. Yet the anything-goes atmosphere -- which extends to the film's playful score and scattershot production design, both of which pull more than their own weight -- are what fuel most of the fun here, not to mention a handful of clever little sci-fi inventions and satirical touches that build its unique world in relatively short order. Unless you're a total stick in the mud, I'd imagine that most new viewers will find Space Truckers to be quite a bit more worthwhile than its unavoidably odd title suggests. Long story short: this is a minor gem, but a gem nonetheless.
If you're wondering why I'm just now getting to this 2022 release, it's because Shout Factory originally limited Space Truckers to a mere
1,500 copies but, after it eventually sold out and third-party prices inflated quickly, they put 1,000 more copies into circulation just a few
weeks ago. I'm assuming they'll be gone for real in the near future... so unless another boutique label announces their own Blu-ray or 4K
edition soon, fans on the fence may want to finally jump on this one. It's available exclusively from Shout Factory's website and is still in stock as
of this review.
While Shout Factory's 1080p/SDR transfer of Space Truckers is far from a definitive effort for unavoidable reasons I'll get to in the next sentence, this Blu-ray at least offers a watchable picture under the circumstances. The main problem: it's sourced from an older master that's obviously been zoomed in to a certain degree -- maybe 15-20% -- and this was also true of a 2018 Blu-ray edition released by the UK-based label Second Sight back in 2018. This might not sound like a huge deal, but it makes an already tightly-framed 2.35:1 film that much more claustrophobic at times, not to mention that it creates occasionally awkward compositions for close-ups, credits, and even the main title. Is this a deal-breaker? Not exactly... but given the fact that Shout Factory put another 1,000 copies back in circulation after the first 1,500 sold out, it only bolsters the need for a ground-up restoration from another boutique label. Arrow, perhaps?
Beyond that obvious issue, this isn't a bad effort by any means. Occasional print damage and grain-scrubbed optical shots aside, there are regular moments of clarity and even impressive fine detail on some of the set designs and props, while as a whole the image seems largely stable and even film-like in many respects. But seamless it ain't: wires and strings are clearly visible in many shots and other special effects are similarly dated (enough so that portions of Space Truckers make it look like a relic from much earlier than 1996), but Space Truckers' playful B-movie tone gives it a partial pass in the visual department. As-is, this is an imperfect but still decent effort on home video.
The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio is likely a direct port of Second Sight's 2.0 PCM track, which supports the film's original stereo mix decently enough. Quality-wise, there are a few appreciated touches here but some of the dialogue sounds more than a little hollow or slightly muffled. It never renders conversations unintelligible, but some viewers will want to make use of the optional English (SDH) subtitles included here. Much like the visuals it's decent enough under the circumstances but I'd bet a more refined presentation could be squeezed out of the source elements.
This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art and an interior print. The extras are somewhat limited (no Stuart Gordon commentary?), but they slightly advance upon Second Sight's 2018 Blu-ray.
Space Truckers isn't top-tier sci-fi but it's still pretty damn enjoyable, a scrappy and light-hearted film with several good ideas and even a few great ones. Its low budget regularly "breaks the illusion" but also adds plenty of charm, so just know what you're getting into here -- I mean, it's called Space Truckers -- and you'll have fun. Shout Factory's site-exclusive Blu-ray isn't much better than Second Sight's 2018 Blu-ray due to A/V reasons covered above... but it's still a decently well-rounded disc despite these (unavoidable?) caveats. Recommended to the right crowd.
1980
2+5: Missione Hydra
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