Starflight One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Starflight One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 8, 2022

The “Airport” series made a lot of money for Universal, who managed to stretch such profit potential over a decade. They churned out four installments of air disaster melodrama, finally putting the franchise to bed with 1979’s “The Concorde – Airport ’79.” 1980’s “Airplane!” managed to find an audience with its parody of “Airport” and similar disaster endeavors, successfully pantsing such formula and ridiculousness. However, there was still Hollywood interest in the details of mid-air danger, with 1983’s “Starflight One” striving to best the competition by taking its unfolding nightmare into space while still adhering to audience expectations for this ensemble effort.

Starflight One is a new hypersonic vehicle that can make a flight from L.A. to Australia in just two hours. Designer Josh (Hal Linden) is uncertain about its capabilities on the eve of its launch, but financier Q.T. (Ray Milland) won’t postpone the event, inviting major press coverage, with Erica (Lauren Hutton) the P.R. rep onboard. Captain Cody (Lee Majors) is confident in his abilities, but soon after takeoff, Starflight One encounters debris from a rocket explosion, forcing him to push the plane into Earth’s orbit. Now battling damage and diminishing oxygen, Cody and Josh work on a rescue plan with NASA, who launch the space shuttle Columbia to help manage the tricky situation.

Originally presented as a television movie (going theatrical overseas), “Starflight One” isn’t in the mood to challenge the subgenre, sticking to a to- do list of multiple characters in various states of unrest, while the vehicle itself isn’t entirely safe to fly, adding a ticking bomb element to the tale as safety issues arrive. It’s the kind of picture where Cody puts on a lucky fishing hat during takeoff, and often seems more interested in his mistress, Erica, than the wellbeing of the passengers, who represent all kinds of personalities and problems for the writing to manage.

“Starflight One” becomes a space adventure, complete with weightlessness special effects and shots of shuttles trying to handle refueling and rescue operations. “Star Wars” vet John Dykstra is promoted as a special effects master in charge, but it’s not his finest hour, dealing with a T.V. film budget, which limits the awe factor of the effort. “Starflight One” attempts to charm viewers with a steely sense of procedural events, watching NASA and airport teams work on rescue solutions, and Majors is hired to play the masculine leader of the pack, maintaining authority over a messy situation. Such focus on the particulars of the plans makes for an interesting sit, but “Starflight One” eventually hits some melodramatic stretches, and director Jerry Jameson (who has plenty of experience with this type of escapism, helming many disaster pictures, including “Airport ‘77”) doesn’t have the time or cash to really sell the dangers of passenger peril with style, stumbling through a few sequences, giving the movie some unintended laughs.

Starflight One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as a "brand new 2K master." This isn't a sharp viewing experience, but some detail remains with facial surfaces and Starflight interiors. Space activity is also reasonably dimensional. Colors are acceptable, largely dealing with period hues with cabin interiors and costuming, which deliver brighter primaries. Computer displays are also varied, and the whiteness of NASA vehicles and spacesuits remains intact. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory, exploring the darkness of space adventures and limited lighting. Grain is a bit chunky. Source is in decent shape, with some slight wobbling and mild wear and tear.

Starflight One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix leads with dialogue exchanges, which offer satisfactory intelligibility. Scoring cues are also reasonably defined, with some heft on main themes. Age is apparent, along with some stretches of damage, creating brief inconsistencies and echoing.

Starflight One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Trailer (2:40, HD) is included.

Starflight One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Starflight One" is absurd, but that's the idea, trying to bring broad conflicts and repeated failures to the undemanding home viewer. It's connects as intended for the first hour, and the actors certainly play to their strengths, with Linden emerging as the MVP of the film, capable of playing anything handed to him with outstanding commitment. And the picture needs his enthusiasm, helping to work through the sluggishness and some straight-up stupidity "Starflight One" can't avoid.