Lifepod
Reviewed By : Billy Sick

Release Year : 1993

Directed By : Ron Silver

Written By : Harry Sylvester, Alfred Hitchcock

Starring : CCH Pounder, Adam Storke, Robert Loggia, Ron Silver

Related Links : IMDB

 

Survivors from an exploding space ship fetch up adrift in space - on a lifepod duh - trapped with fast diminishing food, water and air. The lifepod itself might well be a bit unsound mechanically too. Oh, and one of the survivors may just be a cold blooded killer who bombed the space ship and killed 1000s of people in the first place.

It shows its cheapo made for TV origins in the special effects, the ship sequences seemingly from the school of cardboard box craftsmanship and grubby crew member leaning over and scraping his dandruff off in front of the camera - but, that doesn't matter one iota, it's not a film that's about looking good at all. The visuals are entirely secondary to the interplay between the survivors in what is a totally plot and character driven story.

The cast - and what a cast of notables, including Robert Loggia, Adam Storke, CCH Pounder, Ron Silver among others - all do a great job, there isn't a weak link, which is fortunate since the icy tension and sense of desperation could have been so easily destroyed by just a single clumsy spoken exchange. Every one of the cast do a top notch job of breathing life into their characters within the confines of what is a very simple, but very effective, plot (based on the Hitchcock classic Lifeboat).

If it errs at all, it's in predictability, a few of the developments are pretty obvious long in advance, but that's a flaw many of these trapped and struggling to stay alive movies share in common. It's maybe just more noticeable here because virtually all of the action - outside of the initial space ship explosion anyway - takes place in a tiny, couple room lifepod where there is no privacy and not even room to swing a cat.

This is another of those small gems, a very decent film with a lot going in its favour. Most definitely it is worthy of your time.