Science fiction cinema can benefit from remaking classic movies, even when the originals don't belong to the genre of science fiction. The best example is Outland, quite remarkable SF thriller inspired by the classic western High Noon. However, there are times when remaking such non-SF classics as SF films might to do more harm than good or at least require much more imagination or talent than we usually get in Hollywood these days. One of such examples is Lifepod, 1993 science fiction drama which was based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 classic war drama Lifeboat and was directed by Ron Silver.
The plot begins at Christmas 2169 A.D. when the interplanetar passenger ship travelling from Venus to Earth explodes. Only couple of passengers and crew members manage to survive by getting to lifepod. As days go by, the small spacecraft, packed by various sorts of people becomes the place of great tensions. Survivors are crammed, supplies of food, water and air dwindle, while the small craft helplessly drifts in the vast confines of space, without serious hope of reaching rescuers. However, the greatest dangers for the survivors lies within the pod itself. It turns out that the disaster was caused by the sabotage and that the saboteur might be among the survivors.
At first, idea to replace ocean with an outer space in the new version of Lifeboat didn't look that bad. The setting of a small spaceship might be limited, but Ridley Scott in Alien proved that even such environment can be put to good use and contribute to strong drama. Unfortunately, famous actor Ron Silver lacked Ridley Scott's talent and Lifepod looks more like a stage play than science fiction film. Instead of exciting depiction of difficulties and tough ethical choices that await people in such precarious position, this film presents the set of cliched characters and rather unconvincing "whodunit". Lifepod also fails to convince us that it actually takes place in outer space – special effects are bad and the protagonists are forced to experience (and survive) temperature shifts that belong more to science fiction parodies like Spaceballs or Airplane II than serious SF films. Final nail in the coffin of this film is decision to use one of the characters as narrators, thus spoiling any surprise at the end of the film. Ron Silver, Robert Loggia, CCH Pounder and couple of other good character actors try to overcome limitations of the script, but their efforts are in vain. Lifepod is not likely to stick in viewers' memory.
RATING: 2/10 (-)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on November 18th 2002)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/19553-lifepod?language=en-US
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