Slipstream (1989) User Reviews

Flawed, but underrated British SCI-FI movie that deserves a look.

[Zooropa7 · 6/10 · 12 November 1999]

I remember the release of this movie way back in 1989, mainly as it saw the return of Mark Hamill to the big screen after an absence of 6 years (Jedi being his last movie). I also remember the poster proudly highlighting that it was produced by Gary Kurtz, producer of Star Wars episodes 4 and 5. Unfortunately, no one seemed to care about these "selling" points and mediocre reviews ensured that the film was ignored and was not even given a US release. It took almost 10 years before it got its British TV premiere (tucked well into the late night schedule) , but I didn't hesitate to give the film a look. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this movie and it's far from being one of the worst films ever, as some of the previous comments have made out.

The main players in the film put in some good performances, especially the late great Bob Peck for whose character I did manage to feel sympathy for and care about thanks to his acting skills. A bearded, peroxide blonde Mark Hamill gives a terrifically sinister bad guy performance as the unrelenting cop, albeit a little OTT. You could sense Hamill clearly loved being on the "dark side" for once. Bill Paxton gets most of the action and does a reasonable job. Cameos, from Ben Kingsley and F.Murray Abraham add some class to the credits. Also look out for Robbie 'Cracker' Coltrane.

Story wise (essentially a chase movie) it is highly unoriginal, borrowing heavily from Blade Runner and Midnight Run, all done in a futuristic Mad Max style. It does tend to meander in places, leaving the viewer a little disorientated. However, my interest was sustained mainly due to the strange character played by Peck. Unfortunately, his character wasn't explored adequately, and I was left wanting to know more about him and his past. Indeed, the story is underdeveloped and incomplete. The movie doesn't hide the fact that it is trying to convey some sort of message about humanity and the future with religious undertones.

Special effects and action scenes left a lot to be desired; the shoot out in the forest was very shoddily done (one of the worst I've seen). The aircraft looked like large Air Fix models and the flying shots looked unrealistic and rushed. I suspect full use of special effects available at the time were not utilised due to budget constraints. It almost feels like a T.V movie despite the cast and experienced crew. However, a mention must go to the kite scene, which is very well done and is quite exciting. It's probably the highlight of the film. The final action scene is good too, rounded off with an optimistic feel good ending and a rousing Elmer Bernstein score as the credits roll. The locations are used effectively and go some way to make up for the poor special effects.

Slipstream, is an all but virtually forgotten British Sci-Fi movie and it appears it will stay that way. Pity really, as it's a decent effort, with an interesting, if unoriginal story and good acting. Refreshingly, the makers have avoided any wanton violence and gore. If you are in the least bit interested in Sci-Fi try and watch this film if you come across this in the video store, or if comes on T.V, if only to see Hamill ham it up and play a bad guy. You could do a lot worse than this.

6 out of 10.

Underrated sci-fi fare

[pmoney13 · 6/10 · 11 July 2001]

A lot of people have panned Slipstream because it is boring and lumbering, which is true to some extent. The movie is pretty good for the first 45 minutes or so, then hits a wall and gets really stupid, until finally it ends well. I enjoyed this film, flaws and all. I liked the look of the film, and the atmosphere. I liked how the characters moved through this broken down civilization where cops are more killers than anybody else. The plot involves an adventurer who kidnaps a fugitive from a bounty hunter in hopes of turning him in and collecting the ransom for himself. What he doesn't know is that the bounty hunter (Mark Hamill, in his best post-Star Wars role) is now coming after him. If the movie had stayed on this storyline the entire movie it would have been a truly enjoyable film. Unfortunately, it goes off in many different directions and becomes convoluted. I just wish that the writers could have come up with a better script, one that didn't wander and one that was clever and interesting.

Nevertheless, I did like this film. I really got into the characters. The late Bob Peck plays the fugitive, who doesn't seem the least bit dangerous, despite the fact that he supposedly killed a man (There is a twist pertaining to this character, but I won't reveal it, even though nobody will care). Peck will be recognized by most as the hunter from Jurassic Park. He was a good actor, and I'm disappointed that he was not in more films. Bill Paxton's character is a little shallow but still likable. Hamill is also good as the bounty hunter. These characters prevent the film from becoming an all-out bore. The haunting score by Elmer Bernstein also helps.

My favorite scene was when Paxton first captures Peck and both are flying through the Slipstream for the first time. This scene is full of wonder and is shot perfectly. I only wish the rest of the film were like this. I would really have liked it then. It could have been a classic. As it is though, it is just a lesser known vehicle with moments that are better than the whole. I recommend it to anyone, but it might be too boring for some. If you fast forward some stuff, then it might help.

Paxton and Peck - nuts and gum - together at last!

[Bezenby · 5/10 · 16 September 2015]

I remember being all jazzed about this film coming out because it had Luke Skywalker in it as a bad guy, then have a vague memory of watching it but having no recollection if it was any good or not. Seeing it now, almost one hundred years later, I can see why I can't remember much about it. It's not a bad film as such, butthere's not too much going on.

The premise is good though. This film was made in the eighties so there's a post-apocalyptic setting, but this is also the late eighties so we've got an environmental post-apocalyptic vibe going on where mankind's treating of the world has come back to bite them, with huge environmental changes resulting in a huge valley running for thousands of miles across the land, which has this constant wind blowing through it like Earth is letting out one continuous never ending fart that people live in.

One of those folks living in the fart is Bill Paxton, some kind of salvage tradesman who gets caught up with Mark Hamill, a policeman escorting murderer Bob Peck. Paxton sees dollar signs (or whatever currency they have in this world) as Peck comes with a mighty large bounty on his head. So Paxton steals him and they off into the possibly eggy fart of the Slipstream.

It's like one of those buddy movies only with a lot of wind involved. Bizarrely, and I'm not sure if I'm right or not, but a lot of the violence seems to have been trimmed or not filmed at all. Just check out the shootout in the woods where a couple of shots are fired and then we abruptly cut to Mark Hammil burying the bodies. Same goes for when he and his sidekick launch an assault on the bunker where F. Murray Abraham is living. Maybe this was intentional and the film does have a lighthearted tone about it. Who knows? On the plus side, we do have a great performance from Bob Peck (the best thing about Jurassic Park too) as the android whose not quite sure what to make of having freedom. He just seems to tower above the rest of the actors here. Ben Kingsley also appears in a fairly pointless cameo. So does Robbie Coltrane but then he's got a cameo in every British film made in the eighties.

So, it's a weirdly disjointed but well meaning mess with some great actors involved. And Bill Paxton. It's in the public domain as well so if you're curious it isn't going to cost you anything to see it.

Underrated

[cheesius · 6 September 2004]

Slipstream is, in my opinion, a very under-rated movie, with an excellent cast. Bill Paxton is entertaining in his role as the unlikely hero, Bob Peck is superb in his role as Byron, the fugitive -- Even F. Murray Abraham and the great Ben Kingsley make appearances in this unlikely post-apocalyptic action film. But the best performance of all, in my opinion, came from Mark Hamill, playing a very nasty cop. I've never seen Mark Hamill play the "bad guy," and he did an EXCELLENT job convincing me that he was not only a sociopathic jerk, but that he was not Mark Hamill. In fact, I didn't even realize who he was until the third time I saw this film - his performance is excellent, and different than anything else I've seen him do.

Unfortunately, the film has its problems. The plot suffers from some cheesy moments, the music is overbearingly loud, and while it is well orchestrated and very majestic, it's often a bit too majestic for what's going on. There are also some long scenes that could have been shortened or even cut to the benefit of the film. The ending is disappointing - abrupt and more than a bit ridiculous. Add to this that nearly every copy I've seen is on low-grade VHS, recorded at a slow speed.

This said, overall, the movie is entertaining, and interesting. If it was based on a book, I'd love to read it. I came away from the movie wishing I knew more about the characters involved, and curious about what would come next for the main characters. The movie kept my interest, and I did watch it again - several times.

good rough draft

[AaronThePink · 2/10 · 11 October 2003]

This is a movie with a wonderful concept, but very weak writing. It should never have been released with out at least three more re-writes (assuming it got any). The story is too loosly held together, and there are too many 90 degree turns in the story to make it a cohesive movie. It would be great to see what a decent screen-writer could do with the story.

Lost to public domain

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 5 November 2020]

For decades, I've either stared at the box cover of this movie or looked at it while going through streaming movies to watch. I mean, it checks so many boxes, as it's set in a post-apocalyptic future, has bounty hunters in it and stars Mark Hamill and Bill Paxton. Yet I've never watched it. And again, that's why I love doing these Mill Creek months, because it's allowed me to finally discover so many movies that I've previously skipped.

I don't know if Slipstream is one of the successes of these experiments, but hey, at least I finally watched it.

It certainly has a great pedigree. It has a score by Elmer Bernstein, was directed by Steven Lisberger, who made Tron, and was produced by Gary Kurtz, who did the same role on The Dark Crystal, Return to Oz and oh yeah, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Before Jedi, Lucas and Kurtz had a falling out over the creative direction of the franchise.

That's probably why this film has so many great actors in it. Beyond Hamill and Paxton, there are minor roles for Robbie Coltrane, Ben Kingsley and F. Murray Abraham.

The film instantly tries to create a mythology of a world where the Harmonic Convergence - oh man, remember that and all the other pre-millennial apocalyptic insanity? - has caused drastic climate change in the form of the Slipstream, a strong series of winds that have encircled the globe. Humanity is mostly destroyed, but those left behind have learned to harness the Slipstream or at the very least respect it.

Bounty hunters Will Tasker (Hammill) and Belitski (Kitty Aldridge) are hunting Byron (Bob Peck, Jurassic Park), a man is seemingly unable to be hurt and who keeps quoting the poetry of John Gillespie Magee, Jr. and Lord Byron, who can also heal blind children (so there's that).

As for Paxton, he plays Matt Owens, who angers the bounty hunters and then steals Byron, taking him to Hell's Kitchen. It turns out that Byron is an android that dreams of a place beyond the Slipstream where more of his people reside.

Kurtz hoped that Slipstream would be a major success and start another science fiction franchise, so it's pretty glossy and filled with all manner of characters who could have been spun off into future stories. But nope, it all ended here. It never received a theatrical release in the U.S. and was hampered by Kurtz's divorce - man, the guy was having no luck in 1989 - which led to him having to use all of his Star Wars money to finance this.

Maybe people weren't ready for a movie obsessed with aviation, free will and artificial intelligence, I guess. It's not necessarily bad, but it doesn't feel like a franchise starter that failed (see Krull for a good example of that). There's some kind of good movie in here, but it never really takes off. And after that aviation-based pun, I'm out of here.

Cool film, yet needed more!

[unclejay73 · 5/10 · 20 March 2002]

My first viewing of "Slipstream" was on video in 1990. I never heard of it until I saw an ad for it in one of those 'Coming Soon on Home Video' magazines that video stores used to carry. I noticed that it was science-fiction, I noticed that it starred Mark Hamill and Bill Paxton and I noticed that Steven Lisberger, director of "Tron" and Gary Kurtz, producer of "Star Wars," were the team behind it. I WAS SOLD! I couldn't wait to see this film. So, I rented it, and was very disappointed.

Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, "Slipstream" follows the story of Byron (Bob Peck), a mysterious android who has the power of healing. He is also wanted for a murder that he didn't commit and is running from the so-called "law." The film opens with a chase scene of the ruthless lawmen, Tasker (Mark Hamill) and Belitski (Kitty Aldridge), capturing Byron and en route to taking him in. They stop at a dirty, rundown diner to eat and run into Matt (Bill Paxton), a poor, two-bit arms dealer that manages to outsmart the lawmen and steal Byron in hopes to cashing him in for a big reward. But not without Tasker shooting Matt with a poison dart.

Matt and Byron fly off into the "slipstream," a dangerous wind current that was created by man's destruction of the environment. The evil Tasker and the sympathetic Belitski, are trailing them in hopes to gain back their criminal. Byron manages to heal Matt of his poisoning and their journey leads them to friendship. They seek refuge at a confined location run by a newly reformed society (led by F. Murray Abraham). There, Byron finds true love with a human woman, and Byron himself starts to feel like a human, something he's always yearned for. But when Tasker enters the new civilization, all hell breaks loose.

That's pretty much the heart of it. There's more to tell, but I'll stop here.

The film has that "post-war" feel to it, as seen in many movies like the Mad Max films. The look of the film is great, the film's score by Elmer Bernstein is spectacular and the premise is very intriguing. Mark Hamill is most of the reason why you should watch the film, he delivers one of his best performances ever here. Playing the sinister lawman Tasker, Hamill sports a black trench coat, mustache and beard, a slick weapon and drives a wicked aircraft. The man is the complete opposite of Luke Skywalker, looks like he could've blended in with "The Matrix" crew; Bill Paxton is always cool, always funny, yet not used in this film properly, maybe miscast; Bob Peck (you might remember him as the Game Warden in "Jurassic Park") is perfect as the android Byron; and Oscar winners Ben Kingsley and F. Murray Abraham turn in respectable cameos.

Written by Tony Kayden, whose last effort before this was the ridiculous Anthony Michael Hall actioner "Out of Bounds," really dropped the ball on his script. There are so many things that are not explained, the characters are not well-developed at all, to the point where you're just watching a well-produced mess. So much could've been done with this material, the film had potential to be a really good science-fiction fantasy. Director Lisberger does all he can do with the dying script, definitely not a worthy follow-up to his admirable "Tron." Mark Hamill did a live Q&A on the internet a few years back and someone asked him about this film. He didn't say much, but he did say that the story kept changing during production, and there were production mishaps...so maybe the entire crew is at fault. But, it's definitely worth a look if your a genre fan, or even if its just to see Mark Hamill at his coolest. I admit, I find myself watching it from time to time...because even though it's not good, it still has a sense of charm. Probably because of its potential.

The R1 DVD from Front Row Entertainment is horrendous. Cheaply manufactured, no features of any kind, pan and scan with VHS video and audio quality. The R2 from In Video Entertainment has much better video and audio, but still no features and still pan and scan.

I would really like to know what the hell happened with this film. It would be great if some DVD company, perhaps Blue Underground, Synapse or Media Blasters, can get the rights to this flick and release a Special Edition DVD. I'm talking a complete remastered, anamorphic widescreen transfer in its 2.35:1, commentary, documentaries...the works.

* *

Better than it's 4.9 star rank

[schneiderdick · 7/10 · 12 January 2017]

Slipstream is far better than the review rankings indicate. The film is a nice break from today's frayed sci-fi kill the monster or be killed plot lines. Slipstream fits in more with the likes of Asimov, Bradbury, or Dick. Sure, there are some familiar plot points like a dystopian near future, environmental devastation, societal collapse, human movements back into nature (actually, sounds a bit like right now, huh?). Intriguing, though, is the common mode of transport, ultralights. With the shifting of the jet stream to cover more of the planet and closer to the surface, the pilots use these "slipstreams" to get around as ground transport is nearly obsolete. And these elements are kept nicely in the background, providing a tapestry for the story, which is a basic cop chase, double crosses, introspection, and interesting character (one of which is an android) interactions. It is worth watching the film for the flying scenes and the key exterior locations alone -- Cappadoccia, Turkey, and Malham Rocks UK. Director Steven Lisberger (Tron), Music Elmer Bernstein, Cast includes Bob Peck, Mark Hamill, Kitty Aldridge, Bill Paxton, Robbie Coltrane, Ben Kingsley, F. Murray Abraham? Come on! Get it!

Hamill is a better bad guy than Paxton is a good guy

[idontneedyourjunk · 5/10 · 14 January 2018]

Bill Paxton 20. Slipstream (1989).

One of 8 movies with the same title, this was the first scifi movie, coincidentally released the same year as the slipstream (scifi) genre was first coined.

Set in the not-so-distant-anymore-future, after a global environmental disaster causes most of the planet to be uninhabitable, there is a thin valley tunnel system, called the slipstream, where the winds haven't wiped the planet clean, where humanity ekes out a living following the downfall of technology. Many small groups have begun to worship the wind as a god. Others who were better prepared, simply party away the years, awaiting their eventual doom.

Traders and trackers fly the slipstream in small 1- or 2-man planes, presumably also with their own wind-powered generators, because no-one ever refuels.

Does the slipstream encompass the globe or is there a beginning and end? No-one knows.

2 cops (although who they report to is unknown, it's hinted that there's no-one left to even read the reports) capture a murderer, Byron, who in turn is kidnapped by petty thief/fence Matt Owens (Paxton), intending to turn Byron in himself for the reward. In their journey downstream, Byron befriends Owens, to the point that he no longer wants to turn him in.

Unfortunately for Owens, he was hit with a dart by the cops during his escape, containing a tracer (they catch up with him a few times) and a very slow-acting curare poison (takes days to take effect, rather than minutes).

But fortunately for Owens, the cops are also lovers who are slowly falling apart, and the female ends up falling for Owens, while Byron, who it turns out is an android, kills the male cop, who turns out to be Luke Skywalker. Yes, it's Mark Hamill. The number of times I yelled out "Use the force, Luke!" is quite embarrassing.

So Byron the android learns to be human and heads off for the promised land of androids, Owens ends up with Belitski, the female cop (who shoots him again, this time with the antidote), and they presumably start up a hot air balloon company, and Luke is one with the force. Or maybe just dead. Those movies probably aren't in the same universe. Although, it is produced by the same guy that produced A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. So you never know.

Starring

Elmer Bernstein - Composer/conducter since the 50s, died in 2004, but his music continues to be used, as recently as The Magnificent 7.

The London Symphony Orchestra - who are just awesome (Star Wars series, Harry Potter series)

Alan Polonsky - bit part in Aliens with Paxton as an insurance claimant, bit part here as a committee member (they're arguing that now these newcomers know about the place, they can never be allowed to leave. Then the cops bust in and start shooting everybody)

Bruce Boa - "Prepare for ground assault" - General Rieekan, Empire Strikes Back. Not this movie, but the only part you'll know him from

Richard Huggett - born in Brisbane, career highlight was 3 years on Neighbours as Glen Donnelly. Glen has an incestuous relationship with his half-sister. These scenes were cut from UK airing. When Richard decided not to renew his contract, his character fell off the roof and was paralyzed from the waist down.

Ben Kinsley - best known for Ghandi, Sexy Beast and Iron Man 3. But still mostly Ghandi. Certainly not for his death scene here, where he gets crushed by a stone prayer wheel.

Eleanor David - short-lived lover of the android, also wife of Pink in Pink Floyd: The Wall

Robbie Coltrane, aka Rubeus "You're in a hot spa, Harry" Hagrid. That's his whole scene. He sits in a giant bubbling bathtub with 5 other people and makes fun of Owens as a loser. To be fair, he hadn't really broken into TV or movies yet, although I was surprised to see him and Liam Neeson in Krull (1983)

Ricco Ross - left Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket to play Frost in Aliens. Never really made it big after that. Has 2 small scenes in this movie, where he's friends with Owens and helps him escape

Mark Hamill - after Star Wars, he didn't want to get typecast, so he started acting in small budget roles, which nobody saw, and everyone still only thinks of him as Luke. As a hardass cop, he's pretty good. When Gary Kurtz and George Lucas split up, Mark said it was "like Mom and Dad getting a divorce". Kutz didn't like where Lucas was taking the franchise, which was making more money in toy sales thatn the movie itself. Kurtz left, and we ended up with 'Ewoks dancing in the forest like a teddy-bear luau.'

Gary Kurtz - Assistant Director and Producer of Empire Strikes Back. He made 5% of net profit from the movie, but lost it all when he divorced his first wife (somewhere in the realm of $6m at the time). Same year, he's remarried, to a woman he met filming one year earlier. Coincidence? It was the divorce that sank this movie, as he was personally bankrolling it. He couldn't even afford to have it shown in theatres, so it went straight to VHS. He filed for bankruptcy, and this film is in the public domain, so go download it guilt-free (or watch it on Amazon for $3.99 or buy it 'new' for $12.99).

Very interesting, absorbing and visually provocative film.

[justaskmonica · 7/10 · 30 August 2007]

I couldn't agree more (previous post re: underrated) this movie was a truly entertaining surprise and I have been trying to find it ever since my husband and i rented it one night after pretty much working our way thru the other rentals at our local video store. Our expectations were not particularly high but we ended up really enjoying this film. The premise is not particularly new - post apocalyptic and all...but the approach and the vision presented of earth at this point is truly refreshing. I think it's a shame that it just didn't get the kind of studio support and exposure that it deserved. I definitely recommend it - you won't be sorry, it's just a very interesting, very well put together movie.

Some things have got to come to an end.

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 17 August 2008]

It wasn't like I went in expecting much from this viewing, but by the end I was left rather disappointed with its jumbled and insignificant direction. The ambition is there (on that windy slipstream idea), but it could've done with a little more story coherence with its post-apocalyptic futuristic chase concept. Well meaning, but flat and struck down by a leaden script that leans more to a moralistic self-discovery journey. There's a lot of flying, a lot of chit-chat and cue in that score for maximum impact. Elmer Bernstein's music is adventurously grand and airy, but at times overpowering. The strikingly vast and desolate Turkey locations are well-shot, especially the aerial positioning. Director Steven Lisberger formulates few impressive and rousing set-pieces and gets a dingy atmosphere that fits in with look and feel. The budget is kept tight, as it dispenses with anything zesty and keeps on cruise control. Maybe it fell a tad too long.

However what's there to say when a bleached and fully bearded Mark Hamill performance (a terrific turn too) as a torrid lawman was one of the main reasons I was kept glued. Well that tells a lot! Although the cast is surprisingly strong and totally game. A shaggy Bill Paxton slums it, but his charismatic appeal and jovial attitude amuses. Bob Peck manages to emit class, even though his performance is bland (that's mainly down to his android character) and over-sentimental. But this doesn't make you think any less. Kitty Aldridge is fetchingly biting and cynical as Hamill's cop partner. There's also enthusiastic support by Robbie Coltrane, Ben Kingsley, F. Murray Abraham and Susan Leong.

Instead of being an under-seen minor sci-fi gem, it's a modest throwaway that gains some interest.

good movie

[daniel_pryor · 8/10 · 6 July 2005]

This was a great movie.

But it's not a mindless shoot em up bang bang sci-fi flick.

I can't believe this got such a low rating, of course, look at how many people voted on it, probably just the IMDb staff who tend to side with critics that lose site of the fact the movies are for entertainment.

Compared to a lot of other mindless sci-fi genre this is a classic, let's vote on this one and get it back up to where it belongs in th 8's and 7;s!

It's for sci-fi fans that don't need a bunch of special FX in order to enjoy a good movie.

You should give this movie a look see.

Just my opinion.

Weird But An Entertaining Movie

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 10 November 2016]

This is one of those really oddball, strange films that is so weird but so entertaining at the same time that I tend to enjoy it type of movies.

Mark Hamill is Tasker and is looking really good in this film - he's sorta a good-bad guy character, good "cop" but has a really wide bad streak in him - he doesn't see how good Byron really is, all he knows is to bring him in for murder.

Bob Peck is Byron. Byron is an android and he's wanted for murder - but there is more to that than meets the eye. Byron reminds me so much of Star Trek's Data when he started his dancing - I had to laugh.

Bill Paxton is an outlaw type that turns out to be a really good guy with a heart of gold. He reminds me of a comical version of Jim Morrison in this film for some strange reason - maybe it's the hair? Ha-Ha-Ha.

Overall I was very entertained by this film. I found it a nice surprise in the Sci-Fi Invasion 50-Pack Films.

7/10

SLIPSTREAM Fails to Deliver on an Interesting Premise

[brando647 · 4/10 · 7 September 2016]

When I purchased Mill Creek's 50-movie sci-fi "invasion" box set, there were two movies in the entire bunch for which I was excited. The first was ABRAXAS, GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE and it delivered. The second was a film I was unfamiliar with, SLIPSTREAM, but it featured an all-star cast including Bill Paxton, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, F. Murray Abraham, Bob Peck (better known to just about everyone as Muldoon from JURASSIC PARK), and Robbie Coltrane. The premise sounded fantastic: a near-distant future where the Earth has been ravaged by some sort of disaster and the survivors make their living on a raging system of wind dubbed the "Slipstream". For whatever reason, I imagined outposts and landing platforms mounted far above the ruined Earth with hotshot pilots jetting from one dicey location to another in wicked jet fighters or something. Then I watched it and saw my hopes shatter within minutes of the opening credits. Instead of landing platforms and outposts far above the Earth's surface, we get a system of caves. Instead of wicked jet fighters, we get wimpy little glider planes. And for the record, the slipstream itself is unimpressive and plays little part in the movie other than to explain why all the main characters get around via little planes. Bill Paxton is our main character, Matt Owens. Matt owns his own little glider plane and makes his living doing whatever odd jobs he can find. He crosses paths with two psychotic law enforcement officers (Mark Hamill and Kitty Aldridge) who are bringing a prisoner (Bob Peck) in to face punishment for murder. Matt steals the prisoner and sets off in hopes of turning him in for a hefty reward, but he quickly learns there's more to this polite murderer in a business suit than it seems.

It becomes blatantly obvious at a point that this movie was made because someone on the filmmaking team found these homes built into the rock faces of Cappadoccia, Turkey and thought, "Hey, that would be a cool location for a movie. What else have we got?" Then someone else was like, "Tiny planes?" And thus SLIPSTREAM was born. Or maybe screenwriter Tony Kayden turned in a draft for the script that was way cooler and might've been closer to my expectations if executed properly, but instead the producers shot him down. Nope, rocks and planes. I probably would've even been all right with rocks and planes if the story wasn't so simple, boring, and stupid. The longer I watched this movie, the sadder it made me. Yeah, it was miserably upsetting seeing that the movie was the polar opposite of what I had expected on a visual level but, the further I got into the movie, the more it made me cringe in pain. Bob Peck's character, dubbed Byron by Paxton's character, is too whimsical to ever come across as threatening. I was hoping for action and adventure but instead we're treated to Byron musing about what it must be like to sleep and dream. The murder he's accused (and admitted) to committing might have been explained at some point but I missed it. I got the impression it involved mutual consent but I'm not going to watch this again to find out. Byron's got magic healing powers that he uses once or twice that are never explained and I'm not even sure they were addressed again. He's a main character in this movie and he's nothing more than a goofy enigma I've got no interest in solving. He gets a dance number too. That's right, a smegging dance number.

With the innocent aloofness of Byron's character alone, I felt SLIPSTREAM starting to dip into children's movie territory. But is it a children's movie? It's rated PG-13 so I guess it's a possibility. The writing is too simple and cheesy to really appeal to mature minds. Most characters in SLIPSTREAM are just archetypes without any sort of real personality to give them dimension. Bill Paxton's Matt is a hot shot whose over- confidence exceeds his actual skills and his eventual priority shift is telegraphed from the moment he and Byron meet. Mark Hamill is absolutely wasted as the main villain Tasker. He apparently received no instruction other than to sneer and make snide remarks, and we learn nothing about whatever agency he claims to work with other than the fact that their totally cool with killing innocents to achieve their goal of… arresting a murderer? Kitty Aldridge is Tasker's partner Belitski and she exists only to give Matt someone to drool over between escapes. Robbie Coltrane and F. Murray Abraham amount to nothing more than cameos and, after having watched this movie twice, I still haven't spotted Ben Kingsley in there. I assume it's because I can't help but mentally check out about halfway through. I'm sorry but SLIPSTREAM just fails on pretty much all levels. The science fiction premise is wasted. The acting is corny and the writing is simplistic and predictable. The cast is given nothing of substance to work with and I don't care how much aerial plane footage they bother to shove in because it never looks cool. Well, all right, I'll admit Tasker's plane was sort of cool. So there you go folks. You can skip SLIPSTREAM unless you really want to see evil Luke Skywalker hunt a sedated Muldoon across Turkey in a semi-cool-looking glider plane.

See it just for Bob Peck

[ajosephi · 27 January 2000]

I've liked this movie for years, and it is actually quite muddled and strange, it is difficult to understand, the performances are sometimes strained and overdone; and still it is charming. A lot of original ideas, some quiet, delicate, odd moments, and Bob Peck's performance make it really lovely in a certain way. Don't miss it if you enjoy movies that are outside the Hollywood box. It has a thing that is more than the sum of its' awkward parts.

Better than it has any right to be

[rdoyle29 · 5/10 · 28 August 2022]

So ... the world's been mostly destroyed and the titular wind circles the entire Earth in a band that people fly along in fancy gliders. Bob Peck is pursued and captured by Mark Hamill and Kitty Aldridge, who are some kind of law enforcement. Bill Paxton is a wandering guy of an unspecified profession. He discovers that Peck is wanted for murder and steals him from Hamill and Aldridge to collect the reward. They follow him.

After a while, Paxton figures out that Peck is an android and they become chums. They encounter Eleanor David, who falls in love with Peck and takes the two to an underground bunker where a lot of human relics have been hidden and F. Murray Abraham leads a group of jaded underground rich folks. Hamill catches up and bad stuff happens.

After Gary Kurtz had an acrimonious falling out with George Lucas, he produced "The Dark Crystal" and everything seemed great. Then he produced "Return to Oz" and things seemed not so great. So he teamed up with the director of "Tron" and made this ambitious sci-fi adventure with big stars and it was an utter disaster. It was never even released in North America and Kurtz went bankrupt.

It's not that bad. The fact that all the existing copies of it are public domain VHS rips doesn't help it. It looks awful, but you can tell that it may have looked impressive at some point. It's not the most coherent narrative. There's a long sequence with Ben Kingsley and a peace-loving tribe that worship the wind that is quite confusing, yet apparently vital to understanding the story. It's overly long and extremely dull for some stretches, but it's better than your average public domain curio.

Mad Max + Blade Runner = Slipstream (Except it stinks)

[marimbadaddy · 2/10 · 16 March 2008]

This film fails on many many levels. The script is the first failing, and as I understand it, if the script stinks, there's nothing that can fix that. The plot is boring, after the first 45 minutes, I'm looking at the counter on the DVD saying to myself, "how much longer?" The cinematography is pretty awful. I'm not sure how bad the transfer was to DVD, but it looked like a VHS copy. Also, the sound was bad. I realize this isn't going to get remixed for 5.1, but yikes, it didn't even sound like it was in Dolby Stereo which had been around for almost a decade when they cut this film.

Slipstream was far too similar to both Mad Max and Blade Runner for comfort. Because of the lack of decent special effects and high quality dialog, it is extremely disappointing. If I recall, the pointer scene took place during the last 20 minutes, usually it should take place in the first 20. Most people will be totally confused as to what the heck is going on until the final 20 minutes.

The film's music was excellent in parts, and then completely inappropriate in others. Elmer Bernstien did the scoring, but it sounds like someone else had a hand in sticking in 'other' stuff elsewhere as it doesn't match the overall good orchestral score (with some synthesizer music.)

There were great actors cast, Bob Peck, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, Bill Paxton. And they did a great job breathing the little available life into their characters. (Well, Paxton's character was pretty stupid, and the whole movie was centered on him. I'm not sure a heroic stooge is a good choice for the main character who carries the film.) Again, a major flaw with the script.

Thank goodness I watched this from a mail order DVD service, and not the theater. Overall a major disappointment for Sci-fi fans, or fans of Paxton, or Hamill. 90 minutes of your life, you'll never get back.

So that'll be more voice-over work for you then, Mr. Hamill.

[BA_Harrison · 1/10 · 1 June 2013]

1989—six years after the third and final chapter in the Star Wars trilogy: Harrison Ford is a Hollywood megastar, Carrie Fisher is a best-selling novelist, and even Warwick Davis is enjoying the high life, having been leading man in Ron Howard's fantasy flick Willow. Mark Hamill, on the other hand, is struggling to find anything other than minor TV roles and voice-over work since hanging up his light sabre. Could a major role in Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz's post apocalyptic sci-fi Slipstream be just the thing to revive his flagging career?

Does a wookie like losing? Does C3PO enjoy space travel? Is George Lucas any good at writing dialogue?

Despite Hamill's best efforts, the actor putting in a respectable performance as a ruthless bounty-hunter out to apprehend an android suspected of murder, Slipstream is a monumental stinker of a movie, one that attempts to be both popcorn entertainment and cerebral sci-fi, but which fails in both departments. Horribly flawed, charmless, and disjointed, this misjudged mess boasts soporific direction, dreadful characterisation, a rousing score that is completely incongruous to all that it accompanies, and (Hamill apart) terrible acting, with Bill Paxton giving one of the most irritating performances I have ever seen (God only knows how his career continued to thrive after this fiasco).

Underrated Sci Fi

[vampi1960 · 7/10 · 9 September 2006]

Slipstream is one of those underrated sci fi movies that deserves more attention.it has a very good cast;mark hammil(star wars)bill Paxton(titanic)bob peck(Jurassic park)f Murray Abraham(amadaus)and a brief appearance by the great Ben Kingsley.i seen slipstream recently and enjoyed it.i wont give away the plot but like one reviewer said it must be watched a second time to be really appreciated.its pure sci fi. and mark hammil is outstanding as the tough bounty hunter a stretch from playing Luke sky walker in the first 3 star wars films.bill Paxton plays a wise cracking cocky would be bounty hunter.slipstream is always on those cheaply priced sci fi DVD collection dvds.i found it for 5 dollars from st Clair vision called tales from the future,it also features metropolis,things to come,lost world,journey to the center of time,unknown world,day time ended,frozen alive,and in the year2889. not bad for 5 bucks too bad it contains a badly edited print of metropolis.but for 5 bucks you do get some pretty good films.i give slipstream 7 out of 10.fact;slipstream was never released theatrically in the USA.

Insomniacs, this is for you!

[pspmichael · 1/10 · 7 May 2003]

If you are having trouble sleeping or just want to take that nap in the afternoon but just can't seem to drift off, pop in this movie. The only neat thing about this movie are the electric planes. Aside from that prepare for some sweet zzzzz's. It boggles the mind how big name stars such as those in this movie can be part of the one of the dullest movies I've ever seen. Now, if you will excuse me, I will finish my nap.

Was Pretty Damn Good

[davidkahr1 · 7/10 · 3 November 2010]

Umm, this movie is way under-rated. I put it far ahead of most of the crap I have watched in the past ten years. Ben Kingsley, Mark Hamill, Bill Paxton I think his name is were all great. Plus, how about a unique post-apocalyptic scenario? We've already had nuclear war and a desert wasteland, also the world entirely flooded by water after the polar ice caps melt. This one has a crazy rejoining of the continents and several nasty wind-currents that blow around the planet's surface. I'd say that's original. There are several other well-known actors in this film, including a bunch of dudes in a hot-tub, although I can't exactly name them.

"You've misled them about us, so how can we know you're not misleading us about them?"

[classicsoncall · 1/10 · 18 December 2005]

The quote above just about says it all for "Slipstream". I should have bailed out of this film after the first half hour, but decided I ought to be fair and give it a chance. I won't watch it again, so if anyone with the temerity to do so can get back to me with the number of clichéd lines in the movie, I'm sure it will set a record.

Some otherwise fine and talented actors got mixed up with this clunker; Mark Hamill portrays a futuristic bounty hunter and Bill Paxton is his quarry. Paxton's character has hijacked Hamill's prisoner, an android taking his name from the poet Byron (Bob Peck). Tasker (Hamill) shoots Owens (Paxton) with a dart containing a tracking device so he and his companion Belitski (Kitty Aldridge) can keep tabs on the pair. The real question though is why didn't he just fire the device at Byron thereby cutting out the middleman.

If you enjoy scene after disjointed scene with tedious characterization and artsy fartsy pretense, then I suppose you'll find something of interest here. But you can't convince me that the film makes sense on any level. Scenes of a futuristic Stone Age make way for high society snobbery, but the pinnacle of poor taste is reached when Paxton's character is displayed following a night of revelry with hickeys all over his torso. If anyone thinks there's some hidden meaning here, you're really stretching.

Patiently waiting for the frame proclaiming "The End" to come into view, alas, even that was denied. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then so is understanding; this movie had neither. Yet there was a single redeeming feature as the closing credits began their run - an awesome view of a half dozen hot air balloons. Apparently the film was keeping them afloat.

A guilty pleasure from the 80's

[SirGoodKnt · 8/10 · 27 August 2005]

The first time I saw Slipstream, it was one of those all night movie binges that I and a handful of friends had on regular occasions during our final year of high school. We'd passed all the important stuff, and took the opportunity to unwind, with B-movie greatness! I admit, I don't remember the first viewing that well, I was half asleep around 3am in the morning, but something about it stuck with me and it became a target the next time I went to the rental store. It's been a guilty pleasure of mine ever since.

It's not the best, but it's a good romp through a very different Earth of the future, with a group of unlikely heroes and a very memorable adversary in Mark Hamill, and he's not using the Force folks, he packs a very big gun in this one! Hamill's by-the-book cop, and Bill Paxton's, fly by the seat of your pants pilot, looking to make the "Big Score", make great rivals. Throw in a joyride through a well shot landscape of varying future cultures and a mix of strange religions and hidden recluses, and it's well worth a watch on a rainy afternoon.

The idea for the film seemed pretty well thought out, it's just that it came out at a time when anyone and everyone could get money to do a film, but maybe not quite enough to do it justice. I'd like to have seen what a bigger budget could've done, because Slipstream had potential. Would've been nice to see a bit more of the world, and maybe some more background material, but what you get does a good enough job of getting the "feel" of the movie across. My only sticky point would be the rather cut-short ending, but it's still a favorite and has a place on my DVD rack as long as it wants it!

Unique

[boken88 · 6/10 · 6 June 2012]

I was lucky to see this in the theater in Japan. The title it was given was Kaze no Wakusei, which means Planet of the Wind. This was very interesting to me because I was very interested in Dune which was titled Suna no Wakusei in Japan, which means the Planet of the Sand. Since this was also a science fiction film, I thought it was some how related just a tiny bit. So I was very excited sitting in the theater waiting for it to start, expecting an unofficial sequel to Dune. This film was nothing like Dune, instead we basically get a film where the main characters are being chased by two ruthless bounty hunters. There were many memorable scenes in this film that still swarm in my imagination, perhaps because it's like a story I would expect to read in Heavy Metal magazine. The main character is like a fast talking con man, and it made me angry to see him flirt with the female bounty hunter. Mark Hamill does a great job as the ruthless male bounty hunter and the poison dart guns and use of antidotes was brilliant. The aircraft is very memorable, the kite scene was really bizarre but cool, the scene where a whole family is in the giant hot tub scene was a bit disturbing but once again another memorable scene. I really liked the scenes where they were flying through the valleys, for some reason I kept associating this film with the Orinoco Flow song from Enya, maybe in Japan they had the trailer with that song and it fit like a glove for me. The story kind of drastically changes when they arrive to the underground society, and then it comes to a rather abrupt ending which is definitely not the normal Hollywood formula. I like that this film isn't super violent, filled with gore. Seems to have a nomadic feel to it, I think the way it does it's cinema story telling is a success, and very underrated. Because the main character isn't the toughest guy in the film, I kind of see parallels to Ralph Fiennes character in Strange Days. I have to say that I enjoyed this film more than Strange Days, which is another very interesting sci-fi film.

An extremely strange movie

[xerxes-6 · 2/10 · 4 January 1999]

This movie was strange mainly because the plot was so incoherent. The title refers to a vicious wind which renders the surface of the earth almost uninhabitable when it blows, but this seemed to have nothing whatsoever to do with what was going on. The movie seems to be an extremely poor rip-off of Bladerunner ie rogue android being chased by bounty hunter(or ruthless cop in this). Luke Skywalker turns in a surprisingly good performance as afore-mentioned rogue cop. Nothing seems to be resolved at the end of the movie, we never find out anything of any substance about the android or what his intentions are. There is one baffling scene where Bill Paxton(who has kidnapped the android) plays one particular song in his cardboard airplane for no particular reason(the song is called "Shape of things", by The Yardbirds). This happens again in a later scene where the same song is played for no apparent reason. Does this song have any relevance to the movie? Don't think so.