Space Force (1978 TV Movie) User Reviews

Comedy and science fiction - too big of a challenge here

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 3 June 2020]

"Space Force" (pretty general title, on the one hand it says nothing, on the other simple enough for a success story) is an American English-language short film that runs for 25 minutes and it seems as if this one was perhaps intended to be the beginning to a television series, but apparently the reception as not strong enough for them to many anything else than this pilot episode. "Them" in this context means director Baldwin as well as writers Boni and Stiles. All three of them have a fairly decent history in terms of the many projects they worked on when it comes to the small screen and also awards recognition was really solid. Only being nominated is already the worst achievement this trio came up with over the years as far as the Emmys were concerned. Now as for this project here, the most known cast member is Fred Willard, who died pretty recently way into his 80s and this death already brought back some attention to this almost forgotten space comedy we have here. This also explains the ranking on the imdb starmeter right now. Most people these days remember him for "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Modern Family", but it's alright more people check this one out again, even if I must say that you are not missing much if you skip the watch. Only worth it somehow for the very biggest science fiction fans. The comedy was also not too convincing, but felt rather forced and for the sake of it. Oh well, maybe it was funnier back then. The relatively low rating here on imdb does not make me think so. The jokes included one characters inability to deal with multitasking, a robot who is a bit of a heartthrob and one character who keeps coming up with challenges for the crew that really annoy everybody, most of all the female crew member he is hitting on. But what is maybe the worst is that except the setting and costumes, this barely feels like a film that takes place in the universe. So if they use this premise and background, they really have to use it to a much better extent. It's just lacking in almost every department. So there is no way I would ever give it a thumbs-up I guess, but at the same time there is also no way I'd say it is a failure. It is just somewhere in-between. Extirely mediocre and forgettable. Do not watch unless you're a huge Willard fan / completionist. Another thing that confused me was that the intro was black-and-white and the show itself was in color. It's not an abomination, but a bit of a waste of time. Still kinda good to see that, even after Willard's death, some of the actors are still alive here like Hicks and probably Mooney as well.

Make Space Great Again.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 3/10 · 19 January 2019]

After the.."unique" announcement from Donald Trump of a Space Force,I found the various memes that went around spoofing it humorous. Checking a movie site,I was shocked to discover someone had found a pilot of a TV show with the name Space Force! This led to me seeing space be made great again.

View on the ep:

Shuttled out as a "pilot" filler broadcast after fellow Sci-Fi show Quark had been cancelled, the script by John Boni and Norman Stiles is glued with the atmosphere of being a rush-job, as some Star Trek-inspired space travel is explored with dire jokes which fall flat faster than the German robot. Done of the cheap, director Peter Baldwin gives the ep some retro charm with a catchy theme tune, plywood sets and the popping sound effects. Reprising his role in a sketch decades later,Fred Willard finds some laughs in outer space with his wide-eyed Captain Thomas Woods making space great again.

Hard to watch

[sderrick-2 · 1/10 · 22 May 2020]

I like Fred Willard, but even this was hard to watch, I know it is 1978 but the writing and acting make this seem more fitting for a low budget local TV station operating on UHF Channel 83. The jokes were lame, even for the 1970's, and even the music was not good. Thankfully, this only lasted one episode.

Best space movie ever

[m-berkane · 10/10 · 11 August 2018]

Trumps Startrek and star wars by billions and billions star distances

A Masterpiece of Television Art

[fprefect-56714 · 10/10 · 12 August 2018]

What is there to say about a 1978 sci-fi comedy adventure television show featuring DORK, a computer with a German accent. Words fail to adequately describe this masterpiece of television cinema, but let's try: remarkable, ground-breaking, truly inspiring and, unlike that insipid Star Trek, an exquisitely subtle examination of the human condition that leaves one, maybe two, completely gobsmacked.