Lots of good actors in this movie. Richard Jordan, Terrance Mann, James LeGros, Adrain Pasdar, Sarah Douglas, Charles Durning, Jason Patric, and Jami Gertz should have been enough to pull off a good movie that combined alien technology with a Mad Max post-apocalyptic vibe.
Unfortunately, what sinks this movie for me is Lukas Haas and his horrible acting, gigantic doe eyes, and humongous ears. Back in the 1980s, I had to sit through numerous movies were suddenly Lukas Haas walked into the scene, and it became all about him. Hollywood was mesmerized with his innocent face and girlish manner.
In Solarbabies, he is the kid that bonds with the alien sphere, and he is in every scene. All the other good actors have to sway to give this kid the opportunity to emote in every scene. It feels awkward. This could have been a pretty OK movie without Lukas Haas. There were certainly enough good actors. The story was a typical TV movie type of Sci-Fi story. The only thing that killed Solarbabies was Lukas Haas and the really dumb title.
Unfortunately, what sinks this movie for me is Lukas Haas and his horrible acting, gigantic doe eyes, and humongous ears. Back in the 1980s, I had to sit through numerous movies were suddenly Lukas Haas walked into the scene, and it became all about him. Hollywood was mesmerized with his innocent face and girlish manner.
In Solarbabies, he is the kid that bonds with the alien sphere, and he is in every scene. All the other good actors have to sway to give this kid the opportunity to emote in every scene. It feels awkward. This could have been a pretty OK movie without Lukas Haas. There were certainly enough good actors. The story was a typical TV movie type of Sci-Fi story. The only thing that killed Solarbabies was Lukas Haas and the really dumb title.