Millennium (1989)

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers (WGA):

John Varley (short story "Air Raid")
John Varley (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 August 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

We've Been Expecting You.

Plot:

An investigator seeking the cause of an airline disaster discovers the involvement of an organisation...

Plot Keywords:

Crash | Investigator | Future | Disaster | Time Travel

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Kris Kristofferson	...	Bill Smith
Cheryl Ladd	...	Louise Baltimore
Daniel J. Travanti	...	Dr. Arnold Mayer
Robert Joy	...	Sherman the Robot
Lloyd Bochner	...	Walters
Brent Carver	...	Coventry
David McIlwraith	...	Tom Stanley (as David Mcilwraigth)
Maury Chaykin	...	Roger Keane
Al Waxman	...	Dr. Brindle
Lawrence Dane	...	Captain Vern Rockwell
Thomas Hauff	...	First Officer Ron Kennedy
Peter Dvorsky	...	Don Janz
Raymond O'Neill	...	Harold Davis
Philip Akin	...	Kevin Briley
David Calderisi	...	Raymond Leacock

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Canada

Company:

First Millenium Partnership

Trivia:

The outdoor set used for the 747 crash site was so convincing that pilots landing at Toronto Airport were radioing in what they thought was a recent airplane crash.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Louise takes a shower, Sherman helps her put her uniform top on, but there is no sign she puts on or is wearing any other clothing. However, as the scene continues, Louise is seen wearing a type of pants/shorts as they walk together.

Quotes:

Coventry: You're talking about changing the past, and I know damn well we can't change the past! It catches up to us, and changes us!
Louise: Well, we haven't changed much. We're all still dying, this place still stinks, and you are still as ugly as ever!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Kids in the Hall: (#1.20)" (1990)

One of the few real "B-movies" of the '80s--and a good one.

There seems to be some dispute here as to whether this is a good movie or not, and it all depends on what you expect going into it. If you go see (or rent) a sci-fi movie based on an obscure short story directed by the man who had Bo Derek battling a whale in "Orca" twelve years earlier, you have to expect some campiness. Just sit back and enjoy it. The premise of the story is actually quite good, with a little environmental message slipped in. In execution, the people behind this movie must have known that they did not have the budget for a special effects-laden thrill ride, so they decided to take the stylistic approach of making it with one eyebrow raised, a bittersweet melodrama that happens to have a few plane crashes and laser beams. It's "The Goodbye Girl" with time travel. How else do you explain the smarmy robot's flat line delivery, Cheryl Ladd's hairdo, the flight attendants' costumes? Camp, camp, camp. But at the same time, the "paradox" concept gives the mind something to chew. I think director Michael Anderson knew exactly what he was doing. Had this film been marketed differently, it would have easily recouped its budget. I think it's right up there with 1982's "Q"!