Wing Commander (1999)

Blair, a fighter pilot, joins an interstellar war to fight the evil Kilrathi who are trying to destroy the universe.

Director:

Chris Roberts

Writers:

Chris Roberts (characters), Chris Roberts (story)

Stars:

Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Saffron Burrows

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Prinze Jr.	...	Lt. Christopher Blair
Saffron Burrows	...	Lt. Cdr. 'Angel' Deveraux
Matthew Lillard	...	Lt. Todd 'Maniac' Marshall
Tchéky Karyo	...	Commodore James 'Paladin' Taggart
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Cdr. Paul Gerald
David Suchet	...	Capt. Jason Sansky
David Warner	...	Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn
Ginny Holder	...	Lt. Rosie Forbes
Hugh Quarshie	...	Lt. Obutu
Ken Bones	...	Admiral Bill Wilson
John McGlynn	...	Richard Bellegarde
Richard Dillane	...	Lt. Hunter
Mark Powley	...	Lt. Polanski
David Fahm	...	Lt. Knight
Simon MacCorkindale	...	Flight Boss (as Simon McCorkindale)

Storyline

In the mid-27th century, the Terran Confederation is at war with the felinoid Kilrathi Empire. After destroying a Terran base, the Kilrathi have seized a NAVCOM unit with the hyperspace jump coordinates to Earth. With Terran reinforcements scheduled to arrive two hours after the Kilrathi hit Earth, it falls upon the starfighter carrier TCS Tiger Claw to keep the Kilrathi busy.

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Plot Keywords:

fighter pilot | starship | human in outer space | oxygen mask | orchestral music score | 

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Taglines:

At the edge of our universe, all hell is about to break loose.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual references and sci-fi action/violence

Details

Country:

USA Luxembourg

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wing Commander

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,114,365 (USA) (14 March 1999)

Gross:

$11,576,087 (USA) (30 May 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Entertainment Investors, Carousel Picture Company, The, Digital Anvil

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Kingsley was offered the role of Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn.

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Goofs

When Blair jumps into the Sol system tailed by the Snakir the scene switches to the waiting Concordia Battle group the marquee text gives their position as being in low orbit of Venus but the planet they appear to be orbiting is clearly Mars not Venus.

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Quotes

[Explaining why no one mentions the names of dead pilots]
Angel: Let me give you a reality check. In all likelihood you're going to die out here. We're all going to die out here, but none of us need to be reminded of that fact. So you die, you never existed. Understand?

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Crazy Credits

Voice of Merlin: ?

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Connections

Featured in The Best Ever!: The Worst Ever! Game Movies! (2013)

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Soundtracks

The Sleeper Car
Written by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton
Performed by Thievery Corporation

User Reviews

A fine film

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The graphics weren't up to say Episode1 standards, but were convincing enough (and I loved the raspy engine noise for the Rapiers). The acting was what I've come to expect from these younger American actors (as in good).

I'd say from an objective view point it's a good film. A bit lacking in certain areas, but certainly enjoyable.

I say "objective" simply because I have never been exposed to the hugely popular game series, so I was seeing this as a film, not as a spin off (in which case I'm sure it would come across worse, simply because when you're used to one set of actors portraying your favourite characters a new team will never fit the bill).

Overall not a bad way to spend my Wednesday evening.