Wing Commander (1999)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Chris Roberts

Writers (WGA):

Chris Roberts (characters)
Chris Roberts (story)

Release Date:

12 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Fighter Pilot | Spin Off | Aircraft Carrier | Spin Off From Video Game | Outer Space

Cast

Freddie Prinze Jr.	...	1st Lt. Christopher Blair
Saffron Burrows	...	Lt. Cmdr. 'Angel' Devereaux
Matthew Lillard	...	Lt. Todd 'Maniac' Marshall
Tchéky Karyo	...	Cmmdre. James 'Paladin' Taggart (as Tcheky Karyo)
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Cmdr. Paul Gerald
David Warner	...	Adm. Geoffrey Tolwyn
Ginny Holder	...	Rosie Forbes
Hugh Quarshie	...	Obutu
Ken Bones	...	Adm. Bill Wilson
John McGlynn	...	Belegarde
Richard Dillane	...	Hunter
Mark Powley	...	Polansky
David Fahm	...	Knight
Simon MacCorkindale	...	Flight Boss
Fraser James	...	Helmsman

Also Known As:

Wing Commander: Space Will Never Be the Same (USA)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA | Luxembourg

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Company:

Carousel Picture Company, The

Trivia:

A subplot about a traitor was cut from the film. However, toy manufacturer X-Toys made and distributed the "Pilgrim Traitor" action figure. It comes with a mask hiding the traitor's face. When the mask is removed, the identity of the traitor is reveled: Admiral Wilson.

Goofs:

Plot holes: There's no reference to Blair losing/not wearing his Pilgrim Cross, but he says he doesn't have it when he's asked to jump into Sol to warn the fleet. (In a scene that was deleted, he killed Admiral Wilson aboard the ConCom with the cross and left it with the body.)

Quotes:

Angel: Did I hurt your pride?
Blair: No, I just never got combat tips from a grease monkey.
Angel: Lieutenant Commander Deveraux, your wing commander.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "South Park: Pinewood Derby (#13.6)" (2009)

Wow....this sucks

First of all, the games in the Wing Commander series are some of the best video games I've ever played. Technology has gotten to the point where these games look dated and the full motion video seems impractical, but the story lines and combat sequences are amazing. If anyone has the opportunity to play these games and hasn't do yourself a favor and do it. That said...

This movie is ridiculous and the storyline might just as well be from a 1950's B movie. The dialogue is awful, the acting worse, and the supposedly futuristic spacecraft looked like they were bought from a studio auctioning off props from old World War II movies. The director, who happens to have designed the games, apparently thought that it would be cool to throw his story lines from the games out the window in favor of some World War II allegory. If I wanted to see World War II, I would've put in my "Saving Private Ryan" DVD and not watched this crap on basic cable.

The characters are extremely well crafted in the game series, well, for a video game series anyway. Here, they come off as a bunch of tired clichés. Also, I take issue with the fact that Blair, the main character, is some kind of chosen one with special powers. The Wing Commander games gave us characters who were normal people forced into an extraordinary situation, something direly lacking in the genre of science fiction. In other words, there were no mythical "Pilgrims" or other hocus pocus like there are in the movie. I wouldn't mind if it was well done but it just feels tacked on for no good reason.

Speaking of the Kilrathi, its not even discussed in the film why the Humans are at war with them or what they are. Instead of the ten foot tall, menacing, tiger creatures from the games they look like hamsters on steroids. Also, one of the best characters from the games, the evil kilrathi prince thrakath (in the games Thrakath is a cross between hanibal lectar and josef stalin), is not in the movie, leaving it without a strong villain.

Now, of course, as a fan of the games I'm a little bitter that this movie is one of the worst that I've ever seen. But I know a horrible movie when I see one, and this movie is pretty much unwatchable whether you've played the games or not. Honestly, if you're in the mood for sci fi and if you see it anywhere, just ignore it and watch Star Wars again.