Wing Commander (1999)

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:

Malcolm McDowell was meant to reprise his role as Admiral Tolwyn from the video game series. However due to conflicting schedules with the TV series "Fantasy Island" (1998), he had to decline and the role went to 'David Warner'.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While generally unrealistic, one flaw in the space-fighting is especially obvious. In several scenes the fighters can be seen starting from the Tiger's Claw very similar to modern jet-fighters starting off aircraft-carriers. This includes the slight drop shortly after leaving the ship. In space, and thus without gravity, the fighters should have started smoothly and in a straight line.

Quotes:

[Explaining why no one mentions dead pilots]
Angel: In all likelihood you're going to die out there. We're all going to die out there, but none of us needs to be reminded of that fact. So you die, you never existed.

Movie Connections:

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

A bold movie based on a computer game. But does it do the game justice?

This pioneer film from Chris Roberts takes the classic Computer game world of Wing Commander, and gives it a new edge that is exhilarating and inventive. Unfortunately, fans of the computer game series will find that there are changes in this movie, many of which are confusing. Like movies that are made from novels, the transition often leaves out important elements because novels extend far beyond the 90-120 minute boundary. And the PC games are no exception, spanning 5 games that each took several days if not weeks to finish.

In this movie, the Kilrathi get very little screen time, and the time that they do get does nothing to represent their warrior race which is intricate and compelling as much as the Terrans (humans). In fact, they look nothing like the Video Game's image of them. Instead, they are portrayed much like the BUGS in Starship Troopers, as emotionless and cultureless as insects, with no purpose and no agenda except to destroy.

Also, the technology used in this film is far different than the game's, creating a confusing use of fighter crafts, flight gear, and much more for the video game players. There are no lasers, just mass-drivers and torpedoes. In fact, the battles felt much like they were being fought underwater instead of outer-space. In one scene, a battered ship is pushed off a platform only to have it drop like a rock, in outer space. And it was disheartening to hear the bangs and booms in outer space where there is no sound! I was hoping the filmmakers could have been more creative,…the sound of panicked breathing and heartbeats over deathly silence as the battle ensues, perhaps?

Another confusing transition for WC fans was the whole idea of the ‘Pilgrim' race, which was never mentioned in the computer game series. And the biggest, and perhaps saddest loss in transition were the beloved actors of Mark Hamill, Tom F. Wilson, and Malcolm McDowell, who breathed life into the WC world along with a superb supporting cast. Instead, their roles are filled by younger hip-hop hormonal teen idols, who not only did not know what they did last summer, but don't care.

All confusions aside, this was a decent first step for the Wing Commander series onto the big screen because it sucessfully introduces the basic elements of the Wing Commander world. For anyone who liked the movie, I recommend the games, which are enthralling and deeper in character, storyline, and excitement. Well, Wing Commander IV was anyway. V was dangerously close to being as storyless as this movie. A Critique for another time…