Lifeforce

Since there is a good chance that The Force Awakens will be sold out this weekend, I thought I'd suggest some forgotten, sci fi alternatives. First up is Tobe Hoopers 1985 film Lifeforce.

A space crew discovers a ship containing three, naked aliens in suspended animation contained in glass chambers. The leader of the expidition, Col. Tom Carlsen, Steve Railsback, decides that they should bring the bodies back to Earth. On their journey home, they lose contact with mission control. A rescue mission is launched only to discover that the ship has been destroyed and the three aliens are the only survivors. The aliens are brought to Earth to be examined in London. The female alien, Mathilda May, awakens.She drains the lifeforce from a security guard and escapes.

Meanwhile in Texas, an escape pod is found containg Col. Carlsen. He claims responsibilty for destroying the ship. The aliens killed the rest of his crew and he was trying to prevent them from reaching Earth. He has a psychic link to the famale alien and is sent to London to try and stop her and the two male aliens, who have now escaped as well.

This is a bizarre movie, but I love it. The main reason is Mathilda May.

Imagine, if you will, being a 15 year old boy and seeing the stunning Mathilda May walking around London, totally naked. Wow! May was a true discovery for Hooper. She has no lines, but she has a real presence, even when she is clothed. I can't believe she didn't have a bigger career in America.

The rest of the cast is servicable at best. Railsback, best known for playing Charles Manson in the tv movie Helter Skelter, is kind of a bland. He's not a bad actor, just not really a leading man. Peter Firth and Patrick Stewart, yes Captain Picard, pop up as British scientists trying to prevent the end of the world. I'm not even sure why I'm bringing up the other actor's. This is May's picture. Let's take another look at her, shall we?

Hooper went all out on this movie. I think every crazy idea he had he ended up shooting. The producers still cut a lot of footage out, making some of the film a bit incoherent. That being said, if you are in the mood for an out there, sci fi horror film, Lifeforce is an entertaining flick.

Available on dvd and blu ray. The blu ray even contains a longer version of the film.