Wing Commander (1999)

I admit to never having played the "Wing Commander" games. I might have, but I'm probably just thinking about another video game with live-action cutscenes. The only reason I'm not giving this a lower score is because I'm not a fan of the series. This must have hit a lot harder with those poor guys. The movie tells the story about people in space fighting aliens and that's about it. It was directed by Chris Roberts which changed a lot from the game even though Chris Roberts MADE the game.The worst character is this Maniac guy as he's so obnoxious and probably has the worst acting of anyone there. It's mostly just nothing but people sitting around and talking and even the battle scenes are incredibly dull. It doesn't help that the CGI looks fake. I wasn't able to follow the plot well simply because I was so uninvested I didn't really try. From what I heard, when Chris Roberts first saw the finished film, he actually CRIED. The aliens look like green bipedal tigers. *1/2

Good music. Good times. Good action. I like the naval theme. Classic cheesy sci-fi romp. Have fun. Don't take it too seriously. This movie is way underrated. I've watched it many times & it never gets old! I like the actors and acting despite any goofs or factual errors. The cat aliens are a little bit goofy however they're bad ass in their own right. Classic late 90's movie! The warp jumps are fun. The battles are pretty cool with their dog fighting and air craft carrier style combat in space with other vessels such as crusiers, destroyers plus a com-ship! The space freighter the Diligent is pretty sweet in it's own right. The tension between characters was palpable when they argue over blood feuds. Freddie Prince Jr. and Matthew Lillard were actually pretty good in this and of course Saffron Burrows and that guy with the accent, Tcheky Karyo! He's the most bad ass of all! Even the supporting characters and extras played their parts well!

I understand that many dismiss the film because it didn't stay true enough to the universe established in the video game. On the other hand, there are those like me who know nothing about the game and watched the film due to interest in things sci-fi in general and the film delivered on that end. Much of the premise and cultural setting reminded me of the original Battlestar Galactica. There are some really good fighting scenes, but, most of all, it's a sci-fi movie that is actually in space - for the whole length of the film (which I do appreciate) - not hiding on some Earth-like planet.The film features some strong female characters, but, as pointed out by others, some aspects are regular Hollywood fare. I really liked the pilgrim mythology. Putting aside any relationship to the video game, the film is fun, has its emotional moments and features some great visuals.

I've seen a few movies about some serious conflicts in space, this movie looks the same but a little bit better. I'm not talking Star Wars here, but this movie is definitely not a train wreck as people say, it has a good script, it has some good action and a good love story. Check this out, a rookie pilot fights aliens, becomes a hero and gets a nice girl at the end of the day. My only problem with this flick is editing, I think that there were a lot of pieces left behind and cut, so if the studio puts out a director's cut - I am definitely buying it.You won't waste your evening watching this one, even your girlfriend can come along, after all this movie stars Freddie Prinze Jr.