Solar Crisis - why only P&S and why never in theaters? (1 Viewer)

[Eric Huffstutler]

Solar Crisis fame is to be the biggest budget movie ever to go direct to video ($55 million when the average movie at the time was $30 million).

Why didn't it get a US theatrical release as it sported the best FX available at the time and high profile American actors? It obviously was meant to be released.

I also see that it was released on VHS as widescreen but went to DVD only as P&S. Why is that?

Also see the LD got a widescreen release but not DVD?

Eric

 

[Dustin James]

.

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Dustin,

The movie was made in 1990 and got a Japanese release then but wasn't until 1992 it got a US release - obviously this late must have been in the "art house" theaters?

Eric

 

[Francois Caron]

"Directed by Alan Smithee."

Oops!

Maybe that's why it never received a proper widescreen DVD release. Nobody wants to work on it!

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Francois

If there was a decent quality Laser Disc version (per reviews) in widescreen, why didn't they just transfer that onto DVD?

Eric

 

[Cassy_w]

This was one of the worst films I have ever seen. So badly written and utterly stupid that I still regret wasting my time on it.

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Cassy_w

From what I have read, the book was Japanese and translated to an American screenplay and co-produced by the Japanese hence release there first. Some things got lost in translation plus it being a hard core Sci-Fi movie, was too much for an average audience to sit and "think" about what they are seeing.

Unfortunately, if a movie isn't spelled out for the viewer on screen then people loose interest no matter how deep (or factual in some cases) it can be. The average person just doesn't want to open their minds up to think about what the plot is saying. This movie being one of those. But then again, you can get some real stinkers.

Eric

 

[Francois Caron]

It wouldn't work. You end up with a poor definition non-anamorphic transfer riddled with line aliasing. What used to pass off as excellent in the Laserdisc format would now look very mediocre on the DVD format unless the studio creates a new high definition master from the original film elements.

 

[Mike_Richardson]

The Japanese LaserDisc, by the way, had the original cut on it -- with Richard T. Heffron credited. I believe the movie was re-cut totally for the U.S. market, which is why Heffron's name was removed.

Still have a taped copy of it, but it's only marginally better than the U.S. video version....nice score by Maurice Jarre and FX, though.

 

[Matt Czyz]

Dang, I was going to write the exact same thing.

 

[Don Solosan]

Are we talking about the same Solar Crisis? Scientists are able to predict that the sun is going to emit a gigantic solar flare directly at the Earth and send a ship out to divert it with an explosion? It was about as "hard-core" as a Gamera movie...

 

[Dustin James]

.

 

[Cassy_w]

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, about the plot worth thinking about. The IQ level of the writing was in the sub 60's. It was filled with plot holes and impossibilities. Not to mention the primary villain in the story would never, ever do what he was doing. It was just absurd. Insultingly absurd.

I'll take SOLARIS (either version) over SOLAR CRISIS any day of the millenium.

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Don't forget what the last half of Sci-Fi means...Fiction. Just as plausible as Space Aliens in movies today.. do we know one way or another if they do exist? Possibly, possibly not so at this time it is "Fiction".

This is getting off track of my initial post though about a US opening and P&S DVD release. Apparently the movie did fairly well in Japan - not a box office smash but probably broke even from what I read. Keep in mind that there are hidden meanings in their Godzilla movies stemming from the bombings of WWII so Japanese level of entertainment is a little different than in the US. Final Fantasy is another Japanese movie that was too deep for American audiences. Yet, being co-produced using American actors is still strange that they didn't release it in both countrys at the same time?

Eric

 

[Kevin M]

The main things I remember about this film are that it had pretty good FX and Chuck Heston....that's about all I want to remember.

 

[Don Solosan]

And there's plausible fiction and idiotic fiction. Solar Crisis went way over into the idiotic fiction field... That's why I didn't walk out of the screening I attended: the movie wasn't just bad, it was spectacularly bad, fun bad.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Alan Smithee is my favorite director and it's a shame this came out pan and scan- will pick up the widescreen laserdisc if I ever find it.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

I thought Richard C. Serafian directed this.

 

[Kevin M]

Mr. Smithy is the hardest working man in show business.