the audience applauded

Just perfect...

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This movie is only very interesting in the final moments when the space station catches on fire and begins to fall towards Earth. At this point, it presents an amazingly spooky and mystical (even Biblical) feel of a burning chariot wheel in the sky (even the feeling of weight and power is expressed well, I think), reminding me of the Ezekiel story that he saw a UFO during Biblical times. Still, it seems very unlikely in that, if everything is burning in one big blaze all around, WHERE are those other scenes of the shuttle actually taking place?Also, the robotic arm that is used to capture the girl (what was even the point of that?) seems far too big to be a part of the station, seeming more like a "Bugs Bunny" Martian episode in that light (in its movement and overly large size - and what would they even use it for - to fondle asteroids?).Or, even, what is the point of using flattened cola cans to attack each other and fix everything? Don't they have weapons or even tools as I believe someone else had mentioned? Why does everything have to say "Orbit Cola" everywhere? There is also an "-ade" drink advertised a couple of times, but I forget the name. I'm surprised they weren't wearing "Orbit Cola" space helmets. (Or were they?)It is too bad that the ending is connected to something that plays out like a 20-part Russian mini-series (with 90% of the series chopped out so that nothing seems to connect properly in any way) about a man (a genius studying the make up of the cosmos with some secret or discovery that will shock mankind?) with mental problems and acts like Jim Carey in "The Mask".Also, most - if not all, of the scenes are so ridiculously and unrealistically staged, it is rather hard to sit all the way through even once. Plus, it has a very plastic (clinical) feel as if you are watching the Thunderbirds redone in CGI.5/10, but actually much worse than that rating would probably seem to some.

This film was co-executive produced by Roger Corman, who has been producing unapologetically "low budget" horror and adventure films since the 1950s. He must surely know his stuff by now. (Another film produced by the same company was "Future Fear", starring Stacy Keach.)I think it's likely that this film is to meant be taken as a send-up, or at least one of those films that are so bad they're good.

I disagree with the critics. A gritty realism and and good FX work make this feel credible. The threat of terrorism among the Russian end of an international space station is not so unbelieveable. As the new station goes up I think of this movie. Obviously its really low budget, but I thought it was OK. Michael Pare is good, believable. The female lead came across well too, I hope she does more stuff.

I could only bear to watch about a half hour of this. The dialog sounds like it was written by a 3rd grader. If any of the actors in it become famous in the future, they'd most likely try to bury this movie. It makes me wonder why awful movies like this come out on DVD, whereas fine movies like Dr. Zhivago and Ben Hur are not available on DVD.