MovieChat Forums > Lifeforce (1985) Discussion > The greatest Sci-Fi/Horror of all time.

The greatest Sci-Fi/Horror of all time.

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
3 replies | jump to latest

That May in large part be due to Mathilda but the point remains. Given a movie draft I'd pick this over The Thing (1982), Alien (1979) and whatever other Sci-Fi/Horror you can name. Those are great films no doubt, but the fun factor in Lifeforce is of the charts.

It really does have a bit of everything;
- Great practical effects. The space models, puppets and so on are superb.
- The OST is outstanding.
- An 'everything and the kitchen sink' story. Sci-Fi, Vampires, Zombies, Apocalypse, Possession, Telepathy...
- That special B movie charm. Call it camp or cheese if you'd like but whatever it is, it's got it. It has that sly British humour akin to old school Hammer Horror films.
- Ample amounts of nudity from one of the most gorgeous Women in Film history.

[–] pjl69 (2647) 3 years ago

Yeah, I think its very underrated piece of a cinema (the short cut, that is). I don't wanna compare it to Alien or The Thing, they're all great.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Ah, I've never seen the shorter US version.

Have you seen the Directors Cut/Extended version also ? I've heard from many that the DC is better, but if you honestly prefer the shorter cut over it that's interesting. Could you tell me why, if that is the case. Is it a matter of better pacing and trimming the fat/fluff from the longer version ?

[–] pjl69 (2647) 3 years ago

Yes, I have a blu-ray release which has both versions. I know I'm in minority in saying that the short cut is better. My main gripe is the usage of music in the so called director's cut. I think it worked best when the main title music was played in the end only, not in the beginning or in the middle of movie in one scene which tried to make the two main lead actors more heroic. There are some smaller details why I prefer the short cut, but the music is the main reason, I think.

This is one rare case when I prefer the shorter cut over extended or director's cuts. The other two cases are Coppola's Apocalypse Now and Kubrick's The Shining.