davercrb This is one of those adaptations that should never have been made. Some spoilers here-The original story by Arthur C. Clarke concerned a freighter en route to Venus when a meteor strike left the vessel with only enough oxygen for one crewmember to survive the trip -a variation on the "Lifeboat" theme. Like all good such stories it centered around the psychological strains as they struggle with the up coming decision. Here is where the movie breaks down. One of the endearing traits of a properly handled SF story such as this is that the authors treat physics seriously. There is no deux ex machina rescues. There are consequences to accidents in space and the better writers do not attempt to evade them. In fact -the basic thrust is that there may not be any solution (See "The Cold Equations" for an example.) The scriptwriters here violated every tenet of good SF writing. This particular spacecraft had a lifeboat- an utterly absurd concept on a spacecraft limited to Hohman Transfer orbits. Trust me on this- All the captain did in leaving on that lifeboat was to guarantee himself a slow agonizing death- I hope he had no children so we could give him a Darwin Award for "Too Dumb To Live." The actions of a crewman in bungling repairs was about as pointless as it gets. -i.e. yeah big deal he repaired the damage but where do we get the oxygen to replace that lost? Oh- he lost even more oxygen. He is a qualified astronaut- how? The interactions of the crew with each other was such that I really wanted them ALL to die.- and the little dog too. Not very good storytelling. And the ending with a hibernation chamber was the very epitome of a deux ex machina by a writer that doesn't want to actually follow a story to the proper ending. This film ranks as a big missed opportunity. Because Television has done some decent shows. The remake of the "Twilight Zone" did a very good job with the Tom Godwin story "The Cold Equations", William Lee's "A Message From Charity" and Arthur Clarke's "The Star." The key to doing these adaptations is to stay true to the story as written even though some things simply have to be changed for the nature of the TV medium. Contrast this one with "Gravity" -one I thoroughly enjoyed and willingly let them use their "artistic license" to violate some orbital physics for the sake of the story. Tell a good yarn and I will let you get away with a lot. Tell a bad one and I won't. This was a bad one.

Leofwine_draca TRAPPED IN SPACE is an old-fashioned B-movie, made with a TV movie budget and a cast of former soap and TV actors. The plot is similar to those found in LIFEBOAT and the ubiquitous TEN LITTLE INDIANS, with a group of five astronauts finding themselves trapped on a remote spaceship with their oxygen supply rapidly depleting. The only way anybody will survive is if a few of them die, but how can they begin to choose? The worst thing about the story is the low budget, which gives the whole spaceship setting a cheap look, like something out of a STAR TREK rip-off. The rest of it is pretty good. The performances are effective, especially Craig Wasson (BODY DOUBLE) as the crazy guy, but the best thing by far is the script, which keeps you guessing as to what's going to happen to whom. The suspense never stops, and the tension keeps you on the edge of your seat. Let's just say that despite the family friendly rating, there's some very unpleasant stuff transpiring here.

Space_Mafune This is much better than I expected it to be. I mean it stars Jack Wagner fer crying out loud! That it's as entertaining as this is amazes me. And you know Wagner is actually pretty good here as his character was given the most depth and personality...and I actually liked him in this!? That's never happened to me before. Jack Coleman's Grant stands out as well even if his character is never fully developed. Coleman still manages to add something mysterious to the character with his mannerisms and expression. The best thing I like about this film though is the ending which raises it above the norm in terms of 90s Science Fiction television films.

Prophetess A nifty little sci-fi that made me think "Lifeboat" meets "Alien." No monsters in this movie and just a little blood (no gore). Thought provoking as it makes you wonder who will survive and, moreover, makes you pull for certain characters to survive. Not for those who are looking for mind boggling special effects. A good story with a very satisfying ending.