Wing Commander is in many ways a typical military themed Science Fiction film but it has enough strengths to make it worth watching.
The first and most difficult hurdle of any sci-fi film is establishing a plausible or at the very least a believable setting or plot scenario. The second is trying to get the viewer involved. Wing Commander succeeds in both of this areas adequately but not exceedingly well. The setup is very cut and dry and the characters rather blunt but everything is explained at a reasonable pace so that the viewer has time to absorb what is happening.
Production wise the movie also succeeds rather well. The space-ships feel small and with the presence of Jürgen Proschnow this definitely evokes a type of "Das Boot in Space" atmosphere. However the space-combat looks fantastic by 1999 standards and the special-effects have lasted the test of time which means the movie will not make a modern viewer cringe. Costume designs are a little off but not horribly.
Overall only the Kilrathi's presence and depiction is the only thing that deserves any major criticism. Their presence in the film feels very distant and they stay out of the spotlight until the final act. When we finally see them they come off as a very stereotypical sort of antagonist for a sci-fi film and this was a slight disappointment.
The plot itself, having a military setting follows a rather predictable series of events. Thankfully the cast of actors has enough heart and personality that these events don't feel like they're dragging on and generally the acting was very believable. Only during some of the combat dialogue characters seemed to lack intensity which sometimes gives off the feeling like combat in space isn't a big deal.
A rather predictable story and disappointing representation of an alien species aside Wing Commander delivers an entertaining 96 minutes of sci-fi action. Not an outstanding film but very Okay at least.
The first and most difficult hurdle of any sci-fi film is establishing a plausible or at the very least a believable setting or plot scenario. The second is trying to get the viewer involved. Wing Commander succeeds in both of this areas adequately but not exceedingly well. The setup is very cut and dry and the characters rather blunt but everything is explained at a reasonable pace so that the viewer has time to absorb what is happening.
Production wise the movie also succeeds rather well. The space-ships feel small and with the presence of Jürgen Proschnow this definitely evokes a type of "Das Boot in Space" atmosphere. However the space-combat looks fantastic by 1999 standards and the special-effects have lasted the test of time which means the movie will not make a modern viewer cringe. Costume designs are a little off but not horribly.
Overall only the Kilrathi's presence and depiction is the only thing that deserves any major criticism. Their presence in the film feels very distant and they stay out of the spotlight until the final act. When we finally see them they come off as a very stereotypical sort of antagonist for a sci-fi film and this was a slight disappointment.
The plot itself, having a military setting follows a rather predictable series of events. Thankfully the cast of actors has enough heart and personality that these events don't feel like they're dragging on and generally the acting was very believable. Only during some of the combat dialogue characters seemed to lack intensity which sometimes gives off the feeling like combat in space isn't a big deal.
A rather predictable story and disappointing representation of an alien species aside Wing Commander delivers an entertaining 96 minutes of sci-fi action. Not an outstanding film but very Okay at least.