Wonderful character development!

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

People are voting emotionally.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

I love this sandwich. A little bit of meat and a lot of cheese. Of course Mathilda May is always pleasant to look at.

By 1985, Hooper's career was in limbo. Sure, he'd tasted box office success with 1982's Poltergeist, but he'd also be dogged with rumors — or truths — that he'd not really directed the film. Toss in a bad experience on 1981's Venom, a film that he was replaced on ten days into shooting (Klaus Kinski claimed that the cast and crew ganged up on Hooper in an effort to have him replaced), as well as being replaced as the director of The Dark and a rumored nervous breakdown.A three picture deal with Cannon Films and the promise of no interference would be the panacea that would soothe Hooper's pain. Or so he thought.The first film in the three picture deal was Lifeforce. Based on Colin Wilson's 1976 novel The Space Vampires and scripted by Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Return of the Living Dead) and Don Jakoby, the film was originally going to use the original title. After spending $25 million to make it, Cannon decided that they wanted a blockbuster instead of their normal exploitation films, hence the change to Lifeforce.Once Hooper had his money and freedom, he was beyond excited, seeing the film as his chance to remake Quatermass and the Pit. In fact, he said, "I thought I'd go back to my roots and make a 70 mm Hammer film."Hopper turned in an initial film that was 128 minutes long, starting with 12 minutes of near silence in space aboard a space shuttle. This is 12 minutes longer than the final version which had several scenes cut, most of them taking place on the space shuttle Churchill. Three actors — John Woodnutt, John Forbes-Robertson and Russell Sommers — ended up completely cut from the final film, as was some of Henry Mancini's score.Even worse — the film went way over schedule and cost so much that the film was shut down when the studio ran out of money, leaving some of the most important scenes unshot.Look — it could have been worse. Michael Winner was the original choice to direct.So what's it all about? Good question.The crew of the Churchill discovers a massive spaceship — nearly 150 miles long and shaped like an artichoke (no, really) — inside Halley's Comey. Hundreds of dead bat creatures surround the ship and inside, two perfect males and one perfect female sleep in suspended animation. They take the aliens and come back to Earth, because there are no protocols or rules about that kind of thing. I mean, I can't even fly back from Japan with fruit and these dudes take aliens directly to London.Tragedy strikes — a fire consumes the ship, destroying everything and everyone except for the aliens. The aliens turn out to be vampires that can shape shift and suck out the life force of everyone they meet.In Texas, a survivor is found — Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback, Manson from Helter Skelter!). He explains how the crew's life force was taken and why he set the shuttle on fire. He also has a psychic link to the female alien (the constantly naked Mathilda May). Patrick Stewart also shows up as Dr. Armstrong here — who has the female vampire inside him. They take her/him back to London, but the plan backfires when she/he escapes.Read more at www.bandsaboutmovies.com/2017/09/11/tobe-hooper-week- lifeforce-1985/

Ah 1985, as the song says "still preoccupied with 1985". That's got to be my favorite year. I was 19 turning 20 that year and surprisingly, I did not see this movie on the big screen, even though I caught just about every flick I could back in the day, I don't recall hearing about this one or any fervor or hoopla over it, at least not in my little circle. I saw this years later on cable and love it! I've not seen it in many years and once again caught it on cable and oh how wonderful it was/is. Before CGI, movie studios had to use more conventional special affects, molds, man made dolls, animation, animatronics, etc. For it's time this was a first rate effort. The special affects, while now a little dated, are still amazing to me when viewed in context. This movie is a horror scifi vampire movie. With all the English actors and accents it feels like an updated Hammer film and I've always loved hammer, although it's not. I highly recommend this as best in class for that error and Mathilda May, what more can be said there, nudity abounds, woohoo, still preoccupied with 1985.

Mix in a Colin Wilson novel, direction by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), John Dykstra f/x wizardry (Star Wars), Alan Hume first-rate cinematography (80s Bond Films), John Graysmark production design (Flash Gordon), Simon Wakefield set decoration (Batman Begins), a recycled Henry Mancini score, Dan O'Bannon screen writing (Alien), the cometsploitation of 1P/Halley (aka, Halley's Comet), a Golan-Globus bankroll (uh-oh...), & you get 'Lifeforce' ('Lf'; aka 'Space Vampires'), a sci-fi/horror amalgamation that is parts alien invasion, cataclysmic disaster, life-stealing succubi/vampyre, undead zombie, & love story. No worries, 'Lf' has little for Academy aficionados, but as sci-fi/horror films go, 'Lf' is entertaining, if not original. The plot is cohesive & the story taught enough to entertain & make you think what if someone were to remake this today (Wilson's original novel really deserves another look & a contemporary screenplay)? Several versions of this film exist, including a 101min US edit & a 116min DVD edit (as well as a longer & rarer edit) and the longer the version, the better. Contains a good blend of some gore, creepiness, & action (& some nudity) throughout, but not many scares & much is left to the mind's of viewers to decipher. Also consider: 'Alien' (1979); 'Slither' (2006); 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' (1959); 'The Thing' (1982); 'Quartermass & the Pit' (1968); 'The Thing From Another World' (1951); 'Night of the Comet' (1984); 'Alien Dead' (1980); 'After Sundown' (2006); 'No Blade of Grass' (1970); 'Astro Zombies' (1966); 'Vampires vs Zombies' (2004); 'Prince of Darkness' (1987); 'Sunshine' (2007); 'Signs' (2002); & 'Species' (1995). Also: 'Solaris' (1972); 'I Am Legend' (2007); 'Night of the Living Dead' (1968); 'Underworld' (2003); 'Close Encounters' (1977); 'Mars Attacks' (1993); 'Planet Terror' (2007); 'Plague of the Zombies' (1966), '28 Days Later' (2002); 'Poltergeist' (1982); 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004); 'From Beyond' (1986); 'Contact' (1997); 'The Thing' (2009), 'Juan of the Dead' (2011), & 'Undead' (2005).