The Dark Side of the Moon is a 1990 science fiction horror film directed by D. J. Webster with screenwriters Chad and Carrie Hayes.
The main plot revolves around the cosmos as a whole, focusing on the moon.
What does this mysterious, frighteningly vast universe hide in itself?
Plot
2022 The SPACECORE-1 maintenance spacecraft is on a routine maintenance mission. Their main goal is to repair satellites of nuclear weapons that are in Earth orbit. Given the potential for repair facilities, the work of the main characters is considered a very dangerous occupation.
Employees are at a loss – they are unable to detect the coordinates of the satellite, which raises a number of questions. An attempt to contact the Control Center is unsuccessful, the equipment is out of order. Leslie’s artificial intelligence does not detect defects, no violations are found, but later it turns out that the emergency system lives on its own.
Due to the shutdown of the engine, the spacecraft is getting closer and closer to the surface of the moon. They have only a day left, during which the temperature is expected to rise to critical levels and the level of oxygen will decrease. However, SPACECORE-1 encounters a space shuttle approaching them. After docking, the crew gets inside, but does not find anyone who could control the vehicle.
Something is changing the shuttle’s molecular system as enthusiasts explore the interior of an unknown flying object. Suddenly, the dead body of Michael Gottier falls from above, his internal organs literally falling out as a result of huge wounds.
To get at least some information, Giles turns to AI Leslie for help. Why is the MI-40 still flying in open space? It turns out that the ship went missing after making an emergency landing in the Miami area, between the Florida Islands and close to the ill-fated Bermuda Triangle.
The meaning of the film
Another interpretation of the question whether the Devil exists. It is he who is met during the docking, having already despaired of the successful completion of the flight.
Can a person resist the ancient, dark power? Psychologically, the crew breaks down without resistance, succumbing to the influence of the Devil and infecting all members of the team. The main idea of D. J. Webster’s horror is that the antagonist hides under different roles, hiding behind goodness or revealing his true guise.
Giles remains the only one who still resists absolute evil. However, he is… alone. God does not come to the rescue, which leads to a logical conclusion – the fate of a person is not in anyone’s hands, everyone is responsible for his own life.
There is a secondary theme of life after death. A dead man, discovered by the SPACECORE-1 crew with opened internal organs, suddenly comes to life. His eyes turn yellow, and the pupils become elongated.
Characteristics of heroes
The crew is diverse, attracts attention immediately:
- the practical scientist-navigator Paxton Warner;
- the insecure, elderly Captain Philip Jennings;
- brave, ready for exploits guy Flynn Harding;
- no less courageous Giles Stewart, trying to achieve justice;
- good-natured plump Dreyfus, the ship’s medic;
- the only female Alex McKinney, not counting AI Leslie.
The latter at the beginning of the film is perceived as the main reason for the breakdown of the device, but the attitude towards her closer to the middle of the story changes for the better, especially after her eloquent words to the Devil himself.
reminiscences
A harmonious combination of sci-fi, mysticism and religious overtones, which indirectly echoes the overall atmosphere with the lesser-known Event Horizon or the much more sinister Devil’s Sea. Both works consider religion from a different angle, putting their opinion about supernatural forces into the narrative.
The work of the same name “The Devil and Daniel Webster” immediately comes to mind, which amusingly echoes the name of the director. God’s own providence, as Giles would say. Their similarities end there, Alec Baldwin’s 2004 film is about a different story – an aspiring writer who made a deal for literary talent and a career.
You can not do without an allusion to the flight of the Nostromo from the sci-fi film “Alien” by Ridley Scott. Space, an unknown, dark antagonist as the cause of the death of the entire crew – the stories are almost identical, as if D. J. Webster took a cue from his predecessor. A kind of tribute to “Alien”, as a pioneer in the genre of space horror.
Conclusion
Without exaggeration, the film is not for everyone, but the voice acting from L. Volodarsky makes you want to watch it to the end, despite all the flaws. The characters are cliched, their type is found almost everywhere. The story is not replete with bright plot twists.
