Lifeforce (Fuerza vital)

Lifeforce (Fuerza vital) fue una de las tres producciones más caras de Cannon Films, un estudio que, por un lado, producía películas de acción baratas y sin sentido con un fácil retorno de la inversión y, por otro lado, de vez en cuando, con directores de renombre, asumía proyectos de alto riesgo como este. Por supuesto, resultó ser un fracaso con menos de la mitad del rendimiento, pero al menos hoy podemos disfrutar de una obra relativamente única. Tobe Hooper, basándose en un guion con el elegante título de Space Vampires escrito por Dan O'Bannon y compañía, hizo una variante vanguardista del clásico drama policíaco de ciencia ficción británico, que necesariamente debía destacar por su visión del inminente apocalipsis cósmico. El espectáculo es realmente espectacular y extremadamente de clase B, el tema es una total basura, sin embargo Hooper trató de darle un poco de clase A. Tengo que admitir que el primer visionado me dejó completamente frío, pero la segunda proyección, años más tarde, resonó perfectamente; de hecho, este es el tipo de película que hoy puedo disfrutar y apreciar al máximo. Especialmente porque Mathilda May tiene un papel tan importante aquí. (28.01.2020)

Only at Cannon Films could Tobe Hooper get a three-picture deal and, what’s more, funding for a bizarre, big-budget project that combines the style of the classic British sci-fi horror movies Quatermass and the Pit and The Day of the Triffids with spectacular special effects and grandiose sets. Though the result ranked among infamous flops and foreshadowed Cannon Films’ financial demise in the second half of the 1980s, its tremendous charm cannot be denied. For its time, it was actually an utterly unique fanboy project in which Hooper enjoyed paying homage to his favourite old-school movies. Like those earlier works, the foundations of Lifeforce are composed of dialogue passages and talking heads. However, these attributes cause it to fail as a spectacle, so it remains merely a tribute for a knowledgeable audience. The colossal deep-space sequences, the apocalyptic destruction of London and the bizarre premise of a nude space vampiress sucking the life force out of men do not in any way change that. (03.09.2015)

I didn’t like this at all. The promising premise is literally killed by bad acting and an excessive runtime – there are some scenes that I would simply delete. The story changes locations constantly, which affects the already weak atmosphere – it basically never manages to build one – and the stupid behaviour of the characters doesn’t help, either. The special effects didn’t look that good, quite the opposite, actually. I didn’t like the ending, either, it’s too predictable and kitsch. Lifeforce was a disappointment. 45% (12.05.2008)

The film is based on the novel "Lifeforce" by Colin Wilson, which was inspired by Stoker's classic "Dracula." The book is a modern cosmic paraphrase of the classic vampire story in the style of a gothic novel. Combining vampire themes, zombie horror, and pure sci-fi in one film may seem absurd at first glance, and that's exactly how contemporary criticism perceived it, literally tearing it apart. From my perspective, surprisingly, it all works quite well, mainly because the creators constantly strive to stay in the realm of pure sci-fi and only draw ideas and props from other genres. The space scenes are skillfully filmed and strive for maximum authenticity, and the shots of the burning city and panic-stricken people are equally impressive. The quality of the effects naturally corresponds to its time, nothing can be done about that... There were no big stars in the film, only Patrick Stewart from Star Trek got one of the supporting roles. This dark horror sci-fi with a B-movie charm is worth seeing. Overall impression: 55%. (06.01.2008)