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Wing Commander is a movie based off of a series of computer games created by Chris Roberts. The Wing Commander computer games were revolutionary, taking "flight-sim lite" action sequences and combining them with cut scenes with characters who actually had a personality. Starting with Wing Commander III and IV, Roberts actually filmed the cut scenes using cult favorite actors such as Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and the guy who played Biff in the Back to the Future scenes. Wing Commander III had OK writing and OK acting, but by Wing Commander IV the acting was fabulous! Why he didn't use the same cast in his first full-length feature film is beyond me. Instead Chris Roberts took such teen favorite actors like Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Matthew Lilliard and stuck them in an absurd. Wing Commander involves Freddie Prinze, Jr. as a fresh recruit to the Terran Confederation ship in the start of a war brewing against the evil cat-like aliens, the Kilrathi. Matthew Lilliard is Maniac, a wacky friend of Freddie Prinze, Jr. played much better in the game as the guy who was Biff from Back to the Future. Wing Commander, while not being the worst video game to movie adaptation, doesn't reach the brilliance of the original Mortal Kombat movie. The plot is loosely based on the first game and the special effects are decent, considering the budget. Chris Roberts does an OK job of directing and even includes a Matrix-like special effect in a hyperspace sequence. The plot jumps all over the place, with some strange elements introduced for no apparent reason. The quality of the script is very poor, even more so considering that Chris Roberts, the fucking original creator of the game, had a re-write or two on the final draft when the characters don't match the game at all! Also the Kilrathi are presented as shallow bad guys when in the game they have a complex culture and history. That being said, parts of Wing Commander are enjoyable. Some of the scenes between the rookie pilots are enjoyable and a few of the space battle scenes work. Those expecting lots of fast-paced Star Wars-ish space battles will be disappointed. One 20 minute sequence is built more on suspense and seems lifted straight out of a submarine movie. Most of my complaints from the movie come from the fact that I enjoy the game series, so make of it what you will. I give Wing Commander **1/2 out of ****. |