Being that this is one of the first of Carpenter's works, and that it had O'Bannon's involvement(more the former than the latter),I made it a point to get to watch it. I noticed that, for being listed a comedy, there aren't that many laughs in it... which is not at all to say that it isn't funny, portions of it certainly are, with several kinds of humor blended together well... some is clever, there's a remarkably well-done absurdity bit(and more than one thing herein is bizarre),and there are black parts, as well. Not every gag or joke works, and with how far there can be between them, I should think that someone just going into this expecting only that will leave disappointed. Meanwhile, if you dig John and the other two genres, you're likely to have a great time. There is genuine tension(he managed to do that skillfully even then),and among the technology and such are interesting aspects to be found(according to the Trivia, a little of it was even inspired by two marvelous writers in the field). Music, as usual on one of his films, is done by John Carpenter himself, and also to be expected, is really good(if not necessarily his best or most memorable). Cinematography, editing and effects all show promise of things to come, from both men. Acting could be better. Writing varies, but there is the occasional nugget of pure gold. I recommend this to any fan of Mr. Carpenter and/or Dan, as well as those who are into sci-fi. 7/10

It's an undeniable truth; - John Carpenter is one the biggest geniuses to ever contribute to landmark horror, Sci-Fi and cult cinema. There are more than enough titles to exhibit his mastery in all genres ("Halloween", "The Fog", "Escape from New York", "The Thing", etc) but I never knew that his debut long-feature was a zero-budgeted and student-made spoof of space exploration cinema, and of "2001: A Space Odyssey" in particular. Moreover, since co-written by Dan O'Bannon, scripter of "Alien" and half a dozen of other brilliant classics, we actually witness the first venturing steps of two majorly influential titans! And no, their fondly cherished "Dark Star" is not a totally boring and clumsily inept try-out, but a cheerfully spirited and subtly intelligent spoof for people with a peculiar sense of humor (although, admittedly, it also took me two consecutive viewings to realize that).

The small spacecraft "Dark Star" is endlessly voyaging through the galaxy, on their twenty years long mission to destroy redundant little planets. To be entirely honest, and confirmed via a formal video message during the beginning, nobody on earth really cares about the men aboard; - not even following the electrocution accident that neutralized the Commander and reduced the crew from five to four. The cheesy (but adorable) country song playing throughout the opening credits is already quite clear and significant. Benson, Arizona, is probably one of the most boring places on earth, but still a location to desperately crave for when you're stuck in a claustrophobic shuttle in outer space! Personally, I find it genius to revolve an entire film around the message how utopic and anti-adventurous space-traveling can be, in fact, but I also reckon that many spectators are put off by the incredibly slow pacing, the almost complete lack of action and the utmost silly visuals & sound effects. The key secret to truly enjoy "Dark Star", if you're open-minded enough, is to look out for all the delightful absurdities and the insane dialogs between the astronauts mutually and with the "intelligent bomb". You simply got to love the pet alien, for instance, which is just a beach toy with duck feet, or the useless but nevertheless formal and stoic video-diaries. Heck, I even find it hilarious that the crew members don't remember each other's first names - or even their own ones - after addressing them by their last names for 20 years straight! Admittedly you require an odd cinematic taste to laugh out loud with dialogues such as: "Hey bomb, what's your number one purpose in life?" "To explode, of course!", but I certainly prefer this over dull and pretentious milestones like "Star Trek" or "2001".

John Carpenter's delightfully droll, dry, and deadpan debut theatrical feature relates the bleakly amusing story of a hapless spaceship crew -- mellow surfing enthusiast Lt. Doolittle (amiable Brian Narelle),gruff, belligerent Boiler (Dre Pahich),the remote and detached Talby (Cal Kuniholm),and the dim-witted Sgt. Pinback (an especially inspired performance by co-writer Dan O' Bannon) -- whose thankless mission is to float around the universe destroying unstable planets. The only problem is that after twenty years in the last great frontier these guys have become exceedingly coarse, hostile, and emotionally blank to the point where they are barely even human any more.

This often wickedly hilarious pitch-black comedy's key impressive achievement is the way it totally deromantizes the concept of space travel and reveals the drab mundane reality of drifting through various galaxies on a regular basis as basically just another soul-sucking and dehumanizing job that's just like working in the same dreary office for far too long. The amusing offbeat humor offers a wealth of genuinely clever and frequently sidesplitting moments: Pinback attempting to feed the cute, but crafty and aggressive alien mascot (said alien mascot is obviously nothing more than a beach-ball with claws!),Doolittle having a ridiculous philosophical debate with a neurotic talking bomb that's eager to blow up real good, Pinback's priceless bitter video diary, a sultry-voiced "female" computer who cheerfully warns the crew about assorted impending dangers, the deceased frozen captain dishing out advice in a whiny tone, and Doolittle using a piece of spaceship debris as a makeshift surfboard in the gloriously trippy closing shot. This grimly absurdist sensibility in turn gives the picture a feeling of remarkable peculiarity that comes across as quite natural, unforced, and ultimately endearing. The irreverence at work throughout acquires additional kooky charm and substantial impact for being presented in an admirably low-key and subtle manner. Moreover, Carpenter manages to create sequences of exceptional nerve-wracking tension amid all the rampant tomfoolery; the set piece with Pinback trapped in the elevator shaft is really harrowing at times. Douglas Knapp's cinematography makes the most out of the cramped, confined, and claustrophobic sets. Carpenter's shivery synthesizer score likewise does the trick. The twangy country song "Benson Arizona" is extremely catchy and used perfectly at the very end. The special effects are surprisingly good considering the paltry budget. Granted, the acting is pretty rough around the edges, but it works in the context of the film. A pleasingly different and distinctive one-of-a-kind treat.