Wing Commander
Wing Commander (1999)
Half the Scooby-Doo cast fighting aliens in space… alongside Saffron Burrows… sign me up. Ok, so this one is a guilty pleasure.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you Wing Commander is amazing. Hell, even the lead has disowned it, but… it’s fun. I don’t believe you can ever truly go too wrong when you have a squadron of fighter pilots engaging with aliens in order to protect Earth. Plus, I like the framework for this one. One ship has to hold up a fleet long enough to make a difference. That in itself, is something a little different, especially how they work it.
Does it lead to a riveting end space battle? not really, although I do love the submarine style approach between the Tiger Claw and the alien destroyer. But, it does lay out the stakes nice and early, and give the audience a ticking clock. We know exactly what needs to be done, and why, and are left watching the movie to learn the how.
It’s funny as when this movie came out it felt like we were getting cool Sci-Fi’s every month so it was just another mid budget sci-fi action flick, but now that the only way we’re getting a sci-fi is if the Avengers go to space, films like these play a little differently for me.
It’s still cheesy. The characters don’t overly develop. We know most of the big beats before they happen. It’s none of the casts best work. But damn it, it’s fun. It doesn’t take itself to seriously. We still want them to succeed. I love the relationship between Maniac and Rosie, and the chat Rosie and Angel have about it. I like all the stuff between the captains onboard Tiger Claw. Yes it doesn’t really go anyway, but the interactions are still so sci-fi.
It’s also interesting once again seeing the budget restraints that used to exist for these mid-budget movies. Some of the space CGI looked great, while other rear projection cockpit shots looked hilarious. The aliens were awful, but the ships looked cool. I miss these kinds of production battles and compromises. Everything looks either too clean or too fake now.
For me, Wing Commander is an easy watch. Something to just switch my brain off and enjoy, and honestly, I think that was its intention. Maybe everyone involved wanted more out of it, but it does enough for me. I would have gladly watched a sequel back then.
