Where to watch Wing Commander
1 Star
Wing Commander hit the big screen a few weeks before The Matrix arrived and changed sci-fi films for the next decade. The small-scale and cheap looking adaption of the popular video game is a total waste of time for intelligent audience members expecting thrills, relatable characters, or anything resembling professional craftsmanship at a high level. All of these essential attributes are missing from this horrendous film that provides little of the excitement and ingenuity that made the source material so intriguing.
Earth 2645. The galactic federation is in the midst of a vicious battle with an alien race called the Kilrathi. An elite fighter squadron is called upon to retrieve a navigational device that will allow the user to jump through worm-holes and cause surprise attack behind enemy lines. Christopher “Maverick” Blair (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and his friend, Todd “Maniac” Mashall (Matthew Lillard), are mankind’s last chance as they attempt to intercept the Kilrathi and to hold off the aliens until reinforcements arrive.
The only interesting aspect of Wing Commander is that it features the umpteenth pairing of Prinze Jr. and Lillard, and the rest of the cast feels like it was chosen based on affiliation with the film Das Boot. This is a visually dull film brimming with the typical clichés that abound in most Star Wars knock-offs. However, Wing Commander is particularly offensive to those with an affinity for the video game and the sci-fi film genre.
Director: Chris Roberts
Stars: Freddie Prinze, Jr., Saffron Burrows, Matthew Lillard, Tchéky Karyo, Jürgen Prochnow