The Black Hole

Name: The Black Hole
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Released: 1979-12-18
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 3
Cast: Joseph Bottoms, Roddy McDowall, Maximilian Schell, Tom McLoughlin, Slim Pickens

A journey that begins where everything ends!

Rating

3.0 (1)

Release Date

12/18/1979

Runtime

98 mins

Genres

Action Adventure Science Fiction

Overview

The explorer craft USS Palomino is returning to Earth after a fruitless 18-month search for extra-terrestrial life when the crew comes upon a supposedly lost ship, the USS Cygnus, hovering near a black hole. The ship is controlled by Dr. Hans Reinhardt and his monstrous robot companion, but the initial wonderment and awe the Palomino crew feel for the ship and its resistance to the power of the black hole turn to horror as they uncover Reinhardt's plans.

Status

Released

Original Language

English

Budget

$20,000,000

Revenue

$35,841,901

Homepage

Visit

How It Feels

Read from this film's synopsis, keywords and credits, and used to work out what it sits beside.

A haunting sci-fi thriller where discovery turns to dread as a seemingly miraculous salvage becomes a descent into a mad scientist's apocalyptic vision. The overwhelming scale of space and the black hole creates an inescapable sense of doom.

Mood

Dread-soakedUnsettlingTenseEpic

Themes

ObsessionTechnologySurvivalCorruption

Tone

Operatic

Pacing

Steady

Look

Widescreen epicPractical effectsFormalist

Structure

Linear

Heads up

Graphic violence

Maximilian Schell

Dr. Hans Reinhardt

Anthony Perkins

Dr. Alex Durant

Robert Forster

Captain Dan Holland

Joseph Bottoms

Lieutenant Charles Pizer

Yvette Mimieux

Dr. Kate McCrae

Ernest Borgnine

Harry Booth

Tom McLoughlin

Captain S.T.A.R.

Roddy McDowall

V.I.N.CENT. (voice) (uncredited)

Slim Pickens

B.O.B. (voice) (uncredited)

Gary Nelson

Drone with Mask Removed (uncredited)

Reviews

christopher

Dec 31, 2025

The ending will never make a damn bit of sense, but the ride to it will always be a fun one for me.
Production design, visual FX, and cast were top notch for the time.
Science be damned and full speed ahead!