Ikarie XB 1
Ikarie XB 1
| 26 July 1963 (USA)
Ikarie XB 1 Trailers

The year is 2163. Starship Ikaria XB 1 embarks on a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity.

Reviews
Develiker

terrible... so disappointed.

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Reptileenbu

Did you people see the same film I saw?

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Janae Milner

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

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Mandeep Tyson

The acting in this movie is really good.

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tomimt

Sci-fi is a difficult genre. The reason is, that most of the sci-fi movies are very effect driven, so that might become problem, if the movie has nothing else to offer besides the effects: bad plot makes clunky effects look even sillier. Very few sci-fi movies have managed to keep the charm and awe of movies like Metropolis, which manages to look good even todays standards.Ikarie XB1 is a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the sets look very good. The interiors of the space ship look nice and futuristic without looking silly, the space suit design is very clever, the acting is good and the plot is, while not the greatest thing ever written, relatively well executed. But what is very disappointing in the movie are the exterior shots of the space ships. They look cheap and the ship design is ridiculous with its box shapes and flying saucer shaped shuttles. I wasn't very positively surprised by the music either, which tries too hard to sound like futuristic tech noise.All in all, Ikarie XB1 was a quite positive surprise. I did laugh at couple of occasions, just because of the special effects, but it really isn't that bad of a movie, after you get past of those silly looking space ships. All in all, well worth a watch to a sci-fi fans

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slevant3

I'm one of those rare individuals who viewed Ikarie XB 1 ( Voyage to The End of The Universe) during it's original theatrical release in the U.S. I found the interpretation of dance in the future quite interesting. ( I wonder if the use of ribbons was foreshadowing of events to come in the Olympics?) I also recall the continued reference to the colonists reaching "...the Green Planet". In the version of the film I screened way back in the swinging 60's, the green planet was Earth! Early science fiction film efforts from other countries offer a window into the similarities and differences of varied ideologies in the world. They also show that everyone wants a bit of adventure on the "Big Screen". This film is recommended viewing for the nostalgic among us.

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pro_crustes

This is for sf-film completists. It seems to fill a gap between the late-50's style of sf movie and the forever-after effects of Star Trek and Kubrick's "2001." The only version you're likely to see is the American International release. The Encyclopedia of SF says the original film is in color, but AI's print is B&W, probably to save costs on the number of prints they may have made from a film I suspect they got for little money in the first place.The story is about a big "community" sized spaceship making a long journey to "the green planet." Another reviewer said the ship was faster than light, but a couple of references to time-dilation effects in the dialog make it more likely that the ship was a near-lightspeed model. This has an influence on the spooky atmosphere that pervades the whole film, making the crew/community highly insular, as they realize they are cut off completely from the lives they have left behind.The sfx are slightly better than Dr. Who episodes of similar vintage, with a couple of really good spacesuits and an unusual design for the ship itself. There's also a very, very neat shot of the ship in orbit around its destination that is a dead ringer for a similar moment in "Alien," and quite effective (in both films), in a way that most movies about spaceships seem to forego.Still, the story rambles and seems kind of shallow. The sets and sfx aren't bad, but don't make up for the weak script. I recommend this for true lovers of the form (as I am), because you just wouldn't want to be left wondering what might have been going on in sf films, even east European ones, in the early '60s. Here's your answer.

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treddie

Considering that this film was made in 1963, in Czechoslovakia, at a time when so much sci-fi schlok was produced in the spacefaring United States, this film is a rare, welcome sight to the eyes. Intelligently produced and designed, with good character development and good special effects, I miss seeing this film which seems to have been lost in the Great Transition To Video; I know of no distributors for it. It does have its corny moments, but this is excusable in light of the time in which it was made. The ending was unfortunately changed for U.S. viewers, which is a shame; It is the U.S. ending which gets criticized most...I imagine the European ending would have been more in keeping with its originality, and would hope that American International would re-release it in the U.S., with new dubbing (I'm one of those non-purists who can't stand sub-titles...they interfere with the enjoyment of the image. And yes, dubbing CAN be done well, when done RIGHT!). It's been nineteen years since I saw it over the airwaves. I hope it has not vanished; It would be a shame for others not to experience it.

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