Only because you can't choose 0 stars (or minus stars)

This movie is terrible. The synopsis is completely misleading. Don't waste money or time on this one!

Don't buy if you're under 35: Great for those older than that.

I'll be blunt. If you're younger than 35 you will not like this movie. The effects are crude. The dialog is forced. The acting is what you'll find in a high school play.

Now, I like this movie. This movie came out when finding a good science fiction movie in the early '70s was near impossible. This movie came out 4 years after Star Trek died and it would be another 3 years until Star Wars. You took what you could get in space adventure and this was it.

The plot of Dark Star is simple; she must make star systems safe for future human inhabitants by clearing unstable planets. A crew is sent from earth on a multi-year mission. They go a little insane on the way. Much of the interaction of the crew is based off this sheer boredom with one another. Note, this movie was made long before women were astronauts. So, the makers of this movie thought future exploration of space would keep the single sex theme. With no women and not being homosexual the men go mad with boredom.

One of the planet destroying bombs gets a fault by some static electrictiy from a passing asteroid. The bomb starts thinking it's in a count down mode to destruction. Eventually, the bomb wrecks the ship. However, the crew isn't killed.

One of the members the ship gets a piece of wreckage and surfs it to reentry on a close by planet. He falls off the board and wipes out... cool. The movie ends.

Get the movie on discount. It's a solid three stars.

If you're less than 35 you'll hate this movie. That is a fact.

...Classic Sci-Fi with a few rough edges...

I was drawn to this movie after perusing through some of the John Carpenter movie lists here on Amazon. The customer reviews tended to be generally positive so I figured I'd give it a try.

There were many parts of this movie which were laugh-out-loud funny and there were others which were almost painful to watch. There were parts of the "alien" sequence which were completely hilarious but I felt that the whole sequence was about 5 min too long.

As long as the viewer can ignore the gaping plot holes and the no-budget wardrobe doesn't detract too much, this movie can be enjoyed for what it was - a student film by a future master of the genre (sci-fi, horror, suspense).

There were parts of this film that can be recognized in more modern films with much larger budgets (the light-speed sequence for one - eat your heart out G Lucas LOL).

Buy this one if only to complete your Carpenter library but rent it with one of your buddies and a few beers to enjoy this brief glimpse into the formative mind of John Carpenter.