1993’s Lifepod flew under the radar but delivered a tense and engaging sci fi thriller with a character-driven story that is worth revisiting.
What Is It?
This television movie aired on FOX in the early ’90s and drew its inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Lifeboat (which was based on a short story he wrote). The majority of the action takes place on a lifepod that escapes from a space liner that was destroyed by sabotage while returning to Earth from Venus. Eight people make it onboard, but the poorly equipped space lifeboat suffers damage after the destruction of the liner and they must figure out how to survive on limited rations until a rescue ship discovers them. And they must also contend with a murderer onboard who is trying to pick off the others one by one in order to prolong the chances for survival with the limited air and provisions available.
Aired: FOX, June 28, 1993
Cast: Jessica Tuck, Ron Silver, CCH Pounder, Robert Loggia, Adam Storke, Stan Shaw, Ed Gale, Kelli Williams
Crew: John Sliver (Director) Jay Roach (Writer), Pen Densham (Writer), Alfred Hitchcock (Original Story), Harry Sylvester (Original Story), Scott Brazil (Executive Producer)
Legacy:
This underappreciated claustrophobic sci fi tale channels the Alfred Hitchcock original but also delivers its own unique character-driven tale which presents a gripping drama of people trying to survive in the face of overwhelming odds.
A Closer Look:
Back in the late-’80s/early-’90s, there was a time when the fledgling FOX network pretty much carried the torch for genre programming on the broadcast channels. It delivered the cult-favorite show Alien Nation in 1989 (which was cancelled only due to that network’s early financial struggles) and a few years later gave us the sci fi/western The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and an upstart little show known as The X-Files. And in the same year that the latter two shows debuted, FOX produced a couple of sleeper sci fi TV movies in 12:01 (watch for a future post on that one) and Lifepod.
Lifepod was the better of these two films (though they were both quite enjoyable) and it’s definitely a gem that sci fi fans should seek out. It borrowed from the Hitchcock classic Lifeboat, but it has less of the moral dilemmas of that one as it builds its story more around paranoia, distrust, and the desperate decisions that people make in dire circumstances. The handful of survivors who make it onto the one lifepod that escapes from the ill-fated space liner all question how each other managed to arrive there, and when the further sabotage of the pod begins, the distrust kicks into high gear. The movie manages to establish the many potential motives of the characters without feeling contrived as we discover that several onboard have been touched by hard-line Earthcore’s efforts to quash a rebellion that has been brewing on Venus. And several of the seemingly unlikely coincidences that we notice early in the film are worked into the overall story and addressed with satisfying explanations by the time it wraps up.
As a character-driven tale, it relies heavily on its actors to keep its momentum moving forward, especially when the action is limited to a few confined spaces. But the entire cast is up to the task as several up-and-coming talents as well as a few B-listers give a hundred percent to the production. Viewers watching this today will likely ask “where did I see that person before?”, and many of the cast members have extensive genre credits, though mostly in guest or co-starring roles. Jessica Tuck provides the cast with a strong female lead, and genre fans may know her from her stints on shows like Grimm, True Blood, and FlashForward. CCH Pounder (Warehouse 13, Millennium) also boards the ship as does Adam Storke (Prey, The Stand), and Robert Loggia (Independence Day, Wild Palms, and a million other guest-starring roles).
The movie relies on old-school model special effects (which I personally love), and it does a good job with that while also using its sfx very judiciously. It has mostly fallen off the radar since it first aired back in 1993, which is a bit of injustice as it delivers a quite good sci fi tale that stands the test of time. I recommend checking this out, whether you are seeing it for the first time or revisiting it, as Lifepod is a sleeper of a sci fi film that is definitely worth your time.
Should It Be Rebooted?
No. This movie did exactly what it set out to do and did it quite well. Sure, some of the special effects may not quite stand up to current production values, but this one is not about the sfx. It’s about throwing together a group of people in a desperate situation and using that scenario to observe the human condition. It accomplished that and a reboot would have little to add.
Interesting Facts:
There was a 1981 movie also titled Lifepod which starred Joe Penny and Kristine DeBell and which appears to have a very similar premise. The description on Amazon reads as follows: “An interstellar pleasure cruise turns into a nightmare when a computer takes control and issues an emergency evacuation order”. It is currently available to stream for free (with ads) on Tubi TV and you can purchase it VOD from places like Amazon.com.
Lifepod executive Producer Pen Densham had created the short-lived series Space Rangers for CBS that aired earlier in the year and was quickly cancelled (read more about that one at this link). Lifepod was filmed on the same soundstage.
Where Can You Watch It?
The DVD release of this film is out of print, but you can still find it from Amazon Sellers. It is available to stream for free (with ads) at services like Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, and FeeVee.
