The Black Hole

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The Black Hole

PG

1979

1h 37m

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In the future, a spaceship dubbed the USS Palomino is on its way back to Earth when it discovers another ship that had been assumed missing, the USS Cygnus. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux), a scientist aboard the Palomino, learns that it's the same ship upon which her father had served as a crew member. When the Palomino's crew boards the Cygnus, they are met by Dr. Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell) and a bizarre, faceless army who plan to be the first people ever to explore a black hole.

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Critics Consensus

While lavishly crafted and brimming with ambitious ideas, The Black Hole probes the depths of space with an unexciting story and hokey melodrama.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

03/09/2009

It is good to see the Disney craftsmen doing what they do best on such a grand and risky scale. If one has time for only one space opera this season, this is the one to choose.

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Time Out

02/09/2006

Disney's most ambitious and costly production to date -- about a spaceship crew which encounters a Black Hole and a long-lost madman -- and if looks were everything, you could hardly fault it.

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

05/09/2005

It cost half as much as Star Trek and looks better -- not as lavish, perhaps, but more original. The special effects are fancy, and the design even more so.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Mar 1

3/5

…too slow for kids, yet too silly for adults, The Black Hole now travels through various realities to an unexpected second-life, as a handsome and thought-provoking entertainment for adults who want to remain kids at heart…

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Scott Collura

IGN Movies

04/04/2025

This ultimately empty if visually interesting film still left a huge impression on a certain generation.

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

02/24/2024

3/4

A bizarre Disney-fied mash-up of FORBIDDEN PLANET and STAR WARS, this darker existential story is imperfect but also fascinating.

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Tim O.

@Sealion66 Feb 2

This is a true Disney classic. Some would disagree but it's true. Yes, its has its flaws but it is a visual spectacle using at the time cutting edge special effects and the most expensive Disney film at that time. Also the first PG rated Disney film too. To this day it has a cult following... Even if you just want to watch it once, just to see the visuals, it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects 1979 but Alien beat it.

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Tommy U

@RT56384213 Jan 30

One of my childhood favorites that is still a classic in my eyes. I was only 7 when it came out and always had fond memories of the movie thinking the special effects was top notch.

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Brigid O

@BrigidCollins Jan 18

In 1979 I was 18 and I didn’t know before buying the movie ticket that this was a Disney movie. Dopey movie and waste of money. Dopier than C3PO and R2-D2. Easily the worst movie I have paid for at a theater.

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David T

@RT92378629 Nov 6

I'm only dropping half a star because I loved the robot actors more than the human ones. 45 years later does it sound familiar? :)

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David F

@RT34372367 Aug 8

While not the best sci-fi film of its time, it suffers unfairly from comparisons to Star Wars, and the other four major space pictures that came out at the time. The reason it's unfair is that this was actually conceived as a disaster film, way before Star Wars was released. It has some stand-out performances, notably from Ernest Borgnine playing more or less the same character that he played in The Poseidon Adventure, Maximillian Schell, and Anthony Perkins. The matte work in the film is excellent, as is John Barry's music. The story is fairly predictable, and the robots... well, let's just say they will appeal to younger viewers.

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Dave W

@RT08255205 07/29/2025

While there are occasional glimpses of creativity, this film is horribly flawed and a waste of time and money. The story begins dull and slowly gets sucked into a black hole of stupidity. An all-star cast cannot rescue it from its fate. It’s too late for me, I got sucked into the void, hoping all the while it would get better. Save yourself; avoid this at all costs…

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Gary Nelson

Director

Maximilian Schell

Dr. Hans Reinhardt

Anthony Perkins

Dr. Alex Durant

Yvette Mimieux

Dr. Kate McCrae

Robert Forster

Captain Dan Holland

Joseph Bottoms

Lieutenant Charles Pizer

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Synopsis

In the future, a spaceship dubbed the USS Palomino is on its way back to Earth when it discovers another ship that had been assumed missing, the USS Cygnus. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux), a scientist aboard the Palomino, learns that it's the same ship upon which her father had served as a crew member. When the Palomino's crew boards the Cygnus, they are met by Dr. Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell) and a bizarre, faceless army who plan to be the first people ever to explore a black hole.

Director: Gary Nelson
Producer: Ron Miller
Screenwriter: Jeb Rosebrook, Gerry Day
Production Co: Walt Disney Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo