In the Dust of the Stars

Steeped to its very core with Marxist echoes that constantly highlight the metaphorical significance of the events depicted in the movie, Kolditz’s film represents a typical monotonous example of science fiction from behind the Iron Curtain (stuff that makes one want to reassess the soporific “First Spaceship on Venus”, 1960) – unbelievably didactic screenplay filled to the brim with dialogue straight from the manifesto, catatonic pacing, ghastly bursts of bleak Teutonic humor.

Even sharing the utopian assumptions and ideals put forward (e.g. “No human may oppress another” etc.), it’s practically impossible to justify the programmatic disregard for key elements of science fiction, such as attention to the characters’ psychological component, or at least the anthropological considerations of the civilizations depicted (we’ll mercifully ignore the purely scientific side of the film). By focusing exclusively on the allegorical realm and setting aside all other considerations, you run the risk of getting mired in a quicksand of sterile propaganda that’s shopworn to start with and certainly doesn’t improve with age.

Finally, it would be impossible not to mention the indescribable appearance of the inhabitants of TEM 4 (film critic Paolo Mereghetti pretty much hits the mark when he likens the film to a “Star Trek” episode directed by Ed Wood), as well as the insane dance scenes including the one in which Akala dances completely naked for no apparent reason.