Supernova

Begun by Romper Stomper director Geoffrey Wright, finished by 48 HRS director Walter Hill, re-edited against his wishes by Francis Ford Coppola and then partly re-shot by The Hidden director Jack Sholder, it's no wonder this drag of a sci-fi adventure is an incomprehensible mess. Credited to a bogus name - Thomas Lee, the new century's friendlier-sounding Alan Smithee replacement - this relentlessly mediocre Alien rip-off at least looks good, as it shambles through the familiar conventions of the genre. A medical crew in deep space answer a distress call and take on board the only survivor of a mysterious mining accident. The stranger (Peter Facinelli) has discovered an alien artefact from the ninth dimension (looking rather like a large glowing lava lamp!) with the power to destroy all life in the universe and start over from scratch. James Spader and Angela Bassett try in vain to soften the ridiculous impact of such clumsy space-opera theatrics, while the rest of the cast do little but disrobe. Alas, the distinct lack of fresh ideas keep this suspenseless, badly edited and overcooked melodrama from rising above even the most routine B-movie throwaway.