Supernova

Science Fiction, Thriller

James Spader	Nick Vanzant
Angela Bassett	Kaela Evers
Robert Forster	A.J. Marley
Lou Diamond Phillips	Yerzy Penalosa
Peter Facinelli	Karl Larson
Robin Tunney	Danika Lund
Wilson Cruz	Benj Sotomejor
Eddy Rice Jr.	Flyboy
Knox White	Troy Larson

Director	Walter Hill; Jack Sholder; Thomas Lee; Francis Ford Coppola
Producer	Daniel Chuba; Jamie Dixon
Writer	William Malone; Daniel Chuba

The makers of Supernova are apparently counting on the fact that generational turnover renders old formulas fresh again for new audiences. This is the only explanation for a sci-fi thriller that could charitably be called a "homage" to Ridley Scott's trend setting Alien. A medical rescue ship responds to a distress call from a mining colony and finds only one survivor: a strange young man (Peter Facinelli), who comes aboard carrying an even stranger alien artefact. But the plot of this film, which was directed and then disowned by Walter Hill, grows confused as it tries to explain the sinister force that will lead to a star transforming to supernova status, causing a universe-shattering explosion. Some nice sexual tension between James Spader (as the recovering drug-addict co-pilot) and Angela Bassett (as the ship's doctor). Notable mostly, however, for the eerie resemblance, both physical and vocal, between Facinelli and Tom Cruise. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com