The Black Hole

Play trailer

The Black Hole

PG

1979

1h 37m

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

42%

Tomatometer

38 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. Reindhardt (Maximilian Schell) and a bizarre, faceless army who plan to be the first people ever to explore a black hole.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Scott Collura

IGN Movies

Apr 4

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

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

01/16/2024

If you have a child in need of distracting, take them without fear to this inoffensive entertainment. In any other case, fear this black hole without end. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Tim O.

@Sealion66 1d

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.

See more

Tommy U

4d

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.

See more

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.

See more

David

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? :)

See more

David F

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.

See more

Dave W

Jul 29

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…

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Flash Gordon

83%

69%

Flash Gordon

Watchlist

Meteor

5%

14%

Meteor

Watchlist

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

91%

85%

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Somewhere in Time

52%

87%

Somewhere in Time

Watchlist

2010

68%

62%

2010

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

12 Incredibly Weird Movies on Disney+ You Probably Forgot Existed

Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole

Wiseman Talks "Underworld" and "Die Hard" Sequels

View more photos

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. Reindhardt (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

Most Popular at Home Now