LIFEFORCE (1985) - By the mid '80s, Cannon Films was looking to move away from low-budget, disposable fare like HOSPITAL MASSACRE (1981) and BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO (1984). Owners Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus had loftier ambitions: They wanted a blockbuster; a big-budget smash that they could call their own. To this end, they signed director Tobe Hooper to a three-picture deal and turned him loose with $25,000,000 and free reign to create the movie he wanted. Working with a stellar, mostly British cast (save token American star Steve Railsback, who apparently misplaced his charisma at Heathrow; and startlingly uninhibited French goddess Mathilda May); legendary composer Henry Mancini; and a screenplay co-written by the man who wrote ALIEN (1979), Hooper unleashed a wonderfully unwieldy miasma of genres. What starts out as a science fiction mystery gradually morphs into full blown, zombie apocalypse horror - played with square-jawed seriousness by all involved. Unfortunately, this film got lost among that years' heavy-hitters like BACK TO THE FUTURE and the second RAMBO film, and earned back less than half its budget. Cannon Films ceased operations in 1994, but their ambitious attempt to stand amongst the major studios keeps giving back to its growing cult audience via home video. Sometimes success takes a few decades.
