I have to admit that I'd never heard of "The Starlost" when it debuted (I was a 14-year-old at the time), and only discovered it as a stand-alone Roku channel. I figured "Why not?" and bookmarked it, and I've since watched a few episodes.
Where to begin? The production values were, uhhh, "spartan" (think latter-day Roger Corman), exemplified by the use of videotape instead of film for recording. The script-writing was more reminiscent of a hurried "Space 1999" than "Star Trek" and the acting...well, the cast wasn't all that great but it's hard to imagine Shatner and Nimoy making "The Starlost" work under the same conditions.
Many other reviewers have gone at length explaining WHY this show ended up the way it did despite a promising premise...suffice to say that SEVERE budget cuts unraveled Harlan Ellison's original vision to the point that Ellison bailed on the project before the first episode was taped.
With all those minuses, why do I give this a rating of 5 (out of 10) stars? Because (like a Monte Cristo sandwich) the cheese brings it all together. The fact that the cast plays their roles straight with no hint of a wink or a nod actually helps. For me, the result was a so-bad-it's-good show that only requires application of Hillary Clinton's "willing suspension of reality" line to enjoy.
If you take your SciFi with dead seriousness, "The Starlost" is definitely not for you. If you can take your SciFi with a grain of salt, give it a shot...if you just lower your expectations a bit, you'll probably "get" it.
Where to begin? The production values were, uhhh, "spartan" (think latter-day Roger Corman), exemplified by the use of videotape instead of film for recording. The script-writing was more reminiscent of a hurried "Space 1999" than "Star Trek" and the acting...well, the cast wasn't all that great but it's hard to imagine Shatner and Nimoy making "The Starlost" work under the same conditions.
Many other reviewers have gone at length explaining WHY this show ended up the way it did despite a promising premise...suffice to say that SEVERE budget cuts unraveled Harlan Ellison's original vision to the point that Ellison bailed on the project before the first episode was taped.
With all those minuses, why do I give this a rating of 5 (out of 10) stars? Because (like a Monte Cristo sandwich) the cheese brings it all together. The fact that the cast plays their roles straight with no hint of a wink or a nod actually helps. For me, the result was a so-bad-it's-good show that only requires application of Hillary Clinton's "willing suspension of reality" line to enjoy.
If you take your SciFi with dead seriousness, "The Starlost" is definitely not for you. If you can take your SciFi with a grain of salt, give it a shot...if you just lower your expectations a bit, you'll probably "get" it.