Tonight the stars revolt in the pulp science fiction interplanetary feature Fugitive From Asteron, directed by Dan T. Hall, with the screenplay by Gen LaGreca, who also wrote the novel it was based on. Far in the future, the planet Asteron is a bleak world where tyranny has reduced all the individuals into a faceless, impoverished mass. Arial (Rory Gibson) was a fighter pilot for Asteron’s ruling class until he disobeyed an order to open fire on a mass protest for the right to fair elections. Becoming one of the shunned, he digs himself deeper by falling in love with Reevah (Jamie Stilwell), despite the government’s strict ordinances of federally arranged marriages. Also, Reevah had garnered the unwanted attention of the evil Feran (Henry Ian Cusick), the ruthless overlord of Asteron. To punish the young couple for outlaw love, Feran has Reevah hanged and Arial publicly whipped, as an example to others who dared to feel other than how they were told to.
Feran escapes from Asteron in a stolen craft with unknown precious cargo on it. He lands on a strange planet called Earth, and changes his name to Alexander, from a baseball player Arial saw in his dreams. His new home has a lot of customs he does not understand. The woman he met, Kristin Merritt (Morgan Bradley), openly expresses her opposition to elected officials she doesn’t like. His new boss, Myfronie Whitman (Dean Cain), doesn’t want to stifle Alexander’s exceptionality like it was on Asteron, where everyone is no better than anyone else. He also can fly as high as he wants with fellow pilot Kristin, though he fears his feelings for her will get her lynched as well. Also, he is being hunted by forces from Asteron, as Alexander has something they want back. Now.
Arial (Rory Gibson) faces off against Feran (Henry Ian Cusick) in Fugitive from Asteron.
“Arial was a fighter pilot for Asteron’s ruling class, until he disobeyed an order to open fire on a mass protest for the right to fair elections.”
Fugitive From Asteron is the first try at space opera by director Hall, who has previously had an extensive career in the ghost hunter sector of the film world. Looks like Hall has successfully jumped into the hyperspace of sci-fi, as he has a spacesuit and will travel. Fugitive From Asteron is a lot smarter than your average shower of laser fire, with writer LaGreca mixing a lot of depth into her starry sky. First of all is plenty of what Quentin Crisp referred to as the variety of tone, which allows a lot of reflective moments amid the big spectacles. LaGreca keeps everything paced smartly with a strong romantic momentum that flows beneath your feet like hot lava. Seeing Bradley teach a stumbling Gibson the basic rules of attraction brought to mind the classic Splash, except with Gibson as the hunky merman.
I was of two minds about the special effects used in Fugitive From Asteron. There were many times where the created visuals had a hypnotic quality that was very appealing. It is either CGI, AI, or a mix of both, but it is shiny and fascinating. It was part of the reason why this movie has a 30s sci-fi pulp magazine vibe going, like the cover of an issue of Astounding Stories. The other reason is the abundance of airplane sequences, a big attraction in the aerial dogfight pulp circuit. Fugitive From Asteron is essentially Top Gun meets Harrison Bergeron, with an individualist sci-fi concept riding a jet stream of hurricane fighter plane cloud dancing. This will please the husbands watching who grow antsy during the lovey-dovey bits for the wives.
"…has a philosophical subtext that resounds with a bigger audience than ever."
