Velocity Trap (1999) User Reviews

Decent B-movie sci-fi action

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 26 November 2016]

As straight-to-video trash goes, this title isn't bad. It at least has plenty of action going on to stop it from ever becoming boring (probably the biggest sin of all in my book). Sure, the low budget is apparent and the plot is a cheap rip-off of just about any film you care to mention - although particularly the phrase "Die Hard in outer space" springs to mind - but the acting and action is serviceable if not original.

In a low budget vehicle, only cheap actors will do, which is where leading man Olivier Gruner comes in. Gruner is the veteran of a whole slew of no-budget sci-fi knock-offs in the late '90s, with generic titles like AUTOMATIC, SAVAGE, and MARS. This is my first exposure to the actor and he comes off quite well as the physical hero, although his character, Raymond Stokes, seems to be lacking a few brain cells here and there. Gruner may not be the most intelligent or charismatic of screen heroes, but he's quite likable in his own way, and fits the bill for this kind of job. Besides you have to like any actor who doesn't take himself entirely seriously (Gruner practises ballet at one amusing point in the film).

Elsewhere in the cast, Alicia Coppola plays the female lead, easy on the eye and actually displaying some intellect for a change (she's the one who actually has a clue what to do). Ken Olandt is the bad guy, but he's a) too nice and b) too young to pose that much of a threat. Although the fact that the bad guys actually have personalities and are real people, not just mindless thugs as in so many other films, must give this film some kind of kudos. Eagle-eyed viewers will also spot an ageing Craig Wasson (the lead in De Palma's BODY DOUBLE) popping up early on as Gruner's corrupt superior.

Some of the special effects in this film are surprisingly good, even if a little too obviously done with computers. The spaceships look nice and the warp effect is quite impressive, and they even throw in a passable STAR WARS-inspired dogfight between two ships at one point. The action consists in the time-honoured tradition of having the bad guys get picked off one by one by our hero, and the various death scenes are varied and interesting. There are a few gun battles and one (good) physical battle to keep things moving along, as well as lots of lame jokes and dialogue which manages to be funny some of the time. It also has to be said that I didn't see the ending coming, where nobody trusts anybody and the heroes take the cash for themselves. Allover, VELOCITY TRAP is a passable thriller, not inspired or exciting, but fun to watch if you're in the right easygoing mood.

Only for Gruner fans

[metalrox_2000 · 4/10 · 28 November 2005]

Being a fan of the b movie sci fi flicks, and a fan of Oliver Gruner's work, I decided to check out Velocity Trap. What I got was in somewhat incoherent mess with a film, with a very bizarre premise. There is a patch of outer space that human's have to be asleep to travel in, yet a group of human thieves are going to high jack the ship while it's in that space, while human security guard Gruner protects the cargo. Huh? Gruner is framed in a implausible set up, and has to guard the ship's cargo as punishment. The job is considered a step down from his former position of glory. Did I mention he was set up by his own boss so that his boss could have Gruner's wife? Oaky, that we can let slide. There are some very weak, and rather unexplainable character turns, and for someone reason, the writers tried to throw a curve with every turn, and they fail badly. They hurt the film by outsmarting themselves, as they try to take a plot that should only be used on Star Trek TV show, or any other sci fi show like Andromada. The special effects are somewhat decent, and the acting is passable. There was so much that could have been done, and sadly, this film is more of an example of what could have been, versus an example of quality sci fi. Check out only if you are a fellow Oliver Gruner fan. Other then that, you won't miss much by missing the movie.

Could have been much better, but not that bad on the whole

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 17 February 2013]

Velocity Trap is one of those movies that is neither terrible or great. In fact my thoughts were mixed here, meaning that there were good things and also bad things. Starting with the good things, Velocity Trap does look good. The special effects are really quite decent, the movie is well shot and the galactic settings and ship are more than convincing as well. There is some solid action, efficiently choreographed, spiritedly performed and decently shot, that ensures that Velocity Trap doesn't get tedious. The music score is memorable and atmospheric enough to not get generic and overbearing. The acting is also better than average, okay Olivier Gruner often looks as though he's in tears, but Alicia Coppola and Jorja Fox are very appealing and Ken Orlandt is surprisingly good. However, here come the debits. The cardboard stereotypes that we have for characters are not really interesting or developed enough to make you root for them, but the actors do deserve credit by all means for trying to give some credibility to them. There is some wit in the dialogue, but there are one too many times where it's all clichéd, stilted and somewhat soppy. But the biggest problem was the story, which, while not dull, suffered from having interesting ideas that were never developed sufficiently, and I'll be honest there were one too many times when I was confused in alternative to enthralled. While the action parts were great, but the thriller ones were lacking in suspense and originality. The Sci-Fi elements looked good and had some good ideas going for them, but not enough time is spent to explore them well enough. In conclusion, looks good with solid action and better than average acting, but a ridiculous story sinks it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Quite good but not perfect

[tp320 · 25 April 2000]

Although filled with special effects and sometimes advertised as a sci-fi film, "Velocity Trap" is really an action film. A "Die Hard"-clone set in space. But since I loved "Die Hard" and especially "Under Siege", I decided to buy the film and check it out. Now that I have, I'm not disappointed at all although there were a few flaws.

The hero of this film is Olivier Gruner. His most famous film is probably "Cyborg", directed by the legendary Albert Pyun, but he has been in several other films as well. My personal favorite of his films is "Automatic", a surprisingly inventive action film with great fight scenes. Gruner definitely has the right stuff to be an action hero. He has "the accent", his fight scenes are always great and he even has a sense of humor which is especially apparent in "Velocity Trap". Not only that, he even starred in a family film(!) "The White Pony" and didn't look out of place.

Now, the plot here is nothing special but I guess nobody expects or even wants it to be. This is after all an action film, not "Boys Don't Cry". However, there are some pretty interesting humorous details in a few scenes. For example, there's a scene where Olivier Gruner is dancing ballet by himself! I thought Mark Dacascos singing karaoke in "Drive" was something but I was wrong. _This_ scene is something! There are also some good bits of dialogue here and there ("Can't take a joke, Stokes?" "Actually, many people find me very funny" or something along those lines).

The director is Phillip Roth who's previous work includes "Digital Man" and "Darkdrive". Although his films usually have a pretty low budget, they have some quite good effects and that is the case in this film as well. The chase in the end of the film is surprisingly effective and there are no obvious "blue/green screen-effects". The sets also work pretty well but the music was a letdown. It lacked a good theme and the underscore wasn't that great either. This film would have benefited greatly from a futuristic and energetic synthesizer score.

Also, while this is one of the best films from Phillip Roth, it lacks one key element that I expected from it: fight scenes. There's a fair amount of gunplay, some good stunts and some pretty nice explosions but I think fans of Olivier Gruner (myself included) were expecting more fights. As it is, there's really only one fight scene in the beginning of the film and even that is quite short and unspectacular.

Anyway, this is an effective action film. It doesn't even try to re-invent the genre but it's never boring. All in all, a very good effort from Mr. Roth, but the next time, a better score and more fight scenes, please! This one gets a 7.

Oh, and by the way, the DVD includes a great commentary from Phillip Roth, special effects expert Andy Hoffman and Olivier Gruner himself. This is one of the best and most entertaining commentaries I've heard since the commentary of "Darkdrive", which also includes a commentary by these guys (except Gruner) although it isn't even listed as a feature on the DVD box cover. In case you've heard the commentary of "Velocity Trap", I can tell you that the name of the actor they couldn't remember in the beginning of the movie is Yannick Bisson (here credited as Yannock Bisson, a typo perhaps?) and his show that they refer to is, of course, "High Tide" (a great show, also starred Rick Springfield). I recommend renting the DVD just for the commentary.

Has some amusing moments

[geoff-29 · 3/10 · 9 November 2002]

Don't get me wrong, this is a bad, bad movie, but there are some redeeming qualities. Funny on purpose is the Carmen montage. Funny by accident is the anti-chemistry between Jorja Fox and Ken Olandt, as well as the prop gun that falls apart during a battle (Gruner carries on like nothing happened).

I was able to watch it all the way through. In the category of "scifi movies you've never heard of", that's not too shabby.

Barely watchable, completely predictable

[isenberg-e · 2/10 · 22 September 2002]

This film has a completely predictable plot, shallow characterization, poor acting, and a terrible ending. Suitable for watching late at night when you absolutely cannot fall asleep, after which you will learn there are worse fates than counting sparkles on the bedroom ceiling.

Good effects, but the film is not worth seeing.

[gridoon · 4/10 · 16 June 2003]

As many others have already noted, the best thing about "Velocity Trap" is the quality of the special effects. They are very impressive, and they belie the film's low budget. Other than that, the film starts out as extremely confusing and baffling (I couldn't tell what was going on during the first 20 minutes), then elevates itself to the level of "passable". Olivier Gruner is wooden, but at least he shows a sense of humor about himself. (**)

Standard action sci-fi flick, but with some touches of wit

[AlabamaWorley1971 · 7/10 · 3 May 2001]

Olivier Gruner has two requirements for a classic rogue cop: his woman belongs to another man, and he has a dead daughter. For punishment, he's sent back to Earth on a slow boat carrying $40 million. Pirates board the ship to steal the dough, leaving Olivier to fight the bad guys with lots of flying effects and pretty sparks. What I like about Gruner is that he really doesn't take himself seriously, almost in the Jackie Chan mode (don't misunderstand, he doesn't have half the skills, but he does have fun). A cast full of folks who went on to bigger and better things -- including Alicia Coppola from "Bull" and Jorja Fox from "ER" and "CSI" -- rounds out the stereotyped cast. I caught it on cable and enjoyed it.

Another bunch of yahoos who think they can write science fiction!

[breckswordz · 1/10 · 31 March 2005]

I have by now resigned myself to the fact that cinematic science fiction is almost always inferior to the written version (witness "Starship Trooper(s)"), but the geniuses who made this monstrosity seem to think that all you need to make a science fiction film are special effects, a formulaic plot, and gobble-de-gook dialog. No actual SCIENCE needs to appear anywhere in the story. This is fantasy, not science fiction. It's no more scientific than "Lord of the Rings" or "Merlin."

The writers are also lazy. The story opens in the "Devos 3 System." Normally, this type of nomenclature would mean the third planet from a star called "Devos." There is no star named "Devos," but the writers are apparently too lazy to look up a real star. Later, the story shifts to a "moon" that is "7.5 light years" from Earth. A moon of what planet? A planet around what star? There is no star 7.5 LY from earth. Again, why not just take a minute or two to look up a real star and use that? (Wolf 359 is about 7.75 LY from here.)

This film seems to be aimed at underachieving ten-year-olds (most of the ten-year-olds I've met know that explosions can't be heard in a vacuum.) If you don't fit into this narrow demographic, skip this movie. Rent "Battlefield Earth" instead- at least Travolta's travesty can be viewed by adults as unintentional comedy.

And if you're looking for real science fiction and not just fantasy, try your local book store.

though the plot was simple I felt the Characters made the movie

[{goat} · 7/10 · 19 March 2000]

Velocity Trap, is a better than avrg movie. The affects combined with the character acting, pulled off by virtual unknowns, truly carried the movie. Alicia Coppola, who played Beth Sheffield the navigator, performed an outstanding job! She was tough, funny, and believable. In watching this movie I enjoyed the association between characters more than I did the plot.

Oh No, Not Again!

[runar-4 · 2/10 · 1 February 2003]

When the Sci-Fi Channel started running promos for Velocity Trap, it was touted as being from "...the director of Interceptor Force and Interceptor Force 2...". Those were insufferably bad, and this one wasn't disappointing in that respect. Phillip J. Roth is living proof that there is no limit to the extent that incompetence can be put on public display provided the perpetrator has no sense of shame and the ability to continue conning investors into supplying the funds. If Mr. Roth ever collaborates with William Shatner on a project, I think I'll find a doctor to put out my eyes and sew my ears shut before it has a chance of reaching me. The Three Stooges and "professional" wrestling are no longer the nadir on my personal scale of popular culture.

A bored cop, $40,000,000,000 and a band of space pirates.

[vidalsdauphin · 10/10 · 9 February 2003]

I happen to have a thing for telefilms and b-movies. I don't know what it is. Velocity Trap is a b-movie that, except for the stereotypical hispanic guy, is well-acted, well-written and comes with some solid CG (for a 6 yr. old b-movie). Olivier Gruner gives his best performance as the bored cop Ray Stokes and Alicia Coppala, in her only movie role, does pretty good herself and Ken Olandt is OK (FOR ONCE). Overall I think if this movie had an A movie budget and cast it could have been a theatrical hit.

Not that bad

[SanteeFats · 6/10 · 3 March 2014]

This wasn't that bad a movie although there were a couple of not possible's. Ships in space do not make externally audible noise, space is a vacuum and noise won't travel in it. Oh well. An interesting beginning to the whole show is when you learn that do to all the cyber crime that cash is the only monetary medium in use now. The plot of the movie has a nice twist when the robbers blow an asteroid so a chunk of it, on a carefully plotted course, will collide with the money ship. When the ship is intercepted by the bad guys the first to die is the captain, still in hibernation. The first robber to die is the stereotypical black man. Then we find out the ship's engineer is the traitor who gave the codes to the criminals. The leader is a stone cold killer and is married to a physcho thrill seeker. During the film the two goodun's get outside in a shuttle, the wife comes after them and gets shot up by the transports auto defenses. She crashes into a bay where it just so happens the turncoat is working to fix a gantry problem. So now there are two goods and one bad. They work together to avoid the asteroid just in the nick of time. Then the engineer shoots the bad guy and there seems to be a standoff between the last two. As the film ends there is a news broadcast saying the mining colony has been bought by someone wishing to remain anonymous and is going to clean the dirty deeds that have been going on. The viewer is left to interpret that as the two survivors kept the $40 billion and are using it for good, kind of, maybe, almost.

Velocity Crap

[saint_brett · 1/10 · 3 April 2023]

Movie starts out with a bunch of commercials, from the bowels of a Scientology network, that have a 'RoboCop' feel about them, but in a preachy evangelistic way.

This spaceman movie takes place in the Devo 3 System. That would be right next-door to the Flock of Seagulls space port in the Beautiful World quadrant.

A couple of latex-wearing daredevils, in the tradition of Bruce Willis' 'Armageddon,' are out setting detonation cannisters on a giant manure patty.

The mission is to cleanse deep space 3 from a deadly outbreak of faecal gooblies.

My mistake, it's deep space 9 apparently?

Forgetting that it's a movie based in outer space, a 'General Hospital' drama scene, accompanied by a sad piano solo, sees a couple mourning the loss of a child, from complications because of the airborne do-do matter.

Warren Jeffs plays the role of a karate police officer who purchases a $12 apple and ups the ante as all the homeless space people try to jack him for his expensive fruit. (Who's running this store - Disney?) The movie went from being about blasting floating turds out of space with gelignite, to cull airborne diseases, but now it's about a bunch of socialites standing around in a gentlemen's club sipping futuristic bubbly imported from the dark resources of Florida's Galaxy Edge Hotel.

Are there going to be any monsters in this? What's a space movie without alien creatures?

Apparently, Jeffs murders a fellow grazing officer and is then reassigned a mission elsewhere - planet Earth, here we come.

There are elements of 'Total Recall' about these early scenes.

They follow this up with a bit of Star Trek and Star Wars thievery thrown in as well.

The main actor in this, with the British/French accent, is worse than Van Damme.

He's robotic and has the charisma of a buried, lost city statue.

Movie takes an unexpected twist when Warren Jeffs turns into Madame Butterfly and starts floating around like a ballerina in his union suit.

While he's being a primadonna, a marauding pirate ship intercepts the Earth bound flight and they're just after financial advantage.

They're so many "light years" away from anything so where are you going to splurge forty billion dollars? And on what exactly? A new spaceship?

This crap's just 'Under Siege' in space.

Of course everyone stabs each other in the back at the end and reveal themselves to be scandalous while Warren Jeffs wins the girl over with his karate and "look at me" macho ways.

The graphics are about as good as The Backstreet Boys "Larger Than Life" space videoclip. (Did that thing make any sense? Great song, but horrendous videoclip.) Overall, and in the grand scheme of today's dire situation concerning entertainment, 'Velocity Crap' isn't the worst movie.

It was a touch better than all the space jargon I've been watching lately.

But that main actor is about enthused as a rusted C-3P0.

Not even worth renting

[Mtrodgers99 · 26 April 2000]

Weak story, weak writing and poor acting. The only good thing I can say about this film is that it had mediocre special effects.

Very sad

[Joshua2002 · 1/10 · 18 February 2002]

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. An interesting idea for a movie with fair special effects ruined by bad acting, a bad script and did I mention bad acting? I am disappointed in myself that I sat through it. Be sure to steer clear of this space debris.

I do not know about the velocity... but i do feel trapped...

[alexrain77 · 7/10 · 22 November 2000]

a lack luster movie filled with the same old story we have been seeing since the dawn of B sci fi movies. a cop was set up and now is being punished by being shoved onto a monetary cargo ship that is about to be hijacked by "trained" (ha) thieves. well, you can guess what happens from there. sad thing is that they really spent some money on this movie, making the effects better then average for a B film. the directing is a little more then fair for the budget, and the acting is about as good as you can get on this type of movie. Oliver Gruner got away with not being dubbed over, but his english still has not improved, making it very hard understand what he is saying. and we have to see oliver dancing around to opera in his underwear... which is good for a laugh... and a scare. Apart from the effects and few action scenes, the movie is basically nothing. jabber, no dialog, and that comes from a bad plot with a script that suffers from weak writing. its ashame they spent so much money, and then did not bother to get a good script. another bad film for action/sci-fi junkies to rent on the weekends. so if you see it, rent it, for the effects if nothing else, which are fair as i said, but do not exspect to see a wonderful film.

Rent aliens or die hard instead. And for gods sake, do not bother buying this thing.

~alex

SPOILER: not worth seeing but for one sequence

[rudi-coel · 26 August 2004]

The price at which it was sold should have warned me suspicious, but then you never know and I went ahead and bought it. Generally, the better the summary on the back of a DVD is, the worse the film. It certainly proved true in this case. The acting is very weak and most of the developments are so predictable that after some twenty minutes of looking at it, I was on the point of not wasting any more of my valuable life time. Still I looked on until the end. And I was rewarded in some way at least. For me the only thing worth watching in the movie is the relationship between the main character and the navigator. For me the best scene in the movie - and it would be a good scene even in a good movie - is the one in which they both are in the hibernation unit pointing a gun at each other even in their sleep. If only the entire movie should have been like this

Bearable: Fairly good action & fx, but plot holes the size of a supernova

[SamYotix · 13 December 1999]

Raymond Stokes is the only cop in the colony who cannot be bought - and that costs him dearly: He is separated from his lover and placed aboard a freighter. The separation dialogue, by the way, is only bearable on Fast Forward.

Penal duty: For 9 months, the ship will travel through space, in order to bring 40 billion dollars in used notes to Earth. But - how original and innovative a plot element! - pirates arrive to try and steal the money. They have not counted on finding - you guessed it - Stokes.

Well: Actors that are at best mediocre, trying hard to produce dialogue that will lend credibility to plot holes the size of a galaxy. Some of it's fun though - the occasional action sequence and ship effects aren't half bad.

mediocre

[Bob7 · 14 May 2000]

This film is bearable but that's about it, similar to a good TV ep of "Space: Above and Beyond". It's a step up from the sci-fi gagger "Escape Velocity", which had even less action and more cliches. FF through all scenes of him with his girl friend, it's banal drivel, and that part isn't even tied up at the end. And forget the plot holes too. -Bob