Wing Commander

No movie spawned from a video or computer game has answered the question of why someone would pay to see something on the big screen that could be played interactively on a video game system or computer.

And the film version of the popular CD-ROM game "Wing Commander" only reinforces doubts. In fact, it pales in comparison to its source material, both in terms of production values and entertainment value.

This dopey sci-fi/action movie features robotic acting, amateurish direction and inconsistent (and sometimes laughable) special effects. But worst of all is the cliched, ludicrous scripting and oddly contemporary, even anachronistic, touches.

Of course, it doesn't help that the story line just isn't very involving and the characters are so nondescript that they seem even more shallow than those in the computer game.

The story is set in the 26th century as the Earth Confederation continues to do battle with the Kilrathi, a bloodthirsty alien race on an interstellar conquest. Both sides are pretty much at a standstill, at least until the Kilrathi capture a computer navigation device that will allow them to make space "jumps" and reach our solar system more quickly.

The Confederation's only hope to stop the Kilrathi is the crew of the carrier Tiger Claw, including hotshot pilots Christopher Blair (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Todd "Maniac" Marshall (Matthew Lillard), two newcomers who have gotten off on the wrong foot with their superiors.

Maniac's reckless piloting has already led to one tragedy, while Blair has been hiding a secret — he's actually half-alien, which gives him navigation skills far faster than any computer.

It's pretty obvious how this is all going to turn out. But the story's predictability is the least of the film's many problems.

With the exceptions of "She's All That" stars Prinze and Lillard, none of the cast has any chemistry whatsoever. And first-time filmmaker Chris Roberts (the game's designer) has no concept of pacing — or how to direct action scenes, for that matter.

The across-the-board awful performances — especially from Saffron Burrows, who plays a tough-as-nails lieutenant — certainly don't help matters. Even more humiliating is seeing "Das Boot" star Jurgen Prochnow perform in a dull scene that pays tribute to that gripping film.

"Wing Commander" is rated PG-13 for violent sci-fi action and gunplay, profanity, crude sexual banter and glimpses of nude photos.