Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
image © HFF & Solaris Film
The The Noah's Ark Principle (1984) is a futuristic sci-fi thriller film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
Original title: Das Arche Noah Prinzip, English title: The Noah's Ark Principle
Series: -
Setting: future Earth
Product type: Film, Genre: futuristic sci-fi thriller, Style: sci-fi, thriller, futuristic
Release: Premiere: 1984.02.22 (Berlin International Film Festival), Release: 1984.02.24
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2021.03), first time
Rating: Bad (1 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points)
* * *
This is my review of The Noah's Ark Principle, a futuristic sci-fi thriller movie from 1984. It's about a pair of astronauts trying to sabotage a project that could be dangerous to the world. The The Noah's Ark Principle film is boring, I don't recommend it to anyone.
The trailer basically moves through the whole story, so if you want to get surprised by the The Noah's Ark Principle film, you should probably stop at 0:56. Otherwise, the trailer really shows all the exciting scenes you can find in the movie, so watching that might be enough, instead of watching the whole movie.
* * *
Review (spoiler-free) - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
I've never heard of this movie before, but I liked Moon 44 from the creator, and the tagline of this movie made it look like it could be interesting. I didn't watch the trailer before watching the film.
The The Noah's Ark Principle movie is about a pair of astronauts trying to sabotage a project that could be dangerous to the world.
The basic concept might be interesting, but the execution is slow and boring. There's basically nothing interesting in it that would make it worthy to watch. The story was told in a confusing way, I often didn't understand what is going on. As we don't get to know the characters, there's no real tension about their actions or their fates. There are no character arcs.
The film looks like a mix of Space Odyssey and Alien, and it could have been good with an interesting story.
The cinematography is okay. The sets look good. The special effects are okay. The movie is not interesting visually.
The characters are shallow, we practically don't get to know anything about them, even though there's only two main characters. The actors might be okay, but they didn't really get their chances to act.
The music (by Hubert Bartholomae) is okay.
The Noah's Ark Principle is an incredibly boring futuristic sci-fi thriller, I don't think even dedicated fans of the genre would enjoy it.
My experience
I was not satisfied with The Noah's Ark Principle (1984). I prefer stories with a bit more action, and The Noah's Ark Principle couldn't deliver that.
Rating: Bad (1 out of 3 points). The Noah's Ark Principle looks okay, but it has a weak story.
Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points). The Noah's Ark Principle is boring, I didn't like it.
Rewatchability: Low. I don't think anyone would find the story engaging enough to watch it again.
Chance of watching it again: No.
Chance of watching a sequel: I'd probably watch it, in hopes that the creator is a lot better now.
Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
image © HFF & Solaris Film
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like The Noah's Ark Principle.
If you like techno-thriller stories, you might like The Noah's Ark Principle.
If you like films about astronauts (Ad Astra (2019), Gravity), you might be interested in this.
If you can get through the first half hour of the movie still interested, the rest of the movie will be similar.
If you hate subtitles, you should probably avoid this movie, as there's no English audio dub for it, just subtitles.
If you prefer visuals over story, you might be bored by the The Noah's Ark Principle film.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in techno-thriller stories, it might be worth watching the The Noah's Ark Principle movie for the plot points, but you'll be probably better off if you just read the summary.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
I think the overall experience will be the same.
* * *
Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
image © HFF & Solaris Film
Review with spoilers - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
Even though the concept of the story is interesting, I didn't like the The Noah's Ark Principle movie.
Cover
The cover of the movie is okay, it doesn't say much, but it doesn't spoil the movie.
The trailer
The trailer is almost a substitute for watching the movie. The trailer is just as boring as the film. It also contains spoilers.
If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the The Noah's Ark Principle film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will make the movie less fun for you.
Promise of the first scene
The first 5 minutes promises there's going to be some kind of space mission, that will involve the young guy who is in the X-Wing pilot suit. The next couple of minutes of the scene promises there will be some kind of investigation about a disaster, that somehow involves the young guy.
Execution: The first impression of the promise made me think that it could be an interesting story. It wasn't. The young guy didn't really do anything, and there were neither an interesting mission nor an interesting investigation. They just retold the events that lead to the disaster, and that was that.
Plot summary / Synopsis - In chronological order
There's a space station (Florida Arklab) orbiting the Earth, experimenting with weather control. When there's a military coup in the Middle East, the USA sends troops there, and hide their movement with the help of radiation from the space station targeted on the area where they are passing through. This electronic screening also causes storms in the area, leading to a large death toll.
The crew of the space station, a young astronaut (Richy Müller as Billy Hayes), and an older astronaut (Franz Buchrieser as Max Marek) don't know about this, but they get suspicious because of the secrecy about their orders. The government tries to hide their involvement, so they retire the crew. They refuse, and try to sabotage the device. A new crew, a female astronaut (Aviva Joel as Eva Thompson), and another astronaut (Nikolas Lansky as Gregor Vandenburg) is sent to repair the device and continue the mission. The female astronaut is the wife of the older astronaut, so they can finally reunite. The device causes a reactor meltdown due to the sabotage, and the whole space station blows up. The young astronaut and the female astronaut survive, they get interrogated.
We see the story through the interrogation of the young astronaut, through the officer (Matthias Fuchs as Felix Kronenberg).
In the end, we hear the news that both of the remaining crew members died due to the radiation they've received. (Although the last time we have seen them, they were healthy, implying that they will be either imprisoned for life, or executed.)
The setting
It is set on our Earth, in 1997, that was 17 years into the future at that time of the movie's release. The technology depicted is still futuristic in 2021, so I'd probably set it another 20 years into the future to make the scenario look realistic.
They have an orbiting space station that can change the weather of the area they use their radiation device on. The radiation can also cloak military movements in the area.
Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
image © HFF & Solaris Film
The cloaking radiation
From the space station, they are able to use a cloaking radiation on an area, that can hinder the detection of military movements in the irradiated area. This electronic screening also causes storms in the area, leading to a large death toll.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one. "The military leaders can be irresponsible"? Although that's nothing new.
The structure of the story
The scenes of the The Noah's Ark Principle film are played out of sequence, but following the same storyline. The whole story starts at the end of the storyline, and we see the main story in flashbacks.
There is no single viewpoint character.
If you don't mind the non-sequential story, you can consider the movie having the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution -, it's just not very effective.
* * *
Things I liked
- I liked the realistic take on the story.
* * *
How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
Practically every other film is better from the writer / director (Roland Emmerich). He made some bad ones, but at least those have interesting action, if you are into that.
* * *
Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
image © HFF & Solaris Film
Analysis of the story - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
I didn't like the story, the accumulation of small problems prevented me from enjoying The Noah's Ark Principle.
Problematic elements
The title: I didn't get it why was the movie called Noah's Ark Principle. There was one single mention of Noah, the space station was called Arklab, and there was the rainmaking device, but the rain was not caused by ark, it was there to save the survivors. There were also some animals on board of the station, but I don't think that those would have be enough to call it a Noah's Ark. The title is catchy, but it just didn't fit this particular story.
The plot: I could imagine a plot with nature gone wild, and a space station created to try to control the weather, and if everything else fails, try to save life itself, but there's nothing in the movie that would hint at this.
The gravity: Gravity is inconsistent on the space station. Sometimes they are weightless, sometimes there seems to be gravity, but when I was watching the film, this didn't bother me at all.
The station: The whole space station looks like a bachelor's flat. It's untidy, unwashed plates are laying around, with remains of half-eaten food. Although this makes it look like Star Wars or Alien, but it's not really sanitary for a near future space station.
Sending Eva: When the government finds out that Max sabotaged the device, why did they send Eva, his wife to continue the project? It's a lot more likely that she will help Max, instead of following orders.
Unanswered questions
- What happened with the astronauts after the film ended?
* * *
Possibilities of improvement
- Cut it a lot shorter. The story could be interesting as some short movie.
How it could have been better?
* * *
Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
* * *
Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
image © HFF & Solaris Film
Uses for the film - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
Plot
- A space station is used to cover an area with a radiation that hinders the detection of military vehicles moving in the area.
Scenes
- There are no memorable scenes in the movie. You might use some shots of the space station, or how they work inside the station, but you can find better shots of these in other movies.
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
- A game based on the plot might be an interesting RPG scenario, but it's likely a one-shot, and as such I'm not sure it would be worth taking the time.
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Mutiny: There's a mutiny on the base. The rebels of the crew try to disable a device that would be important for the government. Disabling the device has a chance to start the destruction of the base. The other part of the crew has to stop them. The rebels win if they disable the device, even if they die in the process. The rest of the crew wins if they stop the rebels. It's a draw if the base is destroyed but at least half of them escape with their lives.
Surprise attack: A base is suddenly attacked by an army, that was able to get through the defences undetected. The defending player sets up the playing area, with a defensible base in the middle, that includes enclosed barracks or tents. Then the attackers set up their army, and make their actions for the first turn. Then, on the second turn, the defending units get out of the buildings, and start to defend the place. The attacker wins if they complete their objective, whole more than half of their units survive. The defender wins, if they repel the attack, while more than half of their units survive.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Astronauts: Human-sized modern humans in protective suits.
* * *
Similar stories - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
Novels
Movies
* * *
Frequently asked questions - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
Will the The Noah's Ark Principle movie be available with English audio dub?
Currently (in 2022.02.01) The Noah's Ark Principle is not available with English audio dub, just English subtitles.
Is the The Noah's Ark Principle film based on a book or comics?
No, The Noah's Ark Principle is not based on either books or comics.
Is the The Noah's Ark Principle film a remake or reboot?
No, the The Noah's Ark Principle film is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in The Noah's Ark Principle? Does The Noah's Ark Principle have end credit scenes?
No, there's no post credit scene in The Noah's Ark Principle.
Where can I see The Noah's Ark Principle? What is The Noah's Ark Principle playing on? What streaming service is The Noah's Ark Principle on? Where can I watch The Noah's Ark Principle online? Is The Noah's Ark Principle available on Netflix? Is The Noah's Ark Principle on Amazon?
As of 2022.02.01, I couldn't find The Noah's Ark Principle available online anywhere.
* * *
Resources - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
Information
IMDB: Das Arche Noah Prinzip / The Noah's Ark Principle (1984): Database article.
WikiPedia: The Noah's Ark Principle: Database article.
Letterboxd: The Noah's Ark Principle 1984: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: The Noah's Ark Principle 1984: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - The Noah's Ark Principle film (1984)
: Review video about the The Noah's Ark Principle film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - The Noah's Ark Principle film (1984)
: Review article of the The Noah's Ark Principle movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - The Noah's Ark Principle movie (1984)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of The Noah's Ark Principle.¤
https://bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-news/filme/134861-roland_emmerichs_das_arche_noah_prinzip_zum_ersten_mal_auf_bluray_in_limitierten_mediabooks
https://zff.com/de/archiv/26544/
https://www.filmibeat.com/hollywood/movies/das-arche-noah-prinzip/comments.html
* * *
Buying the product - The Noah's Ark Principle, movie (1984)
* * *
Have you seen the The Noah's Ark Principle film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
Comments powered by CComment