I see the poor reviews and I can only think the reviewers were just looking for action and not substance. Yes the film is uneven, yes Mark Hamill is not very good as the over the top cop but there are several aspects that I think this worthwhile movie to watch. First you see a devastated earth that basically has no real power except for the super winds called the slipstream. People fly on this to get from place to place. Bob Peck is great as what turns out to be an android (Byron) accused of murder. He is being chased by Hamill and his female partner. Then Bill Paxton steps as a free lance of who knows what and grabs Byron. Still pursued by Hamill and friend they end up first at a site that has been attacked by I am not sure what and then at a secure place where some elitists have holed up with priceless works of art and I guess a deep wine cellar. They even have servants to wait on them. Any way Paxton manages to hook up with the partner, the android flies Hamill into a rock hill, the android survives and returns to the enclave to help out. There is the conundrum brought to the bear about artificial intelligence and the ethos involved with it.

In the future our planet has been devastated by pollution. Scruffy down on his luck bounty hunter Matt Owens (a typically lively performance by Bill Paxton) kidnaps fugitive android Byron (a fine and likable performance by Bob Peck) from two police officers, who naturally give chase. While the offbeat and interesting setting has promise, alas Steven Lisberger's bland direction, Tony Kayden's wildly uneven script, the sluggish pace, the meandering narrative, the dodgy (not so) special effects, and far too much tedious and pretentious dialogue doom this one to the level of strictly diverting mediocrity. Moreover, this picture crucially lacks the snap and tension it requires to really catch fire; instead it just kind of putters around without ever picking up any steam throughout. Fortunately, the cast do their best to rise well above the lackluster material: Mark Hamill snarls it up nicely as the hard-bitten Will Tasker, Kitty Aldridge provides some much needed (and appreciated) spark as Tasker's feisty partner Belitski, and Eleanor David makes a strong and appealing impression as the sweet and radiant Ariel. The eventual friendship between Byron and Owens and Byron's romancing of Ariel deliver several pleasingly warm and charming moments. Robbie Coltrane, Ben Kingsley, and F. Murray Abraham are given precious little to do in minor parts. Frank Tidy's sumptuous cinematography boasts lots of striking aerial shots and makes the most out of the desolate rocky terrain. Elmer Bernstein's robust and rousing full-bore orchestral score hits the stirring spot. An okay time-waster.

This film fails on many many levels. The script is the first failing, and as I understand it, if the script stinks, there's nothing that can fix that. The plot is boring, after the first 45 minutes, I'm looking at the counter on the DVD saying to myself, "how much longer?" The cinematography is pretty awful. I'm not sure how bad the transfer was to DVD, but it looked like a VHS copy. Also, the sound was bad. I realize this isn't going to get remixed for 5.1, but yikes, it didn't even sound like it was in Dolby Stereo which had been around for almost a decade when they cut this film.Slipstream was far too similar to both Mad Max and Blade Runner for comfort. Because of the lack of decent special effects and high quality dialog, it is extremely disappointing. If I recall, the pointer scene took place during the last 20 minutes, usually it should take place in the first 20. Most people will be totally confused as to what the heck is going on until the final 20 minutes.The film's music was excellent in parts, and then completely inappropriate in others. Elmer Bernstien did the scoring, but it sounds like someone else had a hand in sticking in 'other' stuff elsewhere as it doesn't match the overall good orchestral score (with some synthesizer music.)There were great actors cast, Bob Peck, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, Bill Paxton. And they did a great job breathing the little available life into their characters. (Well, Paxton's character was pretty stupid, and the whole movie was centered on him. I'm not sure a heroic stooge is a good choice for the main character who carries the film.) Again, a major flaw with the script.Thank goodness I watched this from a mail order DVD service, and not the theater. Overall a major disappointment for Sci-fi fans, or fans of Paxton, or Hamill. 90 minutes of your life, you'll never get back.

I couldn't agree more (previous post re: underrated) this movie was a truly entertaining surprise and I have been trying to find it ever since my husband and i rented it one night after pretty much working our way thru the other rentals at our local video store. Our expectations were not particularly high but we ended up really enjoying this film. The premise is not particularly new - post apocalyptic and all...but the approach and the vision presented of earth at this point is truly refreshing. I think it's a shame that it just didn't get the kind of studio support and exposure that it deserved. I definitely recommend it - you won't be sorry, it's just a very interesting, very well put together movie.