The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Sorry, this movie sucks

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

...with stunning views of 70's Vancouver beaches,mountains and architecture, this drama has great actors with a suspenseful plot,yet kind of slow. Still a nostalgia treat to watch that is family friendly.

Lamont Johnson worked a lot in television but he also directed some interesting films that should be better known; A Covenant with Death, The McKenzie Break, The Last American Hero, You'll Like My Mother and Lipstick. (Even Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone has its felicities!) The Groundstar Conspiracy is a low budget but fast moving thriller with a few twists and turns until the tense ending. All the elements of music, photography and dialogue are pulled together neatly to serve the narrative's momentum.The plot may strain a little at the edges but the film is helped along by some good acting. Michael Sarrazin as the accused man is convincing. You can feel his terror and his bewilderment. Sarrazin's face helps, it looks beat about and haunted. George Peppard as the government man gives one of his best performances. A real hard case, driven almost by paranoia, single minded and ready to do anything to keep the state secure. Christine Belford and Cliff Potts are good too. It's a good little film.

When George Peppard is the major ‘name' of a movie – especially one made in the 70's – you may suspect you're on dodgy ground from the off. When his co-stars are Michael Sarrazin – a one-trick pony whose career spiralled downwards sometime around 1975 when the trick had been seen too many times – and Christine Belford – a brief escapee from TV movie hell – you know it for a fact.THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY is a far-fetched thriller with sci-fi undertones that moves far too slowly, telegraphs most of it's ‘twists' far too early (apart from the big twist at the end, which, believe me, sends this sad effort way off the credibility meter) and suffers from some horribly clunky dialogue. Perhaps a director at the very top of his game may have been able to salvage something, but, unfortunately Lamont Johnson – another journeyman whose labours have mostly been in television – was never that good a director. Peppard, as a tough, no-nonsense agent, seems to be rehearsing his Hannibal role in THE A-TEAM without the humour, while Sarrazin flashes puppy-dog eyes and tries to look puzzled. Lucky Christine Belford, then: her role calls for her to look bewildered much of the time, and, when she does, she looks completely natural. Approach THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY as a mediocre B-movie, ignore its obvious – and woefully unrealised – ambitions, and you may just wring some drops of entertainment from this old flannel.

This movie isn't really interesting in itself: the plot is far-fetched, the characters are wooden and the action scenes probably would have been considered dull even when the movie was made. Nevertheless a very interesting picture for anyone interested in early-seventies interiors, fashion, hairstyles, etc.: for me, being thirty-something, it was a feast of recognition :-)P.S. Don't forget to listen to the soundtrack.