Right out of the gates I'm going to tell you I'm not backing this film as an example of rock solid writing or even endorsing as what many would consider being a "good" film. However, I think there is a lot to like about this movie even with its shortcomings, and the fact it was the complete anti-thesis of any PG-rated Science Fiction film that had come before it stands for something in my eyes. Disney was clearly trying to break new ground with a more serious tone, catered to fans of the sci-fi genre and in many ways they succeeded. It's no coincidence this film was made right around the same time-period as all the other Star Wars wannabes that existed for other film studios. 1979 was a year that had the likes of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, and Moonraker being released to piggyback on the box office success of George Lucas's vision. There was finally an audience for this genre and Disney didn't want to be left without a chair when the music stopped, thus going all in for a big budget sci-fi affair. Unfortunately, this was a major flop at the box office, taking in an estimated $35 million dollars on a budget that was pushing well over $20 million dollars, aka an insane amount of money for the time. I think the core problem here was you had a script with dialogue that was clearly geared towards a kid friendly audience, and yet many of the visuals and themes were more appropriate for adults, i.e. Anthony Perkin's character, Dr. Durant, getting sliced and diced by our favorite robot from hell. That being said, there's still a lot to admire about this film. It may not have been hugely successful at the box office or with critics, but many elements have stood the test of time here in my humble opinion. And with that, I'm going to discuss five reasons of my own as to why I think this movie is one underrated piece of work, and a sometimes terrifying ride from beginning to end....