Wow, I was surprised. I really expected complete Suck-O-Matic from this film. It disappointed in disappointing me.

Wing Commander is a cross between Starship Troopers, Midway, and Das Boot. It's 500 years from now, and we, of course, have started a war with really ugly aliens. The battles tend to remind you of either aircraft carrier battles, battleship battles or submarine tactics, all from the same ship. Just think if you had an aircraft carrier that could launch planes, send broadsides into the enemy, then sit on the bottom to hide. Oh, and the fighter spacecraft look like WWII airplanes with really short wings.

What is surprising in Wing Commander is the level of character development. We're not talking Shakespeare here, but it's more than you would expect. The humans aren't a completely united people. There was that group called the Pioneers who first conquered space. Everyone else hates the Pioneers. Apparently the Pioneers had become pompous and now there's a prejudice against them. Well, our hero is half-Pioneer, and he takes a lot of guff because of it.

So there are a lot of space battles. There are some really questionable tactics if you ask me, but relax, kid, it's just a movie.

What I don't understand is the title of the film. The wing commander in the film is a pilot named Angel. She's a minor character. I was guessing at the end that since our hero had saved the day, Angel was going to buy the farm and he'd be promoted. Well, this doesn't spoil the film, but it doesn't happen. Wing Commander is a fun little film that in many ways is better than Starship Troopers (although it has no shower scene). You've seen this before, and I'm sure you'll see it again.