Ikarie XB 1 (Blu-ray)

Jindrich Polák’s hugely influntial science fiction landmark

Presented from the new 4K restoration of the film which premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Second Run present a new Blu-ray Special Edition of Jindrich Polák’s seminal work of fantasy cinema: Ikarie XB 1.

Polák’s pioneering and much-imitated feature Ikarie XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary science fiction cinema. It predates Star Trek and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly a pronounced influence on both - and on countless other sci-fi films and TV shows that followed.

Adapted from Stanislaw Lem's novel The Magellanic Cloud, the film is set in 2163 and follows a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity. With outstanding design and cinematography, and a superb score by Zdenek Liška, Ikarie XB 1 is imbued with a seriousness, intelligence and attention to detail rarely seen in science-fiction cinema of the period.