Slipstream

Slipstream

Year: 1989

Runtime: 102 mins

Language: English

Director: Steven Lisberger

Adventure

In a near‑future world ravaged by pollution, relentless giant winds rule the planet. Bounty hunter Matt intercepts a murderer from two police officers, hoping to claim the reward for himself. The chase drives them from the earth’s depths to the edge of existence.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Slipstream yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Slipstream (1989)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Slipstream (1989). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Post-Harmonic Convergence Future

Set in a distant future after a climate-driven cataclysm known as the Harmonic Convergence. Civilization has collapsed into scattered settlements connected by the Slipstream, a powerful wind current encircling the globe. Technology persists in cobbled forms, including androids, while the wind itself governs travel, survival, and exploration.

Location

Hell's Kitchen, canyon chase site, airstrip, Slipstream wind valley, fortified underground museum

In a world reshaped by the Harmonic Convergence, a global Slipstream wind isolates scattered settlements. Life centers on battered airstrips, canyon chases, and remote communities that either worship or fear the wind. The story moves between Hell's Kitchen, a wind-scarred frontier, and a fortified underground museum that preserves fragments of the old world.

🌀 Wind-swept 🗺️ Post-apocalyptic settlements 🧭 Hazardous frontier

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:36

Main Characters – Slipstream (1989)

Meet the key characters of Slipstream (1989), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Will Tasker (Mark Hamill)

A disciplined bounty hunter and former law-enforcement figure in the post-apocalyptic order. Tasker pursues Byron with calculated aggression while clinging to a fading sense of justice. His willingness to manipulate and kill, and his ultimate confrontation with Byron, reveal the cost of enforcing order in a broken world.

🗡️ Bounty hunter 🧭 Duty-bound

Belitski (Kitty Aldridge)

Tasker's partner—tough, capable, and pragmatic. Belitski navigates danger with a cool demeanor and becomes entangled in Owens' schemes. Her actions illustrate how loyalty and self-preservation intersect in a world where trust is scarce.

🗡️ Bounty hunter 🗺️ Resourceful

Matt Owens (Bill Paxton)

An opportunistic arms dealer who abducts Byron to cash in on the bounty. Owens is pragmatic and charismatic, capable of shifting alliances to survive. His evolving dynamic with Byron and Ariel complicates moral judgments in a lawless frontier.

💰 Arms dealer 🎯 Opportunist

Byron

An indestructible android designed as a companion to a murderous master. Byron seeks connection and longs for a hopeful future beyond the Slipstream, forming uneasy bonds with Owens and Ariel. His struggle for autonomy and empathy drives the narrative's exploration of what it means to be human.

🤖 Android 💫 Sentient

Avatar (Ben Kingsley)

The cult leader who commands a community living in the Slipstream's shadow. Avatar embodies a blend of mysticism and suspicion toward technology, cursing Byron and catalyzing the moral conflict between faith and progress. His influence shapes the fate of both fugitives and locals.

🕍 Cult leader ⚖️ Authority

Ariel (Eleanor David)

A resident of the underground museum who becomes a bridge between Byron, Owens, and the outside world. She helps the trio escape and forms a tentative emotional bond with Byron, hinting at a future beyond the museum's walls.

💫 Ally 🧭 Connector

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:36

Major Themes – Slipstream (1989)

Explore the central themes of Slipstream (1989), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧭 Survival

Survival drives every decision in a wind-swept world where resources are scarce and communities cling to fragile security. Characters navigate dangerous frontiers, from airstrips to remote caves, using wit and alliances to endure. The constant threats of raiders, weather, and isolation test human resilience and ingenuity.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

Byron embodies the tension between programmed duty and emergent consciousness. The android's quest for autonomy and connection raises questions about what it means to be alive and to choose one's own fate. The story uses Byron to explore empathy, memory, and self-determination within a harsh society.

🌅 Hope & Destiny

The characters glimpse a promised land beyond the Slipstream, hinting at a future beyond oppression and tragedy. Bonds formed with Ariel and Owens give purpose to risk-filled journeys, and the possibility of a better world fuels decisions. Hope is fragile and tested by betrayal and violence until the end.

🕯️ Faith vs. Technology

Avatar's cult venerates the Slipstream as a divine force, representing faith's hold over science and progress. The conflict pits spiritual belief against technological advancement, forcing characters to choose between reverence for tradition and the drive for innovation. This tension examines how communities interpret catastrophe and reconstruct meaning.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:36

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Explore Movie Threads

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Dystopian Chase Movies Like Slipstream

Relentless pursuits through dangerous, decaying landscapes where survival is the only goal.If you enjoyed the relentless, high-stakes chase through a wind-ravaged world in Slipstream, you'll find similar thrills here. This collection features movies with fast-paced fugitive pursuits set in harsh, post-apocalyptic or dystopian landscapes, where the environment is as much a threat as the pursuers.

tensebleakdesperateaction-packedoppressivefatalisticanxious

Narrative Summary

These narratives are typically linear and propulsive, structured around a central pursuit. The conflict is often physical and immediate, driven by the need to capture or escape. The journey exposes the brutal realities of a broken world, emphasizing raw survival over complex plotting.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread share a core DNA of high-intensity action, a fast pace, and a tense, bleak tone. They are united by the narrative engine of a chase set against a dystopian backdrop, creating a coherent experience of desperation and constant danger.

Philosophical Sci-Fi Action Like Slipstream

Action-driven stories set in collapsing futures that explore deep questions of humanity.For viewers who appreciated the blend of chase action and deeper themes in Slipstream, this list highlights similar sci-fi movies. These stories combine a tense, fast-paced narrative with a heavy emotional weight, exploring ideas of android identity, technological hubris, and survival faith within a bleak future setting.

bleakmelancholicthought-provokingtensefatalisticoppressiveanxiousphilosophical

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a core action or survival plot that gradually reveals deeper philosophical layers. Characters often grapple with their own humanity or purpose amidst chaos. The journey is externally perilous but internally reflective, leading to a conclusion that is emotionally resonant and often bittersweet.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared mood of bleak melancholia and their thematic focus on existential crisis within a sci-fi context. They successfully merge a moderate level of narrative complexity with high intensity, resulting in a thought-provoking yet thrilling experience.

Unlock the Full Story of Slipstream

Don't stop at just watching — explore Slipstream in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Slipstream is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Slipstream Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Slipstream, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Slipstream Summary

Slipstream Timeline

Track the full timeline of Slipstream with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Slipstream Timeline

Slipstream Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Slipstream that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Slipstream Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Slipstream

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Slipstream: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Slipstream

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