Customer Reviews

Battle Beyond The Stars (Blu-Ray)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It was nice to see some famous people in their younger days. Need more boobs and fat chicks though. Nice...

John Sayles was asked by Roger Corman to adapt The Seven Samurai into a sci fi picture and the result is this delightfully inventive tongue-in-cheek romp.

What's most enjoyable about the film is the fact that every mercenary hired by the peaceful "villagers" has a distinct personality and style and their intentions clearly defined. George Peppard( as the only human among them) is laid back and charming. Morgan Woodward seems to be having a grand old time playing the vengeful lizard-man (dig his gonzo war-cry during the climactic battle!) Robert Vaughn does seem a bit bored but he effectively communicates his character's unpleasant coldness. Sybill Danning simply has one of the most stunning bodies to ever be stuffed into a styrofoam viking costume, even if she can't act. Add to these characters 2 elfin aliens who communicate thru heat( the Kelvin, wink, wink) and a troupe of what looks like Mimes( called "Nestor") who operate sort of like to the collectivist Borg from Star Trek and in disposition seem to anticipate the infectious optimism and curiosity of Mr Data as well; when first introduced they explain, " We believe you are seeking mercenaries for an adventure. We would like to participate." The costumes, sets and spfx are obviously done on a very low budget but that hardly detracts from the fun. Special mention must be made of John Saxon who, as the evil scourge of the galaxy Lord Sador, grabs his opportunity to chew the scenery with amusing gusto; Check the sequence where he gets to enact what must be every actors dream since DR STRANGELOVE: to have a battle with his own rebellious arm! He plays it all-out, with just the right notes of sadism and menacing humor. Its sometimes just enjoyable to watch veteran actors cut loose and have a good time; the spirit is infectious, as it certainly is with this film. Fun for the whole family as well as bonged-out college students and other usually disparaging types( i once watched this in a Penitentiary day-room and every single convict, regardless of race, color or creed, had a blast.)

Every Sci-Fi fan needs this movie in their collection. It's not perfect, but it deserves an "A" for effort. The special effects are pretty darn good for being realtivly low budget. I wish the DVD transfer was a little more pristine, but it looks light years better than your old copies on video. Although, the film is pretty cliche driven, it still does it well with charm. The story is pretty exciting and noticiably more sexual in nature than Star Wars ever was. Too bad this film wasn't a big smash, I would have liked the same team to have done an Empire Strikes Back clone.... Or I would love to have seen a bunch of movies about Zed's leagacy.

Roger Corman's biggest budget financed film (although still small by industry standards). A strong cast, decent script and a level of humor (including a female spaceship with breasts) blend into a very nice whole. This is not Oscar material, but it does have its merits.

The Akira of the planet Akir (nice plug), are a pacifistic society. They have just been targeted by an interstellar warlord. Their only hope is to hire mercenaries, but they have no money.

The rest of the film is closer to The Magnificent Seven that Akira Kurosawa's original, but it works. If you know either film, you will have some idea of how the rest goes.

This new DVD has some trailers and two different commentaries. There is also a huge still gallery accessible by playing a trivia game.

A fun little film. I am glad it has made it to DVD.

This is one of those shows you loved as a kid, but to see nowadays makes you clutch your ribs with laughter at the absurdity of the whole thing. Well-known names such as George Peppard and Robert Vaughan shine brightly in their accustomed on-screen personas as they settle into their shoot-em-up-space-battle roles as... well... themselves.

All in all, if you're into classic sci-fi movies, you will enjoy this film. If you're used to post-80's sci-fi, expect to fall into the MST3K mentality as you find yourself involuntarily throwing wisecracks at the screen. Either way, you'll probably have fun.

The peace-loving planet Akir is attacked by the evil Sador (John Saxon), who demands their food supplies. Among the Akirians is an old warrior named Zed. Unfortunately, he is blind and unable to fight against the tyrant, but his fighting ship, Nell, still has her weapons and sense of wit intact. Nell was obviously designed by someone with a sense of humor. From the side the ship looks like a very... gifted female centaur lying down. (Look, the ship has giant boobies. Trust me.) A young man named Shad (Richard Thomas) sets out aboard Nell with one goal in mind: find mercenaries that are willing to help him defend Akir.

The characters are lots of fun, the story is good, and the special effects are above average. In fact, lots of the model work would later be used in many other movies, creating an endless supply of stock footage for New World Productions. This flick has its fare share of Star Wars rip-offs, including Shad, as a poor man's Luke Skywalker, and Cowboy, as a wino's Han Solo, but its still worth checking out.

Space Cowboy has what must be the coolest fashion accessory ever conceived: a belt that dispenses scotch, water, and ice.

John Saxon (The Bold Ones) is the one-armed villain Sador, bent on conquering every planet in the galaxy. Richard Thomas (The Waltons) is Shad, whose peace loving world is about to become Sador's next conquest. Shad decides it's better to fight than submit, and flies away in search of mercenaries for his cause. He first enlists the aid of computer expert Darlanne Fluegel (Project: Alien), who later becomes his love interest. Along the way he meets and recruits the Hans Solo wannabe Cowboy, played by George Peppard (The A Team), along with the ultimate mercenary Gelt, played by Robert Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). At first he declines the aid of Saint-Exmin, played by Sybil Danning (Amazon Women On The Moon), but her persistence pays off and she is welcomed to join them.

My main problem with this movie is the casting of Richard Thomas in the lead role. He plays the young innocent who abhors violence well, but his transformation into a vengeful warrior is totally unconvincing. John Saxon chews so much scenery he must have gotten indigestion. On the other hand, George Peppard is so laid back that he practically sleepwalks through the movie. Robert Vaughn plays the heartless mercenary to perfection. Sybil Danning is both sexy and menacing, and fills out her Valkyrie-like costumes very well. Darlanne Fluegel portrays a very sympathetic character and compliments Richard Thomas well. The outcome between the rag-tag collection of mercenaries versus the overwhelming forces of evil is never in doubt. This action-packed movie, though predictable, is very entertaining.

What allows Battle Beyond the Stars to transcend its low budget, simple special effects and infinitely recycled plot? The most important aspect of filmmaking: Ideas.

This was one [heck] of a smart script. No surprise, since the writer is John Sayles, a screenwriter of impeccable literary sense. The dialogue of this film crackles better than most big-budget films I've seen, and as a result Darlanne Fluegel (as innocent maiden Nanelia), Robert Vaughn (ice-cool mercenary Gelt), Sybil Danning (who steals the show as dashing, comically busty Valkyr warrior Saint-Exmin), Earl Boen (as lead drone Nestor) and George Peppard (as Space Cowboy) all shine, having a field day with the incredibly brisk pace and economical character interactions. And there's great comic material here, which is like an amplification of the gently sardonic tone of Seven Samurai, the obvious ancestor of this film.

The richness of Sayles' conception of this world just draws you in -- even more so, I would argue, than Star Wars, because the depth of the philosophical implications behind the details is phenomenal. The "Facets" of Nestor, the on-the-run nihilism of Gelt the mercenary, and the communicative dilemma of the Kelvin -- it all points to very real human needs and psychological desires, hidden behind the comic-book action and tongue-in-cheek tone. Revel, as well, in the amount of attention paid to the design: Talking spaceship "Nell" is in the shape of a giant woman's body; the stingray menace of Gelt's ship; the different kinds of "hum" that each character's vehicle produces. Shows what you can do even with little money if you put some thought into it.

Though it doesn't have the mystique of Star Wars -- whose amalgamation of chivalric romance and science fiction created a new sub-culture -- Battle Beyond the Stars deserves applause for overcoming its humble origins. And for all of the rich background, it's one of the fastest-moving science-fiction films I've ever seen. Dig in if you've never seen it; celebrate it again if you have.

BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS is a forgotten, but one of the better Star Wars clones. A B-Movie that came out in 1980 during the influx of terrible S.W. clones of the period. The story is based on THE SEVEN SAMARAI & THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Most notable is that it involved future movie directors/writers John Sayles (EIGHT MEN OUT) and James Cameron (TITANIC), produced by legendary independent film mogul Roger Corman, and boasting an impressive cast including George Peppard, Robert Vaugn (practically playing the same character he did in Mag. 7),John Saxon, Sam Jaffe,and Richard Thomas. A planet is being harassed by an evil space warlord, Sador (John Saxon) with the ultimate space weapon "The Stellar Converter". The inhabitants pick one of their own, Shad (Richard Thomas) to find and recruit help to fend off the menace. The film has lots of humor, some camp, dated but decent special effects, "memorable" spaceship designs, and great space alien character creations (such as the alien ally-recruit called "NESTOR"), and Richard Thomas' relationship with his female-voiced talking spaceship, to make this an enjoyable film to watch. The DVD has some added features such as the widescreen format, and the best is the audio commentary by Roger Corman and John Sayles. Overall, a pretty good movie to watch if your hankering for some sci-fi fantasy and you've seen Star Wars fifty-million times.

Who wouldnt love a sci-fi cheeze movie....! (anyone ever notice that this ship has appeared in other sci-fi movies / tv shows as well?).