:
Richard Thomas,
Richard Thomas,
Robert Vaughn,
more...
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Jimmy T. Murakami,
Jimmy T. Murakami
see all cast/crew...
: 
: New Concorde
: Science Fiction , Parodies, Aliens, Space Opera
: 103 min.
: English
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This title is currently out of print.
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Produced by Roger Corman and scripted by John Sayles, Battle Beyond the Stars is a cheerfully blatant imitation of The Seven Samurai (or at least the American remake The Magnificent Seven). A peaceloving planet is attacked by malevolent aliens. The powers-that-be hire a group of mercenaries, headed by George Peppard, to protect the planet from harm. Peppard's contingent includes squeaky-clean Richard Thomas Jr. and statuesque Sybil Danning. John Saxon goes through his usual paces as the villain, while the supporting players include such dependables as Sam Jaffe, Jeff Corey, and, from Magnificent Seven itself, Robert Vaughn. Keep an eye out for Julia Duffy as "Mol". A deft blend of standard sci-fi action and knowing "inside" humor, Battle Beyond the Stars was one of Corman's biggest hits of the 1980s-not to mention an endless supply of stock footage for future New World Productions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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| WHAT'S THE MESSAGE?
by stypee
April 29, 2004 - 11:09 PM PDT
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3 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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At it's time of release "Battle Beyond The Stars" was Corman's most expensive production. He actually created his own special effects sequences without stealing them from other movies and assuming, for it's time, "Battle", was a lackluster, if humorous, STAR WARS rip-off with a creepy Christian ending - I'm not giving anything away here, it's just text on a screen but it throws you for one of those "what the hell was that?"
There are moments in "Battle" that are just downright hysterical, especially my personal favorite, a visit with aliens who describe their lifestyle. The sequence is so bizarre that you'll find yourself laughing to the point of tears.
As for the effects, well, I don't know what they were going for but one of the ships appear to look like the inside of a woman's vulva. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with screenwriter John Sayles or believe it or not, special effects guy James "when's the Titanic going to sink" Cameron (he worked as a production designer and did some effects) there are matte paintings galore and people staring at nothing while huge models glare down at them (can you say "eye line"?) another rare Corman addition here are brand name actors (I believe this was Richard Thomas' first motion picture role) Robert Vaughn plays a pissed off rebel and John Saxon plays John Saxon.
All in all "Battle Beyond The Stars" is a fun way to kill 103 minutes and here's a FUN FILLED FILM FACT:
Many of the effects were eventually re-used in other Corman films and also SOLD to other production companies, manly overseas and Canadian, if you catch yourself watching something with a science fiction scene that makes you think "gee, the flying vulva looks familiar", it is and it's probably on Cinemax. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 4.88)
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