Battle Beyond the Stars

[PatrThom]

[CONTAINER][POSTER]

[/POSTER][MOVIE]Title: Battle Beyond the Stars

Tagline: A battle beyond time, beyond space.

Genre: [GENRE]Science Fiction[/GENRE]

Director: [DIRECTOR]Jimmy T. Murakami[/DIRECTOR]

Cast: [ACTOR]Richard Thomas[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Robert Vaughn[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]John Saxon[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]George Peppard[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Darlanne Fluegel[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Julia Duffy[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Sybil Danning[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Sam Jaffe[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Morgan Woodward[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Earl Boen[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]John Gowans[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Jeff Corey[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Lynn Carlin[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Lara Cody[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Kathy Griffin[/ACTOR]

Release Date: [RELEASE]1980-09-08[/RELEASE]

Runtime: [RUNTIME]104[/RUNTIME]

Plot: [PLOT]A farm-boy sets out to recruit mercenaries to defend his peaceful planet, which is under threat of invasion by an evil tyrant and his armada. Roger Corman's post Star Wars take on The Seven Samurai.[/PLOT][/MOVIE][/CONTAINER]

 

[PatrThom]

Someone should really do a collection of all the movies that were derived from Seven Samurai.

Of all of them, this one takes the cake. Not for some sort of gritty, faithful interpretation of the original, but instead for its sheer audacity, and commitment to itself. Shad slogs through 80's-style visual effects, questionable design decisions, anachronistic inconsistencies, violations of natural laws, all to save his planet. Along the way, he amasses a rag-tag band of fighters, all of whom decide to take up his quest after he impresses them with his ability to take them seriously.

I originally saw this movie at such a young enough age that I didn't even bat an eye at Nell's design. I keep meaning to watch it just to see how much of that youthful amazement and wonder will have been stripped out of the movie now that I'm older and more worldly.

--Patrick