Battle beyond the Stars (1980)
Genre: Scifi / Adventure
Duration: 104 minuten
Alternative title: Duel achter de Sterren
Country:
United States
Directed by: Jimmy T. Murakami
Stars: Richard Thomas, George Peppard and Robert Vaughn
IMDb score:
5,5 (11.429)
Releasedate: 8 September 1980
Battle beyond the Stars plot
"A battle beyond time, beyond space."
A peaceful planet is under attack by evil creatures. The planet's leaders decide to hire a group of 7 mercenaries to chase the aliens away. The mercenaries are a rather diverse group and led by Cowboy (Peppard) they try to save the planet. Loosely based on Shichinin no Samurai.
Actors and actresses
Shad
Gelt
Sador
Cowboy
Nanelia
St. Exmin
Dr. Hephaestus
Zed
Cayman
Lux
Reviews & comments
stephan73
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- 6269 messages
- 14471 votes
Roger Corman knew exactly what to give his audience. In this case, he came up with a mix of Star Wars and Seven Samurai, and it works... perfectly!
A wonderful 80s atmosphere, good effects, cool actors and just a nice story.
It's strange that this film isn't rated that well on MM, because it's just a really nice, imaginative film.
A solid 4* and I'd love to see more films like this! 
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dreiecke
-
- 2768 messages
- 902 votes
A really fun, old-fashioned SF film in the spirit of the first Star Treks, but with a slightly more comical touch. It seems to be a light parody of them. Don't expect modern effects, equipment, or gadgets, but beautiful, artistic sets and models, robot people, people in alien makeup, lights, and beeps. Fun, characterful characters and excellent acting. John-Boy Walton as an astronaut took some getting used to. Also, a very good, atmospheric soundtrack.
This movie isn't perfect, but it's totally to my taste.
Translated from Dutch · View original
80&90’s Nostalgia
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- 543 messages
- 600 votes
After years, revisited the new 4K release from Scream Factory with Dolby Vision.
A decent SF film from the stable of producer Roger Corman, the king of B-movies. He always managed to squeeze the best out of a low budget. Essentially a shameless clone of Star Wars and loosely based on The Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai. Starring a relatively young Richard Thomas, whom most will recognize as the adult Bill from Stephen King's "IT."
The story begins with the peaceful planet Akir, threatened by the tyrannical warlord Sador (Saxon / Darth Vader). He possesses a “Stellar Converter,” a weapon that can turn planets into stars (Death Star), and demands that the inhabitants submit to him within seven days. The young African Shad (Thomas / Skywalker) rebels and embarks on a journey in the planet’s only spaceship in search of help to defend his home. This spaceship resembles a rust-colored insect with two breasts, and he is assisted by a talking onboard computer named Nell. During his journey he makes several allies: Nanelia, daughter of Dr. Hephaestus, played by the adorable Darlanne Fluegel in one of her first roles; laidback Cowboy, an Earth cargo pilot specializing in weapons; the Nestor, a clone race operating as one (pirated from Star Trek’s Borg); the lone assassin Gelt, played by Robert Vaughn; the combative but above all horny Valkyrie (Big Tits) Saint-Exmin; and Cayman, a reptilian creature whose homeworld was destroyed by Sador.
Admittedly, the space battles look a bit clunky, with the accompanying sounds. Still, the film is enjoyable to watch, with a good pace, engaging characters, and dialogue. What always stuck with me was the sacrifice of various allies in the battle. With music by James Horner and FX by James Cameron.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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