Battle Beyond the Stars: a strangely rollicking ride? (scifi movie retrospective).

Ladies, gentlemen, and extraterrestrial beings of all ages, let’s hop into our time machines and set a course for 1980. Why, you ask? To revisit the cult classic, Battle Beyond the Stars, of course. It’s time for a retrospective look at this gem, a film that makes Star Wars look like a quaint little family drama. Hold onto your space helmets; this is going to be a fun ride, brought to you by none other than SFcrowsnest, your go-to magazine for all things science fiction.

First off, let’s talk money. With a budget that could barely cover the cost of a decent spaceship these days ($2 million, to be exact), Roger Corman, the godfather of B-movies, decided to give George Lucas a run for his money. Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami, Battle Beyond the Stars is what happens when you mix The Magnificent Seven with a space blender, add a dash of Seven Samurai, and hit the ‘puree’ button.

The plot? Oh, it’s a doozy. The farming world Akir (named in homage to Akira Kurosawa, because why not?) is under threat from the dastardly Sador, played by John Saxon. Sador’s party trick? A Stellar Converter that turns planets into stars. Talk about overkill. Enter our hero, Shad, portrayed by the ever-charming Richard Thomas. His mission? Assemble a ragtag team of mercenaries to save his home from becoming the next big thing in the night sky.

Now, let’s meet the crew. We’ve got George Peppard as Space Cowboy, who seems to think he’s still on Earth. There’s Robert Vaughn, basically replaying his role from The Magnificent Seven, but in space. And let’s not forget Sybil Danning as Saint-Exmin, a Valkyrie warrior whose outfit screams space fashion disaster. The cast is a motley crew of has-beens, never-weres, and “Hey, isn’t that guy from that thing?”

The script, penned by John Sayles, is a masterpiece of sci-fi cheese. It’s full of lines that are so bad, they’re good. Like, “I like to feel the life going out of something,” says Gelt (Vaughn), probably while stroking a space cat. The special effects, designed by a young James Cameron, are both impressive and hilarious. Cameron, who worked tirelessly on a shoestring budget, used McDonald’s containers to create the spaceship’s corridors. Talk about recycling. And let’s not forget the score by James Horner, which sounds suspiciously like every other sci-fi score he composed later on.

The film’s legacy is as vast as space itself. Footage from Battle Beyond the Stars has been recycled more times than a plastic bottle, appearing in numerous other Corman productions. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. In true Corman fashion, the film was a moderate box office success, proving that you don’t need the budget of a small country to make a splash in the cinematic universe. Critics were divided, but let’s be honest, this film wasn’t aiming for the Oscars. It was gunning for a place in our geeky hearts, and it found it. It’s a testament to what can be achieved with a lot of imagination and very little money. It’s a space opera, a comedy, and a drama, all rolled into one. And most importantly, it’s a reminder that in the vast expanse of the universe, there’s always room for a little fun.

So, as we return to the present, let’s give a cosmic salute to Battle Beyond the Stars. It may not have reached the stars, but it kind of shot for them (or at them).