BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS(1980)*** out of **** Written by John Sayles based on the Akira Kurosawa film THE SEVEN SAMURAI, Directed by Jimmy T.Murakami,Starring Richard Thomas, Darlene Fluegel, John Saxon, George Peppard, Robert Vaughn, Sybil Danning,Jeff Corey,Marta Kristen,Sam JaffeRated PG, 104 minutes Released by New World Films and Shout Factory Home Video
When STAR WARS(1977) was released in theaters,it's success at the box office caused a tidal wave of sci-fi oriented space films in the 1980's and famed low budget exploitation producer/director Roger Corman who previously jumped on the JAWS bandwagon with PIRANHA(1978) and then on the POSEIDON ADVENTURE/ TOWERING INFERNO disaster film craze with AVALANCHE(1976),then decided to cash in on the STAR WARS film series by making his own low budgeted versionthru his company New World Pictures with the biggest budget(over 2 million dollars) ever allotted in New World's history. Corman commissioned screenwriter John Sayles(PIRANHA, ALLIGATOR) to write a science fiction fantasy screen story based on Akira Kurosawa's THE SEVEN SAMURAI(1956) which in itself inspired the classic western,THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN(1960)and hired young James Cameron(TITANIC, AVATAR, TERMINATOR series) to do his first special visual effects scenes for a sci-fi motion picture as well as animation director Jimmy T.Murakami(HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP)to direct his first film with an all star cast of Richard Thomas(TV's THE WALTONS),Darlene Fluegel(EYES OF LAURA MARS,TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA),John Saxon(ENTER THE DRAGON),George Peppard(TV's THE A-TEAM), Robert Vaughn(TV's THE MAN FROM UNCLE) and SYBIL DANNING(THE HOWLING II,HERCULES, MALIBU EXPRESS, CHAINED HEAT)
Although BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS has top notch special visual effects for a low budgeted science fiction epic,the Magnificent Seven type story is rather slow in developing it's plot in getting to the money shot of this picture which is the final exciting space battle between the space mercenaries led by Thomas against the evil forces led by Saxon in order to save the planet of Akira, homeworld of Thomas' people. But there are very good performances by Vaughn as one of the mercenaries which is virtually a homage to Vaughn's original similar role in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN(1960),Peppard in a humorous version of Steve McQueen's role in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and Danning playing a very forceful and sexy Valkerie Amazon space warrior which led her to do similar roles in HERCULES(1983), THE SEVEN MAGNIFICENT GLADIATORS(1984),MALIBU EXPRESS(1986),THE HOWLING II(1985), CHAINED HEAT(1983) and REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS(1987). THE DVD has the film in excellent digitally restored anamorphic widescreen version format with two entertaining audio commentaries which is one with producer Roger Corman and screenwriter John Sayles and the other by co-producer Gale Anne Herd, former wife of James Cameron who did the special effects for the film. There is also a featurette interview with the film's star Richard Thomas and there is also another featurette with the various film technicians who worked on the special effects in the film.There is also trailers and a poster/photo gallery of the film.Once again Shout Factory Home Video has put out another great New World Films film classic on DVD.
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