Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)

 It comes as no surprise that in the wake of the immense success of 'Star Wars', many companies tried their best to cash in on that idea. Thus many a budget version of the sprawling space opera was created, most bad, some hilariously bad ('Star Crash', anyone?) and some actually surprisingly fun, such as this one. Helmed by producer Roger Corman (because who else?), this low budget version of 'Star Wars' meets 'The 7 Samurai' is actually pretty entertaining and for a film on a very tight budget, it looks darn good as well, even if it is not without its flaws. 

The intergalactic tyrant Sador of the Malmori has his sights set on the peaceful planet of Akir. The people don't know how to fight, but a young man named Shad will set out with the only spaceship they have in order to find mercenaries to do the fighting for them. Most of this film is him hopping through space and picking up quirky characters one after another. In the end, they do battle with Sador and even though all of them perish (yes, all the mercs die - spoilers), Shad saves the planet and the universe is at peace again.

So yes, if th storyline feels familiar, it's because it is a direct copy of Kurosawa's work. That and 'The Magnificent Seven', because there's even a character called 'Cowboy' in this one. He is apparently someone who comes from Earth and is a literal cowboy. Yes, it is as bizarre as it sounds, but if you know it is George Peppard with a utility belt that provides him with whisky, it might make more sense. 

It's the bizarre hodgepodge of personalities that make this such a hoot to watch. Shad is the naive hero and he is fairly bland. But that's what you get when you hire Richard Thomas for this role. He discovers Nanelia, a girl living on a space station surrounded only by androids. She is the techy type and is pretty hungry for some human intercourse. 

No, that is not a euphemism. 

There's also Gelt, a mercenary who is so hunted, he can't go anywhere, played by a slumming Robert Vaughn. He pretty much reprises his role from 'The Magnificent Seven'. There's Nestor, a collective consciousness whose bald caps are painfully visible; Cayman, a reptilian humanoid who is joined by two midgets called Kelvins because they radiate heat and last but not least Sybil Danning as St Exmin of the Valkyrie. 

If you don't know who Sybil Danning is, she is one of those actresses that were pretty much instrumental in completing young boys' fantasies in the late 70s and 80s. Here, she can't act for the love of mother, but her outfits are so distracting, it won't really matter. It is still a mystery how her bountiful assets did not escape said outfits at any point. Yes, it is distracting. No, it doesn't matter that it is distracting. 

But seriously: that foamrubber brazier? How they managed to avoid nipple slips is a mystery for the ages. And don't spoil it by saying gaffa tape. Let's ascribe it to magical boobies, because that is way more fun. 

The big bad is played by John Saxon, who is going slightly overboard on the ham in this one, but it is just so much fun to watch him exclaim his lines. Who is also pretty funny, is Nell, the spaceship that Shad flies. Her sarcasm and banter with Shad will undoubtedly make you giggle more than once. 

But probably the most impressive thing on display here, are the special effects. Yes, they do look a little on the cheap side (which makes sense, considering the budget), but it is true that they look far better than you would expect. Credit where credit's due, the special effects team did a marvellous job. Yes, a young James Cameron was part of this. Also, even though the music by James Horner is eerily similar to the work he wrote for 'Star Trek', it still is a fun score.

'Battle Beyond the Stars' is highly entertaining, much more so than you would expect. And on the scale of 'Star Wars'-rip offs, this one is on the absolute high end of that spectrum. Have a watch and try not to have a good time, it's nearly impossible.