Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Jimmy T. Murakami

Writers:

Anne Dyer (story)
John Sayles (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 November 1980 (West Germany)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A battle beyond time, beyond space.

Plot:

Seven futuristic mercenaries are assembled to defend a helpless farm colony from an evil overlord.

Plot Keywords:

Outer Space | Mercenary | Mad Scientist | Spacecraft | Psychotronic

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Richard Thomas	...	Shad
Robert Vaughn	...	Gelt
John Saxon	...	Sador
George Peppard	...	Cowboy
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Nanelia
Sybil Danning	...	Saint-Exmin
Sam Jaffe	...	Dr. Hephaestus
Jeff Corey	...	Zed
Morgan Woodward	...	Cayman of the Lambda Zone
Marta Kristen	...	Lux
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Earl Boen	...	Nestor 1
Larry Broyles	...	Tembo
Ansley Carlin	...	Wok
Daniel Carlin	...	Pez
Lynn Carlin	...	Nell (voice)
Dick Carlos	...	Yago
Doug Carlsson	...	Pez
Dallas Clarke	...	Askew
Lara Cody	...	Kelvin2
Brian Coventry
Rick Davidson
Steve Davis	...	Quepeg
Julia Duffy	...	Mol
Kerry Frank
John Gowan	...	Nestor 2
Ron Henschel
Tom Henschel	...	Talking Android
Terrence E. McNally	...	Gar
Lawrence Steven Meyers	...	Kelvin
Eric Morris	...	Feh
Robert Peace	...	Kalo
Rob Reece
Gary D. Robbins
Ron Ross	...	Dab
Whitney Rydbeck	...	Saunders
Steve Says	...	Quopeg
Kimberly Sommer	...	Kintwarna
Galen Thompson	...	Wok
Dan Vincent

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (2005, DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Norway:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-16 (1989) (uncut version) | Finland:K-12 (1980) (cut version)

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

Most of the model shots were reused Space Raiders (1983).

Quotes:

Shad: [after being beamed aboard Nestor's ship] Okay, what's the big idea?
[All 5 Nestors turn to face him]
Shad: Don't everybody talk at once!
[When none of the Nestors speak up, he draws his handgun]
Shad: Listen, if I don't get some answers FAST, I'm gonna have to use this thing!
[Nestor causes his own gun-hand to turn on him, aiming at his own head; he vainly attempts to wrench it away]
Shad: ... Let me rephrase that.
Nestor 1: [upon releasing Shad] You are not of a violent form. We sensed that you did not intend to shoot.
Shad: You read my mind?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bachelor Party (1984)

Star Wars clone? Yes, but cheesy sci-fi fun!

Battle Beyond The Stars was one of the better Star Wars clones. The special effects weren't "great" even back in 1980, but they add to the low budget flavor of the movie. You have to remember that this movie had a substantially lower budget for special effects than an "A" picture like Star Wars. Early detailed models by James Cameron (TERMINATOR/TITANIC) are the high point of the special effects. A lot of people got their career start on this film, and Cameron was only one of many.

The script for Battle Beyond The Stars had a lot of things going for it, from the aliens to the quirky characters. I found the race of Nestor to be the most interesting concept of all. Just the thought of a race of beings that can hear/feel/think together as one conscious entity could be a great movie plot in itself.

The excellent casting of actors and actresses was another strong point in Battle Beyond The Stars. John Saxon, George Peppard, and Sybil Danning especially shine through in their acting performances in my opinion.

Battle Beyond The Stars is, quite simply, one of those movies that's so cheesy that's it's something special. It's a fun movie that never takes itself too seriously, and I don't either. I guess that's why I still enjoy it after all of these years.