Battle Beyond the Stars (DVD)

I remember seeing this film in about 1984 on video, and when I saw that it was being aired again, I decided to take a look and find out whether, through older eyes, it was as good as I remember it. I think the answer to that one would be a definite no, but that's after the fact of viewing films such as Matrix, Independance day and the later Star Trek movies. But for all the bad points, I would still recommend giving it a watch, as it is a good little film in it's own right (especially to the fans of such films as Battlestar Galactica). The story is a futuristic reworking of The Seven Samurai (the same film which also spawned 'The Magnificent ...  Read the complete review

Between starring in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S in the 1960s and TV's THE A-TEAM in the 1980s, George Peppard appeared in some films which were less memorable, and this is one of them. BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS is Roger Corman's cheap science fiction version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, which was itself a Western version of Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI. Both of those movies are better than this version, but it still has a certain charm. The main star of the film is Richard Thomas. Thomas was great as John-Boy Walton in TV's THE WALTONS, but he isn't really a good enough actor to carry a movie like this off. Also appearing are John Saxon ...  Read the complete review

this is one of the first ever films i saw on betamax (snigger) way back in the early 80's - this is basically a star wars rip off which is based on the seven samurai but was made for about 29p + VAT as a lot of it is outtakes from other films the film stars richard thomas (john boy walton) whose planet is under threat from sador. they have no defences - sador will destroy the planet unless richard thomas can find help - he ultimately does as he picks up various scoundrels such as George Peppard and Robert Vaughn. each of the race thomas hires agrees to help him for various reasons they ultimately succeed and sador is defeated. ...  Read the complete review

Or maybe even a whole bucket :o) The film isn't particularly well acted, the plot doesn't contain any surprises and the budget for the special effects could be mistaken for a kids lunch money. However it's the classic "so bad it's good" scenario, if you watch this movie with a few friends and the aim of having a laugh then you can hardly go wrong. You can marvel at John Boy Walton, Hannibal Smith, Napoleon Solo and a number of other TV stars all appearing next to each other in a Seven Samurai meets Starwars extravaganza. Sit back, make a few quips at the TV actors and have a laugh, well worth picking up if you see it for a few quid, or if you ...  Read the complete review