Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  I went into Battle Beyond the Stars hoping to discover some unseen craptastic sci-fi epic in the vein of Starcrash or The Last Starfighter (the latter actually being a pretty well-made film). What I got instead was a pretty boring cheesefest. This isn't to say that the movie is… More
  I went into Battle Beyond the Stars hoping to discover some unseen craptastic sci-fi epic in the vein of Starcrash or The Last Starfighter (the latter actually being a pretty well-made film). What I got instead was a pretty boring cheesefest. This isn't to say that the movie is totally free of any entertainment value, but being under the assumption that it was a fun crap movie, I was disappointed. There were only two things that I knew about the movie going into it. I knew that it was a Roger Corman production and I knew that the Skotak brothers as well as James Cameron worked on the special effects, and that's about it. Really that's about all there is to say about it. Well, there's also John Saxon, and Sybil Danning, so I guess that might warrant another star. It's not a great movie, and not even in an enjoyable way. Not even because the main ship looks like a pair of breasts. It doesn't matter, it's just very bland and boring. See it for the design work, John Saxon's over-the-top performance and Sybil Danning's body. That's it.

• Luke B

  
  Seven Samurai is my favorite film of all time. It's perfection. The Magnificent Seven is also a fantastic movie. In 1980, Roger Corman brought us this slice of budget sci-fi. Taking the classic story and reworking it to slide nicely into the Star Wars excitement, Battle Beyond… More
  Seven Samurai is my favorite film of all time. It's perfection. The Magnificent Seven is also a fantastic movie. In 1980, Roger Corman brought us this slice of budget sci-fi. Taking the classic story and reworking it to slide nicely into the Star Wars excitement, Battle Beyond the Stars is a mishmash tapestry of cheapness, but some genuinely great bits. The recruitment scenes go on far too long, with Thomas having to travel through space, rather than just one city. The warriors themselves are boiled down to pretty darn simple emotions/motives. Obviously, Seven Samurai had the benefit of a 220 Minute running time, but they could have tried a bit harder. Thomas is a great hero, the simple, gentle man thrown into a world of war. His progression is well charted and works a treat. Some of the practical effects are nice, and some are even too cheap for my taste. A space setting is a great way to update the classic tale, but unfortunately this film wrote checks that it was unable to cash.

• Anthony L

  
  Battle Beyond the Stars, you could say, is the final part in the Seven trilogy. Based on the Seven Samurai, which was later remade into The magnificent Seven, it seems fitting to bring the story into the future somewhat. It's not nearly as good as the two previous films but… More
  Battle Beyond the Stars, you could say, is the final part in the Seven trilogy. Based on the Seven Samurai, which was later remade into The magnificent Seven, it seems fitting to bring the story into the future somewhat. It's not nearly as good as the two previous films but it's certainly spectacular. The seven are basically a bizarre and brilliant mix of aliens battling against one big nasty alien. Brilliant! Sure, it's a little dated but I?m extremely fond of it. It's a Roger Corman classic for fuck sake! I'd watch this over Star Wars any day (and as a child, I did!)

• A.D. V

  
  The ship has boobs, what more do ya want from a Roger Corman production?

• Lafe F

  
  An oatmeal-flavored science fiction epic with Richard Thomas (John-Boy Walton) gathering allies from all over the galaxy to defend his planet from a sick-twisted dark lord. It's an innocent story which has a nice selection of aliens and characters. Highlights are Robert… More
  An oatmeal-flavored science fiction epic with Richard Thomas (John-Boy Walton) gathering allies from all over the galaxy to defend his planet from a sick-twisted dark lord. It's an innocent story which has a nice selection of aliens and characters. Highlights are Robert Vaughn's space criminal, George Peppard's space cowboy, the white aliens who are mentally connected, the Valkerie-like warrior woman and her pet, the Android-maker and his daughter, plus some little guys. It's a whole lot of cheesy fun, and not too cheaply made in the wake of Star-Wars-imitators. Fun to watch with pals.

• xGary X

  
  Cheap and cheerful remake of The Magnificent Seven (Robert Vaughn even reprises his role) in space. Cheesy effects and straight to video stars, but it's amusingly kitsch. And the valkyrie certainly made an impression on this particular pubescent boy...

• Anthony V

  
  Sci-fi Seven Samurai is fun.

Read all 7 featured audience ratings