Plot
Seven futuristic mercenaries are assembled to defend a helpless farm colony from an evil overlord.
Release Year: 1980
Rating: 5.1/10 (3,031 voted)
Director:
Jimmy T. Murakami
Stars: George Peppard, Robert Vaughn, Richard Thomas
Storyline A band of diverse heroes in outer space are assembled to defend a planet of peaceful colonists from an armada of aggressors.
Writers: John Sayles, Anne Dyer
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
Marta Kristen
-
Lux
Earl Boen
-
Nestor 1
John Gowans
-
Nestor 2
(as John Gowens)
Steve Davis
-
Quopeg
Lawrence Steven Meyers
-
Kelvin 1
(as Larry Meyers)
Lara Cody
-
Kelvin 2
Taglines:
A battle beyond time, beyond space.
Release Date: 13 November 1980
Box Office Details
Budget: $2,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $1,700,000
(USA)
Gross: SEK 2,027,999
(Sweden)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
One of the assistant editors on this movie was promised the gig after a rough stint playing a Humanoid in
Humanoids from the Deep.
Quotes: Nell:
30 seconds and counting, Zed. 29, 28, 27, 24, 15, 22... did I... did I say 15?
User Review
Roger Corman's MAGNIFICENT SEVEN in Space...
Rating:
BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS, Roger Corman's 'take' of the STAR WARS saga, is a
film justly recognized as a cult classic. Shot in his new studio ("The
paint
was still wet," Corman has joked), in just five weeks, on a budget that
would have paid for one of George Lucas' effects, the end result is proof
that with the right talent, anything is possible!
A remarkable array of future industry giants participated in the creation
of
the film; the screenplay was co-written by John Sayles, whose breakthrough
film as a maverick writer/director, RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7, would be
released the same year...young model builder James Cameron impressed
Corman
so much that he was promoted to Art Director for the film, and it would be
the first step in a career that led to TERMINATOR, ALIENS, and eventually,
the most Oscar-honored film since BEN-HUR, TITANIC...James Horner, with
only
three prior film credits, gave Corman the STAR WARS-quality music he
wanted,
with an orchestra a fraction of the size of John Williams' London
Philharmonic; Horner would eventually score two STAR TREK films, and a
wide
variety of other 'prestige' projects, culminating with two Oscars for
TITANIC, and a place as one of America's finest film composers. BATTLE
BEYOND THE STARS would have a 'look' and a 'sound' unlike any 'B'-movie
ever
made.
Based on Akira Kurosawa's THE SEVEN SAMURAI (which was also the source for
the classic western, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN), Sayles tried to keep the film
as faithful to the original as possible (a tiny, defenseless village hires
warriors to defend them against a band of outlaws), even naming the
beleaguered people the Akira, as a homage to the director. As warriors
from
different races ally to face down the nearly invincible forces of Sador
(veteran actor John Saxon), Corman paid tribute to John Sturges' western,
as
well, casting Robert Vaughn in virtually the same role as he'd played in
THE
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Other terrific actors round out the cast; Richard
Thomas,
still appearing in 'The Waltons' at the time, played young Shad, the
film's
central character; George Peppard, who was about to achieve a MAJOR career
resurgence with 'The A-Team', became boozy Earthman 'Cowboy'; 'B'-movie
queen Sybil Danning portrayed Valkyrie-like Saint-Exmin; veteran TV and
film
'tough guy' Morgan Woodward was wonderful, if unrecognizable as Cayman of
the Lambda Zone; and Darlanne Fluegel, beginning a long career as a
popular
character actress, was cast as Shad's love, Nanelia. Corman then cast two
long-time friends and Hollywood legends in cameo roles; Jeff Corey as
blind
Zed, who encourages the Akira to fight; and 89-year old Sam Jaffe as the
robotics expert who introduces Shad to Nanelia.
A note about director Jimmy T. Murakami...a veteran animator, BATTLE
BEYOND
THE STARS marked his directorial debut, and he does an exceptionally good
job, considering his budget restraints. After working on HUMANOIDS FROM
THE
DEEP, he married an Irish girl and settled in Europe, limiting his
subsequent film career to an occasional project that interested him. Roger
Corman's 'family' of filmmakers were NEVER dull...
While some of the FX are shaky, the overall production is very impressive,
and holds up remarkably well, today. Roger Corman has called BATTLE BEYOND
THE STARS one of his favorite films, and he has every right to be
proud...the movie is a terrific SF adventure!
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