Battle Beyond the Stars

release year: 1980
genre: sci-fi semi-spoof
viewing setting: home DVD, 8/1/01
what I expected: couldn't remember
what I got: watchable low-budget sci-fi

synopsis: A space tyrant menaces a world; the only hope is a kid who goes to find people to help.

impressions: This was a kind of blend of The Magnificent Seven and Star Wars. The premise - a tyrant who offer people the chance to agree to serve him, instead of just blasting them out of space - is fairly silly, as is the idea of a young, peace-loving boy going out into space to recruit allies for war. Still, it's campy entertainment, with a bevy of weird characters and some decent ideas and special effects.

things to watch for: The starship with breasts (yes, this is THAT movie)

acting: The most interesting characters were the freewheeling Cowboy (George Peppard) and the assassin Gelt (Robert Vaughn.)

final word: This is about all you could ask from a B-movie. If you like sci-fi at all, you should enjoy watching it, though it's no grand epic.

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