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Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
1980 | Sci-Fi
Superior first-wave Star Wars cash-in from Roger Corman, recycling the plot of The Magnificent Seven (et al); writer John Sayles shows he knows his stuff by including all the requisite space battles and funny aliens, but also references to Kurosawa, whose films originally inspired George Lucas.

Peaceful alien yokels known as the Akira (told you so) are menaced by galactic despot on a tight timetable; farm boy is dispatched to recruit space mercenaries to help fend him off when he comes back. Ropy model-work courtesy of a young James Cameron is the film's biggest weakness (the best special effect is probably Sybil Danning's costume); rousing score from a young James Horner is a major plus. Robert Vaughn's performance here is just as good as the one in The Magnificent One - makes sense, as it's essentially the same one. Film has a lovely adventurous tone about it, isn't afraid to treat the audience with intelligence; much better than many other more prestigious sci-fi films of this period.