Battle Beyond the Stars 1980 5 out of 10 (Star Wars Rip-off # 3)

 

Battle Beyond the Stars 1980  5 out of 10

The next Star Wars rip-off I dug into was Battle Beyond the Stars from 1980.  This was another odd one.  The film is basically a silly version of The Seven Samurai in space.  A villain played by John Saxon has threatened a small planet and the peaceful people decide to hire some fighters to protect them.  They send John Boy from the Walton's into space to get help without any way of paying for it.   The first hour of the film has him way too easily getting a bunch of random aliens and people to help him fight for the planet. The crew he assembles includes George Peppard as a guy named Space Cowboy and Robert Vaughn as a mysterious hired gun known throughout the galaxy.

The movie was super corny and cheesy - but actually had some decent editing and special effects in the space battles that made it seem more exciting than it should be.  Famed director James Cameron worked on the films special effects - so that may be why that part of the film stood out.   Other than the effects the story was just unremarkable and not very memorable. 

Portals 2019 5 out of 10 (Quick Thoughts)

 

Portals 2019  5 out of 10

This movie had a really cool concept like something out of an Arthur C Clarke novel- but instead of trying to tell one really good story involving the concept it ended up telling 3 mediocre stories.  The idea of a bunch of mysterious portals showing up all over the earth was such a cool idea. It almost feels like the creatives behind this had this original concept --but couldn't agree so instead told three versions of what it could be instead of just really concentrating on one great idea of what it was.  It made for a movie that had potential -- but didn't live up to it.

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Flight That Disappeared 1961 6 out of 10

Flight That Disappeared 1961  6 out of 10

While on a flight from Los Angeles to Washington DC for an important meeting a plane that continues to climb despite the pilots best efforts to stop it.  A couple important passengers find themselves stuck in a strange dimension where they are put on trial for events that haven't occurred yet.   This movie feels like a Twilight Zone episode.  The concept of the story is cool --but it gets a little preachy during the trial which basically puts the characters on trial for creating a powerful weapon that hasn't happened yet.  The film feels at times like it could be a stage play since it basically takes place in only two sets the plane and the trial in the dimension without time,  The film is basically equivalent to a good yet not great episode of either Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits.  If you go into it with that expectation you may enjoy it.

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The Time Travelers 1964 5 out of 10 (Time Travel Movie # 16)

The Time Travelers 1964  5  out of 10 

The Story of the film revolves around a group of scientists who find their time-viewing screen allows them to travel through time as they literally walk through it and into the future.  Once through the portal they encounter some mutants (guys in store bought bald caps) that immediately made me think of the movie within the movie in Strange Brew. A long chase scene down a desert canyon leads them into a cave where the last humans are surviving and preparing to leave the dying earth.  At this point the pace of the film slows down and drags a bit as they talk and live with these future scientists. It has some interesting stuff like the strange Androids that are quite freakish looking that would have actually made for better mutants. 

 

(Creepy Androids)

The conclusion of the film helps to make up for the middle        section as the mutants attack just as the spacecraft is about to      leave earth.  A battle occurs between humans,  their creepy                android servants and mutants leading to a cool and intriguing ending.   All and all it was a watchable film that showed some potential (at least in some of the concept) but that fell flat in some areas that left it just so-so in the end. 

 Trailer

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