Starcrash Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The ultimate inter-galactic adventure
From a vast and distant galaxy... A Space Adventure for all Time!
From a vast and distant galaxy - A space adventure like no other!
A pair of smugglers manage to pick up a castaway while running from the authorities, who turns out to be the only survivor from a secret mission to destroy a mysterious superweapon designed by the evil Count Zartham. The smugglers are soon recruited by the Emperor to complete the mission, as well as to rescue the Emperor's son, who has gone missing.
| Marjoe Gortner | Akton |
| Caroline Munro | Stella Star |
| Christopher Plummer | The Emperor |
| David Hasselhoff | Simon |
| Robert Tessier | Thor |
| Joe Spinell | Count Zarth Arn |
| Nadia Cassini | Corelia, Queen of the Amazons |
| Judd Hamilton | Elle, Jiakta |
| Hamilton Camp | Voice of Elle |
| Salvatore Baccaro | Neanderthal Man |
| Luigi Cozzi |
3.00 out of 10 (1008 votes)
Visitor Reviews
If you like Ray HarryHausen SFX, this is the film for you
posted on 01 Jul 2009This film would do Ray HarryHausen proud. The eery effect of stop motion action sequences somehow made the scenes seem all the more alien. This was the charm of this film for me. Also this film contains what i consider to be some of the most realistic laser blasts I have ever seen. (If high heat hits something that is 80 percent water, it would more than likely produce steam, not flames!).I will admit that the space battle scenes were not up to the level of Star Wars, but many of the best scenes from this movie occurred on the surface of planets.Overall, this movie was very well done!
Ah... Starcrash
posted on 08 May 2009This is the guilty secret on Christopher Plummer's resume. If he looks distracted throughout most of the film, I am convinced it is because his agent is just off-camera, waving the paycheck at him to remind him why is doing this tripe. This film is one of those films that's so bad that it becomes hugely amusing. Who couldn't laugh at lines like: "The Temperaure drops thousands of degrees at night!" (So how hot must it be during the day???), or "Imperial Dreadnaught - stop time!" (how's that for a literal deus ex machina ending?). Thrill as windows in spaceships are broken with no inconvenient depressurisation, and the bad guys are 'sneaked' up on by a flying oil refinery. All this plus a godlike alien surfer-boy and Caroline Munro, the pneumatic and surprisingly talented star of a thousand dodgy horror and sci-fi films from the late 70s and early 80s.They really don't make zero-budget SF films like this any more, more's the pity. As a student I enjoyed it with friends and a great deal of beer. It's great that I can now do so again.
In the search of Hoff
posted on 15 Nov 2008I have nothing positive to say about this film: the plot prances around like a blind pony, the acting is terrible and the special effects look cheap and badly dated.Stella Star (Caroline Munro) is a pilot, the god damn best pilot in the world, who is sent after emperors(Christopher Lambert) son Simon (David Hasselhoff), who has crash landed behind enemy lines after running to the secret weapon of ridiculously eeevil cont Zarth Arn (Joe Spinell), who mainly laughs devilishly and shouts orders to his men throughout the film.Starcrash is simply put straight forwarded Star Wars copy. It has no merits if it own and in some places it is just damn weird little film that makes no sense at all. You'd be best out watching this with some friends, who can mock a bad film properly, otherwise it is just too damn boring and idiotic to be even considered worthwhile to sit through.Score 1 out of 10Camp score 8 out of 10
A fun sci-fi throwback to the old 30s and 40s serials
posted on 13 Oct 2008In the same vein as Jason of Star Command and Flesh Gordon, Starcrash is a campy, fun throwback to the old serials of the 30s and 40s. It looks, feels, and tastes like an old serial, minus the chapters. Yep, it is a cheesey attempt to cash in on the great sci-fi craze of the late 70s, fueled by the likes of Logan's Run, Close Encounters, Space: 1999, and ESPECIALLY Star Wars, of course. It is guilty as charged. That said, it is an absoloute low-budget blast. For detractors, here's your first clue that this film is not to be taken seriously: A robot with a long, southern drawl. L the cowardly robot is a riot!Starcrash shamelessly pilfers elements from Invaders from Mars (1953) (a brief appearance by an alien judicial judge), Ray Harryhausen films (a couple of model animated aliens & robots), and Star Wars (a lightsaber duel), not to mention the old serials.The whole thing never stops to catch its breath, and neither does the viewer, overwhelmed by alternately cheesey and surprisingly good special fx and generally porn-level acting and dialogue. One minute Stella and L are battling Amazons, the next L is gunning it out with troglodytes, and the next Akton is having a lightsaber duel with those model-animated robots. There are psychadelic images and scenes, almost worthy of the equally bizarre Barbarella. And along the way are allusions to classic sf authors Edmond Hamilton, Murray Leinster, and Ray Bradbury.For the b-movie or old time serial lover, or someone who doesn't mind some campy lightweight space opera, Starcrash really can't be topped.
Sci-fi camp! With cameo from David Hasselholf
posted on 04 Oct 2008Also known as Female Space Invaders, Stella Star, and probably some other titles, this film is a riot. Highlights include the "big-nosed" guy, the "cowboy robot", Stella Star, catfights, space battles... oh yeah the villians are top-notch cheese too! This movie had me rolling on the ground crying from laughter! Highly recommended! 10/10.
Long time ago in a cinema near home…
posted on 30 Jul 2008This definitely belongs to the 3 worst SF movies ever made and its among the 10 worst I've ever seen (and I've seen more than 7000). But then in the Star Wars frenzy at the end of the 70s, I watched everything remotely SF and and at that age (17) all those scantily clad girls made some impression. And I agree with previous posts: it's a bad movies lover's happy nightmare. For masochists only!
Good fun
posted on 27 Jun 2008This cheap "Star Wars" ripoff presents some of the worst and most ridiculous special effects ever made. It also delivers dumb dialogue that will make you laugh yourself into the next dimension. And, above all, the cast includes Marjoe Gortner, Caroline Munro (wearing a bikini on every planet), David Hasselhoff, Christopher Plummer and the great late Joe Spinell. Everybody is outrageously overacting (except for Plummer, who is outrageously underacting). But the movie never becomes boring, there is always happening something more or less stupid, so you'll always be entertained. "Starcrash" is a real party tape that can be enjoyed best with mates and enough beer, chips and popcorn. Don't miss this utterly cheesy movie: It's so dumb that you have to love it!
Hasselhoff is out acted by Mark Hamill, the scenery, and the closing credits.
posted on 01 Feb 2008I first saw this movie at a summer camp many years ago, and was amazed that it was not 1) an early SNL skit; and 2) not destroyed upon the viewing of the first rushes. "Starcrash" is however one of the most sterling examples of how not to make a film, right down to casting David Hasselhoff in any roll, even that of gaffer, (which i am told requires some competency).The film impresses in its mastery of all that is corny, over done, underacted, and just god awful. That said, for those looking for one of the worst movies in cinematic history, look no further; this is one of the few movies I find funnier (not better) than Some Like it Hot, and the only movie I have seen that ranks with "Space Mutiny" as the worst I have ever seen (I have yet to see "Manos"). (Though, in a quirky way, there are glimmers of brilliance)
Calling it 'Starcrap' would be too easy...
posted on 12 Nov 2007I suppose the most baffling thing about Starcrash is how director Luigi Cozzi and the actors actually DARED to release it. The film is very funny, but I'm quite sure it wasn't intended as a comedy, and I find it hard to believe that the filmmakers weren't absolutely sure about what a silly and incompetent piece of trash they were contributing to. Still, their loss is our gain and even though Starcrash surely ranks up there as one of the very worst films ever made; it is a lot of fun to watch. I'm guessing that writer-director Luigi Cozzi saw Star Wars at some point and thought it would be an excellent idea to make a cheap Italian rip-off of it, and that's exactly what he decided to do - even though he clearly didn't have the budget to do so. The plot is incoherent and as stupid as the rest of the movie, and follows Akton and the amusingly named 'Stella Star' as they become embroiled in a war between the good and evil sides of the galaxy. There are a number of small subplots involving things such as police robots, huge metal statues and planets full of women...but the war between good and evil is the main plot, I think.The film is completely full of stupid moments and technical errors, but it's all this stuff that makes it so fun to watch. This film could aptly be described as a school play performed by adults, although the majority of school play's feature better acting and more sensible dialogue. The stupid things that the characters say provide most of the laughs, as most of the dialogue is either completely ridiculous or totally inappropriate. The special effects look like they were made by someone who spent an afternoon in the garage, and probably were. It's actually quite sad that this film was released at the end of the seventies considering the state of the special effects. The plotting is all over the place, but it does feature some good set pieces; the Jason and the Argonauts style giant moving statue on a planet full of scantily clad women is a highlight. The cast is actually quite good also, and features performances from the likes of The Hoff, Christopher Plummer and Joe Spinell, who all make fools of themselves. Caroline Munro provides the female lead, and her body is the film's biggest asset; a fact which Luigi Cozzi obviously realised. Overall, this is a stupid film - but it's fun to watch and might appeal to some people.
Great little Fantascienza flick
posted on 22 Oct 2007I bought the Starcrash DVD from director Luigi Cozzi himself, who now manages Dario Argento's Profondo Rosso videostore in Rome. He struck me as very intelligent and polite. He said that Starcrash was fun to make, and that he was quite happy with it. He set out to make a film he would have wanted to see as a kid, a Ray Harryhausen movie set in space. (Caroline Munro was also in Harryhausen's The Golden voyage of Sinbad.) Personally, I think Starcrash is awesome, with a giddy, childish energy that is pretty unique. Of course, neither Munro nor Gortner could have acted their way out of a paper bag, and the physics make no sense. But neither do the physics of Star Wars, Flash Gordon or practically any SF film. BTW, one of the stop-motion robots from the film is on display in the little horror museum in the store's basement.
"Halt the flow of time!"
posted on 26 Aug 2007Writing any sort of review on Starcrash is difficult. The plot is hardly worth rehashing as it's little more than a mish-mash of ideas taken (i.e. stolen) from other movies. Writing about the poor technical aspects of the movie is like shooting fish in a barrel – not much of a challenge. And it would be a waste of time to discuss the bad special effects – why restate the obvious? It's one of those movies that must be seen to be believed. Also, coming up with a rating for Starcrash is equally difficult. Starcrash is just plain old bad. But it's the kind of bad that's cheesy, campy, and, ultimately, entertaining for those who enjoy wallowing in such things. So I've decided to take the easy way out and rate Starcrash a wishy-washy 5/10. Bad? – Yes. Entertaining? – Definitely.Instead of a regular review, I've decided to make a list of the things I took away from my experience with Starcrash: 1. Starcrash is in no way a Star Wars rip-off. It's a Star Wars / Jason and the Argonauts / Barbarella rip-off.2. When going into battle, exploring unknown worlds, or doing any other physically demanding activity, be smart and dress appropriately. Thigh-high stiletto boots and a leather bikini appear to be the outfit of choice.3. Maybe it has something to do with life support, but heavy eye make-up and hairspray appear to be essential for survival on distant planets.4. Explosions in space are almost identical to what you might see at a July 4 fireworks display.5. Christopher Plummer can deliver the most ridiculous, idiotic dialogue as if it were Shakespeare.6. If you take a bunch of ordinary household items and stick them together just right, you to can create a real starship.7. Lava lamps can be dangerous when they go on a rampage.8. Apparently, you can break a window out of a space ship with no worries.9. Marjoe? 10. Man - Hasselhoff had one helluva girlish bouffant.
The best of the worst
posted on 12 Jul 2007Starcrash is the worst science fiction movie ever made, and I love it! The cheesy special effects, the equally cheesy dialog, and the fact that it has David Hasslehoff. I was on a quest to find the worst science fiction movie ever made, and I stopped when I found this because I knew there were none worse. I even bought the movie to show my appreciation.
If you don't like STARCRASH, I don't want to know ya
posted on 27 Jun 2007When I was a teen, I saw STARCRASH in a double feature with INFRAMAN. My life hasn't been the same since. The theatre was filled with impressionable kids. After laughing nonstop during INFRAMAN, my friend and I were so giddy that we decided to add-lib some dialogue during STARCRASH. The whole audience was in hysterics. All the kids sat around us and laughed out loud to the diaolgue we said out loud. It was one of the funnest moments at the movies I've ever experienced. Even the ushers were laughing. So, if you do not like STARCRASH, then you can't be a friend of mine. STARCRASH is dear to my heart because of that afternoon watching that wonky double feature.I've watched STARCRASH since and it's still great fun even if there are some dead moments here and there. Anyway, what can you say about a technicolor pseudo rip-off of STAR WARS starring Caroline Munro? The ending in STARCRASH was even ripped off in STAR TREK NEMESIS. Not bad for a cheesy Italian sci-fi flick. And the score by John Barry (yes, THE John Barry) is pretty good (sounded a lot like OUT OF AFRICA). All in all, STARCRASH epitomizes everything about the word "B-Movie."
salad bowl decent copy & paste
posted on 17 Mar 2007No question... this is the typical salad-bowl copy & paste, bit-from-here-and-bit-from-there second generation sci-fi movie, typically low-budget 1970-ish. You get a "planet harrakis", BLACK HOLE styled cowboy robots, and when troglodytes attack, a music reminiscent of 2001-odyssey. However, let's always remember not even Star Wars was "new" ( what, knights delivering a princess? Come on! ). SFX are mediocre to decent (at times); acting is negligible. Stella keeps blinking her eyes as in an aftershave commercial; Akton seems just back from one of his religious crusades (watch out for the holy frenzy when he kills Thor); Zarth Arn tries to look like a villain from a 1930s movie, but fails; Thor would have looked great as stand-in in a Bud Spencer & Terence Hill movie being slapped around; Plummer was in need of a paycheck and hired to add whatever visibility; Hasselhoff left the aftershave home, drives no car so the commercial won't cut it. Seriously, they assembled a low-to-mid card international cast, and even tricked John Barry into composing the score (nevermind, he'll recycle it ten times later ); they even put some efforts into sets and all, but results are mediocre. Overall, an easily watchable movie; i have watched it many times. Relaxing option for a couple hours.
Here I am, champion of the TRUE cinema classics.
posted on 31 Jan 2007Find me someone who doesn't like the Godfather, the Wicker Man, Star Wars, His Girl Friday etc. and I'll show you an idiot who should be cast out of society.However, these so called "classics" are merely superbly acted, well plotted pieces that can evoke emotion in people and cause them to have a wonderful viewing experience. Who the hell want's THAT? This movie, like Space Mutiny is one of the types of films I dub as "Real classics". Who needs the gorgeous sweeping shots from Lawrence of Arabia when you have David Hasselhoff as a man called "Simon", Christopher Plummer wishing he were as far away from this film as possible rather than in it, coloured stars and space that really ripples in the breeze? Oh, and a spaceship with glass windows.Not forgetting of course the fact that the spaceship shown on screen has been used in countless other films by the same director. It's a wonder the company that makes them hasn't taken over the universe, Weyland-Yutani style.Of course, apart from the obvious Star Wars rip-off going on here, one must look at the films merits as a solo piece rather than a super cheap attempted carbon copy, made by a man with only thumbs on his hands, and severe metal retardation. How can you NOT love a script with such classic lines as "You know what I always say: I don't care" (Spoken for the first time in the movie). An alien who's makeup runs dramatically during filming (they never reapply it, he just becomes less green in every shot) and not forgetting the ship with a walk-in wardrobe for the female lead, she has a different costume in practically every scene.In addition, were the two people in the ship at the start (two of the main characters no less) on crack or something?Oh, and who could forget the tedious, laboured speech at the end? Sheer genius. Uwe Boll can only look on in envy at this director's total incompetence. Also, not giving too much away, but watch what happens just BEFORE you are introduced to "Simon" and then what happens right AFTER the introductions are made. I'll give you a clue, it's to do with a helmet.To incompetence, AND BEYOND!
Better Than All The New 'Star Wars' Films Put Together
posted on 26 Jun 2006As far as I'm concerned, in the list of 100 films you have to see before you die, this is near the top. From the moment this film opens, you can tell it's going to be a lot of fun. When Luigi Cozzi was directing this film, what the hell was he thinking? This film might be as good as 'Star Wars'? This film might have the same cult appeal as 'Star Trek'? With names like Stellar Star and Thor for characters, you expect nothing but sheer enjoyment from start to finish, and the comedic properties of this film are priceless. David Hasselhoff and Christopher Plummer star in it too.Here's the story - Stella Star (Caroline Munro) and her loyal sidekick Akton (Marjoe Gotner) play smugglers, travelling through the galaxy. Through the galaxy, they are being pursued by the Galactic Police led by Thor and police robot L. Thinking they have outrun the police in hyperspace, they come across an abandoned space-ship and investigate, but as they are investigating, the police catch up with them and capture them. At the sentencing, Akton is sentenced to 220 years hard labour, whereas Stellar Star is sentenced to forced labour and life imprisonment in the penal colony of 'Nocturne the 2nd'. We then cut to the penal colony that, amazingly, sees Stella Star wearing little more than a bondage uniform putting radium in furnaces. In the prison she expresses her anger at how she has been at work for 12 hours straight (whilst still wearing her bondage gear), asking if there is any way to escape, and in the space of about 10 seconds, she is about 50 miles away in some forest somewhere, whilst the penal colony explodes in a ball of red flames. She is then picked up by a space-ship, controlled by Thor, head of the Galatic Police. They then fly off and rescue her friend Akton. So far, all of this has happened in the space of 20 minutes. We then meet Christopher Plummer, the Galactic Emperor, who is projected into the space-ship as a holographic image (really, a dissolve), who tells them that their sentences will be commuted if they help find a missing ship, destroy a secret planet concealing Count Zarth (Joe Spinell), and find the Emperor's only son. They fly off into space. Amongst the planets they visit, they meet an entire world of Amazonian women scantily clad in revealing bikinis who then capture the crew. The crew escape within the space of about a minute but are chased from the planet by a giant bikini Robot who is, seemingly, made out of tin-foil. The robot is then destroyed the crew on the ship, who are then chased out of orbit by Amazonian fighters. They quickly destroy them and then fly off. They journey to a planet made entirely of Ice - which is where Thor betrays them by 'killing' Akton. On the planet, Robot L and Stella seemingly freeze to death (which is inevitable considering she is wearing nothing but a bikini). The ship leaves, and midway through it's journey, Akton somehow manages to get up and kills Thor. Akton takes the ship back to the ice planet and rescues Robot L and Stella, who is put on some sort of regeneration chair which looks like the backside of a large hairbrush. They fly off and land on barren and desolate planet, where they discover an escape pod, which belongs to the missing ship they are searching for. On the planet, they are then attacked by a group of Neanderthal men, who smash Robot L into about 10 different pieces and capture Stella, meanwhile, Akton stays on the ship. The Neanderthal men are about to eat Stella, when she is then rescued by David Hasselhoff. While they are travelling back to the ship, they are then confronted by another group of Neanderthals, and out of the blue, Akton appears carrying a light sabre. Instead of going back to the ship, they discover an underground cave which leads to the Count's secret domain. The Count's guards catch up with them, as does The Count, and tells them that the Galactic Emperor will be destroyed as he is on his way to the planet to rescue them all. The Count instructs two robots made from tin foil to guard the room and make sure the prisoners do not escape. Akton then pulls out his light sabre and destroys the one of the robots. He is then over-fought by the other, when David Hasselhoof jumps in and saves the day, prompting the prisoners to escape, but just as they are about to, Akton leans up against, what looks like a fridge, and say that he "must meet his destiny", and dies. The prisoners then escape on the Emperor's space-ship. The Emperor's soldiers then fly to a giant space-station, where a huge battle ensues and The Count wins. Robot L then returns and flies off with Stella to blew up the space-station themselves, and they are successful, after which, Stella falls in love with David Hasselhoff.There's no doubt about it, this film is terrible, but it has an amazingly camp quality that makes it high on the 'to watch' lists by Sci-Fi weirdos and bad-movie connoisseurs the world over. The most important question is this, however - Is 'Star Crash' a rip-off of 'Star Wars'? Yes, basically. Is it better? No, but it's better than the last three.
The farce side of the force
posted on 16 Mar 2006This film appeared a couple of years after Star Wars: A New Hope and tries to re-mix the same elements, but without much success. Unless you are amused by bad SF you'll be disappointed.It has a few good images, including a floating head in a tank that passes judgment. But most of the battle scenes are lacking in depth and interest. The final battle scene moves much too slowly.It has been compared to Plan 9 from Outer Space, particularly Christopher Plummer's performance as the Emperor. There is no real romance or depth, nor any strong morality. No one actually makes any good moral choices.
Epic adventure where the forces of good fight the forces of evil in outer space
posted on 20 Feb 2006In this 1979 epic film, the good guys rescue the inhabitants of a small planet from the forces of evil. Like the sci-fi movies of the time, it too had some pretty impressive special effects. It started out like another great sci-fi movie, like Star wars. But the similarities between this movie and Star Wars quickly disappeared shortly after the movie began.The special effects worsened as the movie dragged on.By the time the movie ended, I had more than enough of "Starcrash".When the movie came out in 1979, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But after sitting through this movie, I wished I had!
Laughed my head of!!!!
posted on 16 Nov 2005Watch this movie!! It is so unbelievable bad you ... just can't imagine. My hint: Check you TV-Guide for this movie. Invite some friends who are into SciFi. Get a box of beer (when you are at legal age!!!) AND WATCH THIS MOVIE TOTALLY DRUNK. It will be the time of your life like it was for me!!
Caroline Munro is HOT!
posted on 03 Aug 2009I knew I liked women when I saw this movie as a kid. She looks great! Movie is only so-so and nobody I know likes the cowboy robot implementation (The Black Hole being a case in point.) Christopher Plummer earns a little lunch money here. I'm ready to see it again just thinking about Stella Star, though. Good sci-fi cheese, mein Freunds!