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Star Crash
A little “razzle dazzle” used to be all that was necessary to make a quality science fiction film
Tags: The Corman Cult Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Aug 26th, 2010
Star Crash is one of those science fiction films that were created in the wake of Star Wars – and it is very obvious that it would not have been made had Lucas’ film been so successful. There are even certain elements in the script that are somewhat derivative. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially since Lucas ripped himself off (a second Death Star?) and Star Wars has proven to be highly influential throughout the genre to this very day.
What many people also don’t seem to recognize is that Star Crash is also partly an homage to the classic films done in the style of ray Harryhausen. There are a few stop motion creatures that are very obvious references to the legendary filmmaker.
Alright, so Star Crash suffers from some hammy acting, a script that is full of ideas and less so on execution, and a budget that would make Bill gates might consider pocket change. Still, something about the film works, because this was made with apparent love and a desire not necessarily for greatness, but with authenticity. No, it’s not the greatest science fiction epic, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it also isn’t bad. It may be a bit of an acquired taste, you might snicker at the film in parts, but you won’t be groaning about how awful the whole affair is.
Caroline Munro is Stella Star, apparently wanted by the Imperial Police for… whatever. Her companion is some sort of alien (which is never really explained) by the name of Akton. Throughout the film he serves as sort of a Swiss Army Knife, capable of being and doing whatever is necessary to move on to the next scene, be it deflect laser beams, or deduce logic problems, or fight off robotic guards with an energy sword.
After being captured, Stella and Akton are recruited to serve on a mission that would save the galaxy (or universe, depending on which perspective the script is using at the moment). They are paired up with the duo that captured them, Thor, a green skinned police officer and the robot Elle. They need to thwart the plans of evil Count Zarth Arn, who apparently is capable of taking over the entire universe (or galaxy) in one fell swoop if he isn’t stopped, and quickly.
Oh, and Christopher Plummer is the Emperor.
While the budget is thin, you can see where it all went – there’s a generous amount of special effects, much of which are dated, certainly, but are actually quite good. Far too often these types of films suffer from “Doctor Who” level special effects (we’re talking 1974 era stuff where the walls visibly wobble) but Star Crash has some decent production values, and a number of costume changes for our heroine.
Stephen Romano, an expert on the film provides two audio commentaries. These need to be listened to in sequence, with the first giving a history of the project and its role in cinematic history, the other being a bit more analytical of the film itself. Together they provide a wealth of information not just on Star Crash, but film in general and should be checked out by cinema fans.
The first disc kicks off the main set of special features with a 40 minute interview with writer/director Luigi Cozzi. It’s a bit dry, but very informative. Another featurette spends about 12 minutes analyzing John Barry’s score. Mars, from Deadhouse Music breaks things down as well as provides some historical context which provides a great bit of context for the viewer. Interestingly, there are a couple of moments in the film where John Barry’s score echoes a film he would do later – Out of Africa. This isn’t mentioned once, despite the fact that there are very definite musical themes and cues that are not only similar, but nearly identical.
A massive load of photos, stills, artwork and more is also available to check out on the first disc, as are some trailers and promotional spots – some with audio commentary.
The second disc is a bit less friendly to the “casual” fan of the film, where we get even deeper into the making of the film. There’s a featurette on the special effects that lasts over 20 minutes and is told via text apparently directly transcribed from the broken English of an audio file. It’s highly informative and interesting, but most people won’t care about seeing this, especially since it has no narration and at times feels like part of the production of the main film itself.
An interview with star Caroline Munro lasts well over an hour and provides plenty of information on the star and the film. There are 17 deleted, alternate, or extended scenes are included, as well as about 20 minutes of some interesting behind the scenes footage with commentary by Stephen Romano. Lastly we get a copy of the screenplay with storyboards and concept art that can be accessed via the computer.
It’s a great package, really, and perhaps more than this type of film deserves – at least in the eye of some people. As for me, I relished not only the film but every morsel of bonus content. Why? Science fiction has come a long way in the 30+ years since Star Wars arrived in theaters, and this is a great example of that brief period when the genre was moving from a silly niche for Saturday matinees to something much bigger. It’s not “important” but it is a good example of where we were and where we were looking to go.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Well done, especially under the conditions + Wealth of extras + No, really, the extras are great |
8.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Script elements not fully thought out - Budget shows |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Genre fans looking to get beyond what Hollywood has to offer would do well to check this out. | |
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Tags: The Corman Cult
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Aug 26th, 2010 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
