Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) has certainly fared better as a cult film than it did at the box office or in the critics eyes. Its low-budget special effects, questionable script and Georgia O'Keeffe meets H.R. Giger (in a bad way) spaceship make this not necessarily a great film. But is it weird? Oh yeah. This Roger Corman produced classic is based directly on The Magnificent Seven (which in turn is based on Seven Samurai) and stars Richard (John Boy Walton) Thomas as Shad, a farmboy from the peaceful planet of Akir. Shad must join a clandestine revolt against the space tyrant Sador who threatens to destroy Akir unless its citizens submit. Once Shad takes Akirs last great war ship and enters the fray, things get epic indeed. Androids, reptilian creatures, a single man who is split into five separate bodies, a warrior-babe (played by Sybil Danning) and an artificial intelligence named Nell are just the beginning. Of course, the icing on this cake is a character named Space Cowboy, a man with a whiskey-dispensing belt buckle who easily lives up to his name. For all of its many faults, Battle Beyond the Stars earns its epic pedigree for, if nothing else, being the first big break for a young special effects artist named James Cameron. Cameron was hired as a model maker but after the films art director was fired, Cameron took his place. Further, Cameron got the gig in the first place with a recommendation by future The Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd.
David Wagner is an author/musician who splits his time between Oakland, CA and Istanbul, Turkey.
David has published two novels, both available on his website, and as a fan of movies, comics, and genre television, he is happy to be working with WhatCulture as a regular contributor.
