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Battle Beyond the Stars

PG Released Aug 10, 1980 1h 44m Sci-Fi List
50% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 42% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings
Shad of Akir (Richard Thomas) recruits a space cowboy (George Peppard) and other warriors to defend his planet from a barbarian's army. Read More Read Less
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Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...there's a degree of knowing wit in the dialogue that makes Battle Beyond the Stars a guilty pleasure... Rated: 3/5 Sep 19, 2021 Full Review R.L. Shaffer IGN DVD An enjoyably inventive low-budget B-movie filled with action and interesting characters. Rated: 8/10 Jan 29, 2012 Full Review Sean Axmaker Turner Classic Movies Online John Sayles manages to work some offbeat science-fiction ideas around the edges of an otherwise derivative plot... Aug 3, 2011 Full Review Brian Orndorf BrianOrndorf.com Happy to distract the viewer with chase sequences and extended invasion showdowns, also using Danning's sex bomb appeal to keep attention away from the budgetary limitations. Why pay for explosions when there's spandex? Rated: B- Jun 20, 2011 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Oct 1, 2005 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Dated low budget rip-off of "Star Wars" has interesting cast. Rated: 2/5 Jun 12, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (197) audience reviews
Chuck M I’m 40 minutes in and I don’t know how anybody made it through this ridiculous Star Wars knock off. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review Chris O One of the best B-movies of all time! Go in with low expectations and you won't be disappointed. If you liked Flash Gordon (1980), I think this has a similar over the top vibe. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/06/24 Full Review Steve D Ridiculous Star Wars knock off that will please no one. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/17/23 Full Review David W One of my movie guilty pleasures. Attempting to capture the Star Wars zeitgeist, Roger Corman does the Seven Samurai.. In space. It's cheesy, low budget, b-movie sci-fi at its best and is chock full of great characters, memorable scenes and campy acting (John Saxon especially has a whale of a time). There's a wonderful cast and whilst none of them will rate this as their best work, I absolutely adore this film. I've seen this lots of times over the years and always enjoy it, probably more than I really should. For some inexplicable reason this movie has stuck with me and has firmly become one of my favourite 80's sci-fi b-movies. There's even a great theme tune and score which is a real ear worm. Absolutely love this movie, as I previously said, probably a lot more than I really should as objectively it's cheesy, low budget and derivative.... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/22/24 Full Review Chad C After Star Wars, the creators of this film thought they could get away with bad costumes, bad dialog, bad backgrounds, bad plot, and bad effects. Some of the actors held their parts together reasonably well, but not most. Not funny, not endearing, I skipped through much of it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/09/23 Full Review Michael L Absolutely sophomoric... Terrible Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Battle Beyond the Stars

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Cast & Crew

The Philadelphia Experiment 50% 40% The Philadelphia Experiment Megaforce 6% 44% Megaforce Flash Gordon 83% 69% Flash Gordon The Ice Pirates 17% 50% The Ice Pirates The Return of Captain Invincible 67% 38% The Return of Captain Invincible Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Shad of Akir (Richard Thomas) recruits a space cowboy (George Peppard) and other warriors to defend his planet from a barbarian's army.
Director
Jimmy T. Murakami
Producer
Ed Carlin
Screenwriter
John Sayles
Distributor
New World Pictures
Production Co
New World Pictures, Orion Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 10, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 3, 2018
Runtime
1h 44m
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