Rating: 
Summary: A VERY low stoop
Review: The big name characters must have needed a quick buck. This is one of the worst SciFi movies I've ever seen. The lighting is horrible, the dialog stilted, the story worn out. One star is too much. Don't waste even the postage.
Rating: 
Summary: a must for aspiring filmmakers!
Review: The commentaries on this film are an absolute MUST for aspiring filmmakers. There are two separate commentary tracks, one by Corman and Sayles, one by Gayle Anne Hurd. They are fascinating lessons in the art,not to mention the joys, of moviemaking. The "can-do" spirit, the creativity, the desire for artistic excellence on a budget, and yes even the fun of making the movies will inspire anybody who ever thought of pointing a camera. Corman and Sayles offer a lot of things to consider for all the people ramping up their digital cameras, and some useful tips for any era (flashing lights can make a crappy set look much better - as any fan of the original Star Trek knows)
The commentary is really a "warts and all" kind of thing in some respects. Hurd's comments include an incident in which a tech guy is accidentally cut and severs his femoral artery and has to be rushed (in Hurd's car!) to the hospital. On the other hand, Hurd talks about how she and James Cameron were painting a set at 3:00 a.m. and reflecting on how well they worked together and vowed to keep making movies together - a partnership which eventually led to Terminator 2.
The lessons to be learned by aspiring filmmakers on these commentaries are definitely worth the price of the DVD. And it's not a bad little movie either.
Rating: 
Summary: The ship's got boobies!!
Review: The peace-loving planet Akir is attacked by the evil Sador (John Saxon), who demands their food supplies. Among the Akirians is an old warrior named Zed. Unfortunately, he is blind and unable to fight against the tyrant, but his fighting ship, Nell, still has her weapons and sense of wit intact. Nell was obviously designed by someone with a sense of humor. From the side the ship looks like a very... gifted female centaur lying down. (Look, the ship has giant boobies. Trust me.) A young man named Shad (Richard Thomas) sets out aboard Nell with one goal in mind: find mercenaries that are willing to help him defend Akir.
The characters are lots of fun, the story is good, and the special effects are above average. In fact, lots of the model work would later be used in many other movies, creating an endless supply of stock footage for New World Productions. This flick has its fare share of Star Wars rip-offs, including Shad, as a poor man's Luke Skywalker, and Cowboy, as a wino's Han Solo, but its still worth checking out.
Space Cowboy has what must be the coolest fashion accessory ever conceived: a belt that dispenses scotch, water, and ice.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but for reasons beyond quality.
Review: This is one of those shows you loved as a kid, but to see nowadays makes you clutch your ribs with laughter at the absurdity of the whole thing. Well-known names such as George Peppard and Robert Vaughan shine brightly in their accustomed on-screen personas as they settle into their shoot-em-up-space-battle roles as... well... themselves.All in all, if you're into classic sci-fi movies, you will enjoy this film. If you're used to post-80's sci-fi, expect to fall into the MST3K mentality as you find yourself involuntarily throwing wisecracks at the screen. Either way, you'll probably have fun.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but for reasons beyond quality.
Review: This is one of those shows you loved as a kid, but to see nowadays makes you clutch your ribs with laughter at the absurdity of the whole thing. Well-known names such as George Peppard and Robert Vaughan shine brightly in their accustomed on-screen personas as they settle into their shoot-em-up-space-battle roles as... well... themselves. All in all, if you're into classic sci-fi movies, you will enjoy this film. If you're used to post-80's sci-fi, expect to fall into the MST3K mentality as you find yourself involuntarily throwing wisecracks at the screen. Either way, you'll probably have fun.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi Grandeur! Roger Corman Sexual Imagery?!?
Review: We are proud to announce a new science fiction epic starring John Saxon, Robert Vaughn and George Peppard, from a script by John Sayles, with music by James Horner, visual effects and design by James Cameron and produced by Gale Anne Hurd! We are pleased to present... ROGER CORMAN'S "Battle Beyond the Stars". That's right, with such an array of talent, if it isn't a major studio financed blockbuster, it must be a Roger Corman film. More than almost any other producer/director in Hollywood history, Corman is famous for giving the extraordinary talents of today their first big breaks. That's the case here, where a young John Sayles, James Horner and Jim Cameron are allowed to cut their teeth on Corman's attempt to cash in on the "Star Wars" craze of the late '70s. Each person does their part, too, making "Battle Beyond the Stars" into another of the nearly endless list of clever, spartan Corman productions that enjoy cult status today. Sayles shows both his wit and supurb writing style by adapting the "Seven Samurai" formula into a pared down hour and a half version. To accomplish this, he infuses the script with a strong sense of parody and humor, allowing the film to transcend as a comic adventure instead of morality play (as SS and The Magnificent Seven were before it). Cameron's designs and effects look pretty good, considering the notoriously typical small Corman budget he had to work with. Despite his accomplishments in this film, it could be said, given his controversial budgets for Terminator 2 and Titanic, that he prefers money not be an issue! Finally, James Horner gave himself the gift that kept on giving, producing the score that would find itself lovingly included in so many future Horner works. With a wry script, breezy pace, enjoyable characters, comfortably familiar score, and well-done visuals, "Battle Beyond the Stars" is the proverbial Must for any sci-fi and cult film fan.
Rating:
Summary: Don't laugh: This is a grass-roots classic.
Review: What allows Battle Beyond the Stars to transcend its low budget, simple special effects and infinitely recycled plot? The most important aspect of filmmaking: Ideas. This was one [heck] of a smart script. No surprise, since the writer is John Sayles, a screenwriter of impeccable literary sense. The dialogue of this film crackles better than most big-budget films I've seen, and as a result Darlanne Fluegel (as innocent maiden Nanelia), Robert Vaughn (ice-cool mercenary Gelt), Sybil Danning (who steals the show as dashing, comically busty Valkyr warrior Saint-Exmin), Earl Boen (as lead drone Nestor) and George Peppard (as Space Cowboy) all shine, having a field day with the incredibly brisk pace and economical character interactions. And there's great comic material here, which is like an amplification of the gently sardonic tone of Seven Samurai, the obvious ancestor of this film. The richness of Sayles' conception of this world just draws you in -- even more so, I would argue, than Star Wars, because the depth of the philosophical implications behind the details is phenomenal. The "Facets" of Nestor, the on-the-run nihilism of Gelt the mercenary, and the communicative dilemma of the Kelvin -- it all points to very real human needs and psychological desires, hidden behind the comic-book action and tongue-in-cheek tone. Revel, as well, in the amount of attention paid to the design: Talking spaceship "Nell" is in the shape of a giant woman's body; the stingray menace of Gelt's ship; the different kinds of "hum" that each character's vehicle produces. Shows what you can do even with little money if you put some thought into it. Though it doesn't have the mystique of Star Wars -- whose amalgamation of chivalric romance and science fiction created a new sub-culture -- Battle Beyond the Stars deserves applause for overcoming its humble origins. And for all of the rich background, it's one of the fastest-moving science-fiction films I've ever seen. Dig in if you've never seen it; celebrate it again if you have.
Rating:
Summary: 1970's SCI-FI CHEESE-O-RAMA!!!
Review: Who wouldnt love a sci-fi cheeze movie....! (anyone ever notice that this ship has appeared in other sci-fi movies / tv shows as well?).
Rating:
Summary: BBTS is a jam-packed gem!
Review: With the Empire Strikes Back, Flash Gordon and this film, 1980 was a huge year for sci-fi. It's nice to see that this lost classic has been released on DVD. When I bought the disc, there was little about any "extras" on the disc. To my surprise the DVD is lousy with them! Not only is there the widescreen transfer and 5.1 sound, but this disc also includes commentaries by John Sayles, Roger Corman and Gale Ann Hurd, a theatrical trailer for the film, cast/crew biographies and production stills! Wow! I am glad that this disc was released and very happy about the extras included. If you're a big fan of sci-fi, check this one out! If you're going to base a space flick on pre-existing material, you can't go wrong with cribbing form Akira Kurosawa (ie: Star Wars). A neat look at the early careers of James Cameron, John Sayles and James Horner.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Wars on a budget!
Review: Would you believe a spaceship with breasts? There's one in this 1980 Roger Corman space opera! The spaceship has a female computer personality named Nell and a decidedly feminine shape, which includes two enormous breast-like mounds on its underside. Since there is no nudity in this movie, which is unusual in a Corman film, he had to get the breasts in somewhere, so model designer/builder/art director James Cameron put them on the space craft! Very amusing indeed! Cameron went on to design bigger and better things, like the Titanic. Battle Beyond the Stars was the biggest-budgeted movie Corman had ever made up to that time, about 2 million dollars, and his money is up there on the screen, with good sets, good props, good special effects, and a good cast. In typical Corman fashion everything except the cast was used over and over again in other space sagas he made. Waste not, want not! is his credo, and he boasts that he's never lost a dime on any of his movies. I believe it. The plot of this movie was stolen shamelessly from Akira Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai, so if you liked that Japanese epic and its American remake, The Magnificent Seven, you should like Battle Beyond the Stars, too. It just goes to show that if you have to steal a story, you might as well steal a great one! The cast includes Richard Thomas, just out of his John-Boy of The Waltons role, as a poor man's Luke Skywalker recruiting mercenaries George Peppard, Robert Vaughn, Marta Kristen, and Sybil Danning, among others, to fight the evil conqueror Sador, played by John Saxon, always a good villain. Never one to miss a trend, or start one, Corman cashed in on the phenomenal success of Star Wars with Battle Beyond the Stars. It's a fun film and I recommend this DVD widescreen edition. There's interesting commentaries by Gale Anne Hurd, John Sayles and Roger Corman, movie trailers, biographies, trivia game, scene index -- but the usual Corman filmography booklet is absent here.
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