Seven Samurai is my favorite film of all time. It's perfection. The Magnificent Seven is also a fantastic movie. In 1980, Roger Corman brought us this slice of budget sci-fi. Taking the classic story and reworking it to slide nicely into the Star Wars excitement, Battle Beyond the Stars is a mishmash tapestry of
cheapness, but some genuinely great bits. The recruitment scenes go on far too long, with Thomas having to travel through space, rather than just one city. The warriors themselves are boiled down to pretty darn simple emotions/motives. Obviously, Seven Samurai had the benefit of a 220 Minute running time, but they could have tried a bit harder. Thomas is a great hero, the simple, gentle man thrown into a world of war. His progression is well charted and works a treat. Some of the practical effects are nice, and some are even too cheap for my taste. A space setting is a great way to update the classic tale, but unfortunately this film wrote checks that it was unable to cash.
July 8, 2010
