from Drew Deitch
| Published
Star Wars is perhaps the most influential film ever made. The space fantasy epic became the biggest film in the history of cinema and changed the entire landscape of the movie business.
Naturally, this led to numerous attempts to capitalize on George Lucas’ sci-fi fantasy success. While some of these movies are better left in the past, there are actually a number of movies that have managed to stand the test of time and provide more than their fair share of entertainment.
I’m Drew Deitch and these are Star Wars ripoffs that are really worth watching.
Starcrash (1978)
Leave it to the world’s greatest movie heist culture, the Italians, to get theirs Star Wars paying off in theaters in less than a year Star Wars premiere. I love Italians very, very much. And that beautiful boot spaghetti space lark is a B-movie blast.
Directed and co-written by the infamous Italian genre Luigi Cozzi, Starcrash is a whirlwind of low-budget joys, from the lavish costumes to the elegant yet charming effects, Starcrash revels in its theatrical goofiness in such a good-natured way that you can’t help but laugh.
And if you want a little more laughter Starcrashyou can watch Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot series episode, not bad but worth watching Starcrashdeliberate stupidity itself.
The Black Hole (1979)
Although now we know Disney as the lord of all entertainment, the Mouse House was actually in dire financial straits in the 1970s and 1980s. So much so that even Mickey had to pitch in Star Wars ripoff game, but the movie made by Disney ended up being more like Event horizon family space adventure movies.
The black hole sees a crew of a research spaceship encounter the expected black hole and discover a famous lost ship with a sole survivor, Dr. Hans Reinhardt, a brilliant scientist who has built an army of terrifying robots. Reinhardt, played with perfect flair by Maximilian Schell, plans to pilot the ship into the black hole, and when the film delivers on that promise, you’re treated to a psychedelic nightmare unlike anything you’d expect from the studio that brought you Home on the range.
You’ll get some tonal whiplash between the googly-eyed robot friends and the cold-blooded death of Anthony Perkins, but The black hole it’s so weird that everyone should give it a chance.
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Roger Corman has racked up a lot of mileage from ripping off hits like extraterrestrial and Star Wars it was no different. Battle beyond the stars adopts Akira Kurosawa’s classic story concept Seven Samurai and takes him to the stars. Sorry, beyond the stars.
What kits Battle beyond the stars apart from others Star Wars ripoffs is the talent gathered both in front of the camera, but especially behind it. The cast includes many favorite characters – pick your favorite! My John Saxon – but the screenplay is by acclaimed screenwriter John Sayles, the music is by sci-fi icon James Horner and James Cameron worked on production design and special effects. It really is a cavalcade of young and creative talent letting loose.
It’s rare that a Roger Corman-produced picture doesn’t entertain on some level, but Battle beyond the stars easily one of his must-see films.
The Man Who Saved the World (1982)
Known for years as Turkish Star Wars in fan circles, The man who saved the world distinguished by being a literal robbery of Star Wars as it features actual footage from the original 1977 film! That’s what a crazy factoid will do The man who saved the world pretty decent movie trivia, but the actual movie is even crazier.
Two space fighter pilots crash land on a desert planet and must battle an evil spiky wizard and his minions as music from Star Wars And Indiana Jones play! How they got away with it is one of the delights in the history of international cinema.
The man who saved the world it’s better seen than discussed, and if you think Starcrash is low-budget, it’s an underground budget, but it’s so cheap that it ends up being funnier than most mega-budget movies.
Krul (1983)
Here’s a fascinating one. However Krul does not use the trappings of science fiction Star Wars like all our previous films, it still uses the heroic fantasy template that George Lucas made so popular, and it certainly tries to be an effects show.
But the real one Star Wars comparison for Krul comes up with the idea of ​​the iconic weapon. Star Wars had the lightsaber and Krul had a Glaive. If nothing else, Krul managed to showcase a memorable fantasy weapon.
Although it was a box office and critical failure, Krul has built a healthy cult following over the decades. I’m telling you, it’s Glaive.
Yor the Hunter from the Future (1983)
Okay, I promise this is our last real B-movie, but it might be my favorite of them all. Based on an Argentinian comic that actually predates it Star Wars, Yor, hunter from the future is another Italian schlockfest that looks to be another cheap night out for the caveman – and really fun! – but reveals a science fiction apocalyptic twist and things get even wackier from there.
The big one Star Wars ripoff item Yor really take it for a villain, The Overlord. He and his army of androids certainly have that Italian flair that we saw in Starcrash. The fact that both Yor‘s Overlord and Return of the JediEmperor of Emperor were in theaters that year, they should tell you exactly what they were doing.
quite seriously Yor there’s tons of silly fun for anyone with what Joe Bob Briggs would call the drive-in spirit. If I can’t enjoy the scene where Yor uses a dead flying dinosaur as a hang glider, I know I’m done for this world.
And that song “Your’s World”? He IS the man.
The Last Starfighter (1984)
Star Wars took a classic idea – a young hero embarks on a fantasy world in the midst of war – and gave it a genre-bending spin with special effects the likes of which audiences had never seen before. The Last Starfighter took the same simple structure and brought it into the then present.
Imagine playing a video game so well that it’s revealed to be a recruiting tool for space pilots in an intergalactic conflict. That’s the idea behind The Last Starfighterand really sells the excitement of bringing that youthful fantasy to life. And the film is worth it just for Dan O’Herlihy as the navigator Grieg. You gotta love Grieg.
It might not be the most cerebral movie, but The Last Starfighter it’s still an adventure worth discovering.
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Ten years later Star Wars hit the big screen, legendary 80s exploitation studio Cannon Films has gone all out to generate its own sci-fi/fantasy pop culture hit with an adaptation of Masters of the Universea toy line and cartoon series that was very successful in the mid-1980s.
Look, I’m just going to be honest with you: Masters of the Universe not a great movie, it might not even be good, but it has another great Emperor Palpatine riff with Frank Langella’s crazy but committed take on the evil Skeletor. Honestly (see what I did there?), it’s worth the full price of admission.
Even bad movies have their bright spots and Masters of the Universe it is not without some glossy nonsense.
Flash Gordon (1980)
The final entry in our list of Star Wars ripoffs makes the whole concept come full circle as Star Wars is directly inspired by the original Flash Gordon film series from the 1930s and 1940s. So when Star Wars it was crushing, we have a new one Flash Gordon a major film production.
Unfortunately, the more retro cartoon tone and style of Flash Gordon it seemed hackneyed and hackneyed to critics at the time. Compared to Star Warsit looked too old fashioned. Fortunately, the timing was extremely kind to the film’s gorgeous production and meaty hilarity. in many ways Flash Gordon it may have started out as a steal, but it has established itself as its own colorful sci-fi treat for multi-generational fans.
And you know we love that Queen song.
Are there any others? Star Wars ripoffs you think we should see? Drop your recommendations in the comments! Don’t forget to subscribe to ours YouTube channel to get more compilations just like this one.
