Battle Beyond
The Stars (1979/Shout! Factory Blu-ray)/Up From The Depths, Demon Of Paradise, Not Of This Earth (1980/87/88/Shout! Factory DVD Set)
Picture:
B/C/C/C+ Sound: B/C/C/C Extras: B+/C/C-/B+ Films: B-/C/C/C+
Recently,
we reviewed several Roger Corman discs covering his earlier works, which can be
found here. Our coverage now continues
with films he produced through the '70s and '80s.
First we
have Battle Beyond The Stars - a
film in the mode of Star Wars. While most people wouldn't be able to call it
to mind, I found that it succeeded well beyond my meager expectations. In spite of it being rated PG, the approach
to the space opera it takes skews slightly toward an adult audience. There's a scantily clad Sybil Danning for
starters, and a spaceship that looks uncannily like a pair of boobs on hand as
well. I'm sure young boys in the audience loved it, but it probably worked
against the film's favor in the long run, as that's not exactly something
ticket-buying parents want to be a part of.
The plot
is an adaptation of Seven Samurai,
with the young Shad having to cross the galaxy rounding up fighters to defend
his peaceful planet. It isn't the
be-all-end-all for low budget science fiction, but it isn't a far cry from the
'70s take on Buck Rogers or original
Battlestar Galactica series in
appearance and quality.
Then there's a double bill, featuring two of Corman's excursions into the
aquatic monster genre. Sadly, neither
movie does much to keep their head above water, so to speak. In Up From
The Depths, we are provided with one of the least threatening giant fish to
ever grace the screen, while Demon of
Paradise goes another route by giving us a gill-man that bares a passing
resemblance to The Creature from the
Black Lagoon.
Lastly, we have Jim Wynorski's remake of the 1958 film of the same name, Not Of This Earth. This is often considered a standout of the
80's cycle of horror and sci-fi remakes. Some of the more popular notables in this
category include David Cronenberg's The
Fly and John Carpenter's The Thing,
and while Not Of This Earth is still
a good film, it is admittedly of a lesser caliber than these classic examples.
This film is more at home with films like Tobe Hooper's take on Invaders From Mars, which despite some
dissenting opinion is still not bad company to keep.
Arthur
Roberts stars as a man who isn't exactly from around here - a space vampire who
requires a steady supply of blood to survive. He hires a young nurse, played by Traci Lords,
who aids him with the transfusions of blood he receives. She, along with the spaceman's new chauffeur
later discover their employer's otherworldly origins and seek to put an end to
his plan.
Extras on
Battle Beyond the Stars and Not of This Earth are plentiful, and
provide more information on the films than fans likely thought there was to
give. Each film receives two excellent
commentary tracks, a bounty of interviews with cast and crew, as well as
trailer galleries. Strangely enough,
with Up From The Depths there is no
mention of the making-of featurette on the box art, and it is pretty much
buried on the menus as well. This is a
surprise, as it is actually quite an enjoyable watch, if not with the longest
runtime. Both it and Demon of Paradise have trailers, but
little else.
Battle Beyond The Stars is the lone Blu-ray of the bunch,
and it looks pretty spectacular for a film of this vintage. It is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen, and has a newly mixed 5.1 soundtrack in DTS-HD. The rest of the films are all in anamorphic
widescreen as well, with aspect ratios of 1.78:1. These are all presented in 2.0 Dolby, and
there's nothing particularly good or bad in their presentation.
Movies
like these are akin to the comfort food of cinema, and despite the occasional
lack of quality in these films, they're still sure to be must-sees for bad
movie junkies. I highly recommend
checking any of them out.
- David Milchick
