Star Crash – 1978

It doesn’t really show on the poster art above, but Star Crash has a pretty similar font as another famous science fiction movie that came out a year prior to this. Of course, it’s a cash-in on Star Wars. There, I said it! The similarities are there, but they are also absent. Star Crash doesn’t claim to be a reality long ago in a galaxy far away. It pretends nothing. It’s just a story that happens here and now. If I weren’t to like it very much I would say that it’s a pretty bad movie and it really is.

Rip-off

But there is something about these Italian rip-offs that fascinates me. I like how the women ooze with sexuality and sensualism. And I donät know why that is. That they ooze with sexuality I mean. Of course, there are many scenes where the leading part, portrayed by Caroline Munro doesn’t have too many clothes on. But it’s not really that which makes it kind of erotic. I think it’s something else. It’s not just about having scenes where the women have sparse clothing on. But I certainly don’t complain about the futuristic bikini-like clothes worn either.

The Font

Eroticism

As Star Crash is an Italian rip-off of Star Wars there are bound to be some well-known American actors in it. And we have those. Christopher Plummer does the part on the emporer. I think he is the empower of the known universe or something like that. In other words, he controls everything. The part is played by Christopher Plummer and it isn’t hard to see that he is a brilliant actor. He does this more or less as a theatric play and not a movie. Which may or may not be the right way to go. He doesn’t do it very well either way.

We also have David Hasselhoff. He looks very young here and I don’t know how famous he was at the time. I don’t think he’s that good here though. He’s there but doesn’t make any lasting impression on me. You could have him there or you could get rid of him. He doesn’t make any difference. It’s not that his part is significant or important in any way either. But none of these parts ar the main leads. Those belong to Marjoe Gorther and Caroline Munro alongside a robot. A pretty cheezy robot at that.

Robot kinda look like a futuristic dildo

Cheezy

Of course, most of everything is pretty cheezy about Star Crash. It’s a movie set out to cash in on another movie’s success after all. But I really like the way it looks. It’s beautiful. The story isn’t very good and you can see where it goes from a mile away but that’s not important. Neither is it important that it’s badly overplayed at times. What matters is the way things are shown. The composition of the shots and the campy special effects. And that Joe Spinell, probably best known for playing the villain in William Lustig’s Maniac, plays the megalomaniac part of the rebellion Count Zarth Arn.

Joe Spinell as Count Zarth Arn

Homage to Ray Harryhausen?

I say this is a brilliant movie as long as it comes to the visuals. I like the settings and I like the overall cheezyness of the special effects! Do I like everything about Star Crash? No, it’s a bit too long and it gets annoying at times. I think there should be som scenes cut to get a better pace. But that won’t happen. But the longer the more of those wonderful settings. A really entertaining movie to say the least, probably not intentional though.