Galaxy of Terror (1981)

I can't remember whether I rented this with friends or saw it on HBO late at night ... probably both, but either way I remember scrunching my lips at the thing and wondering why it was made.Correction; I didn't wonder why it was made, but why the people who made it didn't invest a few more dollars into the thing, or at least put a more serious effort forward. At the time horror films were the big rage (an idiotic genre to begin with), and someone, somewhere, decided that marrying horror with Star Wars would be a great idea and money maker.The problem with that is that money, time, effort and craftsmanship went into the making of Star Wars. Someone who had a story to tell, who was interested in social psychology, the myths created by mankind, history, and updating the old Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers' properties, made Star Wars. I of course speak of George Lucas. And the people who made "Galaxy of Terror" are no George Lucas.Here's the thing, for a scifi film it's not all that convincing. From a story point not all of the characters' plots are completed. From a "horror" perspective it isn't even scary nor suspenseful. And, in retrospect, knowing what I do about the horror genre, I can see why this marriage of genres was doomed for a bitter divorce.Horror relies on superstition. Fear. Science fiction is about using technology, science, or some kind of ability to overcome adversaries. One is steeped in religious and tribal fears, the other is about embracing knowledge for victory (or examine how science and technology have gone wrong). I mean there are a few films that successfully mix the two, "Alien" being one of them, but "Galaxy of Terror" is not one.Another "Let's make Star Wars meets movie-X" film that was made by people who only understand marketing data.Avoid.

Okay, I'm writing this review less than twenty-four hours since I watched this film. Or at least I think I did. I've had to look up the plot and the cast to remind myself whether this was the film I saw or not. Apparently, I did.I do like bad films, or rather I like 'so-bad-they're-good' films. This is definitely one of them. For, as far as I can remember, I did actually enjoy it for the ninety minutes or so that I sat through it. It's just a pity it hasn't left much of a lasting impression. Then I read someone else's review and it mentions 'maggot rape.' Then it all came flooding back to me.After the colossal hit of 'Alien' it seems that 'monster-in-space' movies were all the rage, or at least they were in the bins of VHS stores you saw in your local rental shops. 'Galaxy of Terror' – like so many others of its kind – never made it to the cinema and certainly never achieved as much praise as Sigourney Weaver's epic outing.If you don't like Alien, you'll hate this film. If you like good films, you'll hate this film. In fact, most people will hate this film. It is pretty easy to detest. However, if you generally like bad films, there's a small chance you'll get something out of this. However, if you like bad films and want to see just how much one film can rip off Alien without getting totally sued, then you do stand a chance of enjoying this (this was me, by the way).Crew of spaceship, blah, blah, blah, lands on planet, blah, blah, blah, monster on the loose, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, it's pretty run-of-the-mill. However, like I said, if you know that it's a blatant Alien rip-off you'll be okay with it. Despite the awful blue-screen scenes where the spaceship flies through the galaxy (which are generally a measure of the film's special effects budget), the sets and general atmosphere are actually quite good. They're dark, foreboding and generally claustrophobically mood-inducing, but that might have something to do with the man behind the sets being none other than James (Aliens/Terminator/Avatar) Cameron.There are a few bits that are actually quite memorable (you recall my comment on the 'maggot rape?') and these may stick with you slightly longer than the twenty-four hours it's taken me to forget everything apart from that bit and apparently the man with the glowing head.Know what you're in for. It's a classic, but only in the sense that it's so bad that you'll find yourself not being able to turn it off simply because you can't believe just how bad it's actually getting.Oh, and Freddy Kruger's in it too – or that guy who plays him, only not half as well as he did with Freddy.

As a lone spaceship proceeds on its long voyage across space, the crew encounter a strange pyramid form.Surprise turns to horror as one by one, they discover that their darkest nightmares are all starting to become real.The pyramid has to be behind it all somehow, but how can they save themselves from its influence....Corman strikes again. This film stinks of an Alien rip off, and The Shining, and probably influenced Event Horizon, but at the end of the day, it's a very boring movie.I wanted a camp B-movie with so bad their good performances and cheesy lines, but when it cam to all this, it was just too much of an effort to get excited by it all.The effects for the time and the budget, are surprisingly okay, especially when Haig loses his arms, but effects do not make a decent movie.I'm sure it's gained a cult status in it's 33 years, but it just didn't hit the spot with me.

Until the release of the DVD, this was an almost mysterious film, much remarked upon and controversial, but seldom seen, until it received its DVD release from Shout Factory. Story has a spaceship crew being sent on a rescue mission after receiving an S.O.S., only to discover a weird, fog shrouded planet where there lies a vast pyramid, and after they enter, things really start to happen...Film has good production values(for its budget) and a memorable atmosphere and set design(James Cameron worked on this!) It also has some big ideas at work, but it is a shame that it comes in such a violent and exploitive film as this. Infamous scene involving a female crewman and a worm is still disturbing, though it should be remembered in what form the crewmen are being tested.It's a short film, almost too short, since it barely gives you an introductory sequence before it heads off into space. Not much character development either, but film isn't that bad...but with more restraint, it could have been a great deal better.