Summary
- Star Wars knock-offs, like Starcrash, emerged due to the success of George Lucas’ blockbuster and tried to replicate its formula while adding their own unique twists.
- Starcrash, directed by Luigi Cozzi, features giant robots, a southern-accented C-3PO, and even David Hasselhoff in a main role, making it an interesting take on the Star Wars concept.
- Despite receiving low ratings, Starcrash is considered by some as a fun and cheesy adventure that offers a wacky and entertaining experience reminiscent of the Star Wars universe.
Along with the many names and faces that encompassed its fictional cast, the outer space drama known as Star Wars immediately broke box office records and single-handedly became the cinematic property that saved 20th Century Fox from a slow death. While time has shown how powerful and critically acclaimed this media franchise has become (with over twelve theatrical movies, nine television series, and the IP being outright bought by Disney), Star Wars proved to be an endearing presence over the years for other film studios, directors and producers who wanted to desperately cash in on the success of specific science-fiction tale.
Of course, there were your cinematic parodies like Ernie Fosselius’ Hardware Wars (acknowledged as the first Star Wars spoof), Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs (now a cult classic), and Blue Harvest (a three-episode arc of Family Guy that replicates The Skywalker Saga). These were all birthed out of the original and made fun of it along the way. Star Wars knock-offs, on the other hand — films that outright copied many aspects of George Lucas’ spring blockbuster but tried to stand as an original creation — are in a league of their own.
Scouring the Galaxy for an Elusive Weapon
Whether it was due to faulty copyright laws that resided between international waters (it was the 1970s after all) or the fact that this country just had a tradition of mercilessly ripping off America’s biggest hits (City of the Living Dead and Secret Agent Super Dragon spring to mind), Starcrash is just one in a group of knockoffs that arrived from none other than Italy. They were often cheesy but always unique in the weirdest ways.
Some other titles include director Alfonso Brescia’s quartet of science fiction low-budget movies (which all deserve a watch just for how visually absurd they are) and Aldo Lado’s The Humanoid which not only has a villain that looks very much akin to Darth Vader but also triangular shaped ships that feel a little too strongly reminiscent of Star Destroyers. However, director Luigi Cozzi’s tribute to George Lucas’ masterpiece could certainly be deemed as one of the more interesting takes on the subject. After all, we have giant robots, a southern C-3PO, and actor David Hasselhoff even holds a main role.
Released by the now defunct New World Pictures, Cozzi’s Starfights beyond the third dimension (the original Italian name, translated) saw English actress Caroline Munro as well as preacher turned actor Marjoe Gortner star as Stella Star and Akton, respectively. Stella seems to be the female Han Solo as she is a promising smuggler and supposedly one of the greatest pilots of Starcrash’s universe.
Even though his energetic powers are never given a proper backstory (unsurprisingly similar to The Force), Gortner’s character holds a very honorable but enthusiastic persona. Oh, he also wields a green-lit laser sword — you can guess where the inspiration for this weapon came from. Recruited to be on their team is Elle, a seemingly invincible droid until he is trampled by prehistoric beings on a cavern-filled planet. Just like our shiny, gold droid in Star Wars, this cyborg with a southern accent seems to be made nervous by every little elemental obstacle in their path.
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Adventuring Through Space On A Budget
With effects and costumes that mimic the stupendous imagination that only the 1970s could hold, our formidable batch of heroes are quickly led on a fetch quest by supposed agents of the Emperor of the Galaxy in order to find a crucial weapon that, if fallen into the wrong hands, could mean destruction for all. You would think Akton could sense that these liaisons are up to no good, seeing how he has similar powers to Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi, but this is never executed.
They land on numerous planets that are filled with savage Amazonian women, brutal clans of cavemen, and death-filled snowstorms (Hoth without the AT-ATs). While Elle is the only one who suffers a temporary death from these antagonists, Akton is actually befallen by Count Zarth Arn’s (played by Joe Spinell) stone golems. Zarth Arn is Starcrash’s version of The Emperor — while not as menacing nor doom-impending, the American actor’s on-screen dedication to the role is easily conveyed to viewers. Spinell’s maniacal laughter and jubilee-like running while his armada is being attacked is truly a sight to behold.
Replacing The Hero With David Hasselhoff?
The most interesting part of Starcrash is the hero’s replacement toward the end of the film. When Gortner’s character visually fades away (instead of physically dying), Baywatch actor David Hasselhoff takes the mantle as Prince Simon and finishes the story. While his introduction is interesting enough for an off-shoot Star Wars tale — as he shoots lasers from the eye sockets of his helmet to save Stella from an onslaught of cavemen earlier on, this is an odd transition to take place at the end of the second act.
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There was no mentor-student dynamic here between Simon and Akton and the trademark Han Solo-Chewbacca friendship was already formulated at the very beginning of Starcrash. Hasselhoff’s appearance in this film predates his Baywatch popularity by at least ten years as well, so his name wasn’t lending itself to the movie’s reputation either. Nevertheless, seeing the Death Star converted into a Death Hand (with moving fingers) and then seeing it all blow up in spectacular fashion — even if it’s obviously all miniatures at work — makes Luigi Cozzi’s creation a noteworthy science fiction attempt of the 1970s.
Even after forty-five years of being available to sci-fi enthusiasts all over the world, this outer-space copycat tale is not deemed a total cinematic failure by any means. Sure, both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB have this movie at abysmal ratings — that is if the presentation is to be taken seriously, but there are also many out there that hail this escapade as fun cheese or b-rated goodness (even less than a year ago, users over on Reddit were defending this film’s wild ride). So, if you’re in the mood for a wacky adventure that takes place outside of Star Wars continuity but makes you feel like you are certainly in a galaxy far, far away, Starcrash is for you.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
