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Rating: 'The Magnificent Seven in Space.'
Why not? I mean. What a wonderful idea!
Who knows why until then (1980) no one had ever thought of it before...
After 'The Seven Samurai' ('Sichinin No Samurai') by Akira Kurosawa and 'The Magnificent Seven' ('The Magnificent Seven') by John Sturges, which was released a good twenty years before this film (in 1960), someone definitely had to propose the same story in a sci-fi context, and this specifically happened in 1980 thanks to the production of New World Pictures by one of the most important figures in low-budget horror and sci-fi cinema: Roger Corman.
Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami (with collaboration from Roger Corman himself), 'The Magnificent Seven in Space' (original title: 'Battle Beyond the Stars') was practically riding the wave of success following 'Star Wars' by George Lucas, continuing what was by then a consolidated production in the minor cinematic field of sci-fi films.
Based on a screenplay by John Sayles, the film notably reprises the same story that has been variously retold over the years (the last remake directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington was released in theaters last year 2016) with varying fortunes and minimal variations in the events recounted.
In this specific case, we have a planet of peaceful farmers named Akir that is threatened by a space tyrant named Sador (John Saxon) and his army of mutants, the Malmori.
The request is practically the same as in the other films: to submit to his will and pay the entire harvest as tribute to save their lives.
Having long been unaccustomed to war and being followers of a religion, the 'Varda,' which imposes a particularly spiritual approach to existence, forbidding all forms of violence, the population of Akir is completely unprepared for the grave threat awaiting them. Among them, only the old Zed, the last warrior of the planet, decides to react and sends his nephew, the young and willing but at the same time naive and still unprepared for life, Shad (Richard Thomas), in search of help across the galaxy.
The search will prove fruitful.
Shad will encounter in order:
1. Nanelia. The daughter of the scientist Haephaestus, an old friend of Zed, whose body is now half-man and half-machine, and who will decide to leave her father's space base to join Shad and aid Akir with her knowledge in the field of science and technology.
2. Space Cowboy (George Peppard): a space transporter from Earth with a fixation on old western films. His character can partly remind one of Han Solo in 'Star Wars.'
A true parody of what in a time distant from where the events are set had to be a real cowboy, initially uninterested in taking part in the dispute, Cowboy will only agree to do so as a sign of gratitude towards Shad, who saves him from some assailants who had surrounded him while he was out of fuel.
3. Nestor. The inhabitants of this planet are part of a collective consciousness. Every experience lived by each of them is simultaneously shared with the rest of their race members. They are completely self-sufficient and decide to join Shad's cause simply in search of new experiences.
4. Gelt. A wealthy assassin. A space bounty-killer as rich as he is eager to find a place where he can live in peace for the rest of his life.
5. Saint-Exmin. A Valkyrie warrior, a space race with a warlike spirit that only finds meaning and fulfillment in their existence through war.
6. Cayman. A reptilian whose planet and species have been decimated by Sador and who desires revenge. He carries with him as part of his ship's crew an alien with human-like features belonging to a warrior race and two Kelvins, a peculiar alien race without the sense of hearing and capable of increasing their body temperature enormously.
Following the classic scheme already imposed by Kurosawa's film, the movie is sharply divided into two parts.
The first concerns Shad's search (a character who somewhat recalls the early Luke Skywalker, and whose development within the film's narrative timeline becomes one of the cornerstones of the entire work) for allies to fight against the enemy.
The second concerns exclusively the decisive moment: when the 'seven' confront Sador in a spectacular space battle, in which each protagonist finds what they were seeking when they decided to join this desperate endeavor to defend Akir, and where even the inhabitants of the planet eventually experience a surge of pride, joining the battle themselves.
The happy ending is clearly predictable and inevitable and prefigures the military resolution of the conflict nearly thirty years ahead of the final solution proposed by Roland Emmerich in 'Independence Day.'
Apart from the plot content specifically, a whole series of curiosities relate to this film, which is certainly not unforgettable but can be enjoyed by those who truly appreciate a certain naive and polished sci-fi.
First of all, unexpectedly, the name of James Cameron appears in the credits as responsible for special effects.
According to history, this was indeed a specific choice by Roger Corman, the film's producer, and this, as recounted by the now-famous Hollywood director himself, was practically James Cameron's first real great opportunity in the world of film production.
Secondly, as happened in many other cases, part of the special effects and 'models' used in the film, as well as the soundtrack and entire sequences, were taken from other B-movie productions of American cinema and beyond. Among the films of note, I would mention 'Space Raiders' (1983) by Howard R. Cohen, also produced by Roger Corman; 'Not of This Earth' (1988) and 'Vampirella' (1996) by Jim Wynorski.
But the real gem is the presence of the legendary Robert Vaughn in the role of the bounty killer Gelt, practically reprising the same role he played in 'The Magnificent Seven' twenty years earlier.
It is told that almost the entire budget was spent just to have Vaughn in the film (alongside the fee for George Peppard).
What can one say? Considering the 'myth,' it was definitely money well spent.
After all, special effect more or special effect less, it would have changed little: these are films we appreciate not for how credible the alien masks are, but precisely for these little big details and referential situations.
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