Starcrash

_Cheesy, but colorful space fantasy with Caroline Munro, et al._ A smuggler and her extraterrestrial cohort (Caroline and Marjoe Gortner) are enlisted by an eminent space Emperor (Christopher Plummer) to find a lost individual (David Hasselhoff) and extinguish the secret weapon of his diabolical nemesis (Joe Spinell). "Starcrash" (1978) is an Italian production with American actors, obviously inspired by the success of “Star Wars” from the previous year, but also influenced by past flicks like “Forbidden Planet,” “Planet of the Vampires” and “Barbarella,” as well as “Jason and the Argonauts.” It’s similar to the movie & series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” which came out the next year, and is the precursor to the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies with Robert Tessier as Chief Thor reminiscent of Drax (Dave Bautista). I didn’t name Star Trek only because that’s serious science-fiction with the milieu of space exploration as opposed to the space fantasy of most of the others (not “Forbidden Planet” and “Planet of the Vampires,” which are closer to Star Trek). Caroline was 28 during shooting and one of the obvious highlights in her alluring getups, yet there are other attractions. Gortner does surprisingly well in a non-goofy role where he’s almost Spock-like. The colors are vibrant with the space background looking like a Christmas tree if the tree were black. Sure, it’s all second-rate compared to “Star Wars” with some laughable fight choreographies, but the sets & costumes are flamboyant and the production required quite a bit of imagination. It’s a turn-off-your-brain and have fun flick; a “good” bad movie. It runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot at Cinecittà studios in Rome, as well as other areas of Italy (Mount Etna), and Morocco, Tunisia and Hollywood. GRADE: B-