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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Space Raiders deeply touching!,
By
This review is from: Space Raiders [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Dear Readers:I know that hordes of people have disparaged Space Raiders for its ceaseless borrowing of material from Battle Beyond the Stars (e.g., space-battle scenes, music clips, etc.). Maybe it's because I haven't seen that other film, but ever since I first saw Space Raiders in May 1990, it has stayed in my consciousness to this very day. After 14 years, I played the old video again yesterday, and still this movie moves me deeply. To those who base their criticism on technical effects, I quote what George Lucas once said, "Special effects without a story is a pretty boring thing." And that's precisely what we have in Space Raiders, first and foremost-a STORY! Not just a tale, but a highly original one. The premise is even radical, for a Hollywood movie. (I'll get to the premise in a moment.) Trying to escape an escalating shooting match, Peter Tracton (David Mendenhall) boards a space shuttle, only to find a group of pirates in the process of stealing it. The 10-year-old is whisked to the pirates' space hideaway, where he meets Zariatin (Ray Stewart), the grotesque ruler of the renegade space station. When C.W. "Hawk" (Vince Edwards) tries to return Peter to Procyon III, Zariatin has the boy recaptured for ransom, as the lad's parents are members of a wealthy interplanetary "corporation." The guerilla station under attack from the "corporation," Hawk and the boy escape in their vessel, and at last, Hawk drops the boy off at his home planet. A simple story, and yet, a transforming one. Everybody in this movie is either evil (Zariatin), weary (Hawk), petulant (Amanda), indifferent (Janeris), or just world corrupted in one way or another-except the boy. It is this 10-year-old who slowly brings out the better elements of those closest to him. Having killed Ace-and Zariatin's lackeys Amanda and Flightplan-Zariatin asks an approaching Hawk, "Why are you all so willing to die for him?" That sums up the premise of this film. With straight, shoulder-long hair; soft, clear skin; a high-pitched voice; and a pint-sized body, Peter symbolizes tenderness, femininity, innocence, and defenselessness-elements which everybody in this film lost eons ago. This is what Hawk's crew tries to protect, four dying in the process. Furthermore, for all those spaceships that tried to destroy the corporation's mammoth robot ship, all perished to dust. Only Peter manages to "blow that thing out of the galaxy." The premise: Surrounded by darkness, even corrupt, trained guerillas are capable of responding with humanity to that which is good, and only the most intractable of individuals (Zariatin) will not be moved by love and innocence. What is so radical about this movie vis-à-vis the standard Hollywood variety is that so many "bad" individuals perished trying to protect Peter. Furthermore, as one reviewer stated here, what a memory that boy must have had of this man, who died trying to keep his promise to return him home. Maybe it's just me, but I have NEVER seen a movie about adults who take kids this seriously. In the typical Hollywood film, adults who break promises give the kid a hundred different excuses-a tradition from which this film breaks away. The end of the film is the saddest of Hollywood moments, and I'm not joking. With everyone dead (e.g., Zariatin's station blown away, his fighters destroyed, Hawk's crew gone, etc.), Hawk must part with the boy because to remain on Peter's "corporation" dominated planet would have meant his death. Throughout the film, there's an apocalyptic air to everything-highlighted by the exceptional score-but the ending takes this feeling to the edge of despair. The engulfing loneliness during those last few seconds of film have stayed with me all these years. If a movie can move the viewer in this manner, then it is a damn-good film. Space Raiders (also called Star Child) may have borrowed the technical pyrotechniques from another film (Battle Beyond the Stars, which Howard Cohen also directed), but Hollywood movies are expensive to make-something 90% of viewers seem to forget. If the only option is to borrow some footage from another film (that the same director made) or to have no movie at all, borrowing then becomes the lesser of two evils. I would rather have that than not to have ever seen this kind of story on film. For those who insist on criticizing, I recommend trying to make a B-film yourself.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
not all that bad,
By
This review is from: Space Raiders [VHS] (VHS Tape)
if you like sci-fi movies from the 80's this movie will work for you. sure it is a lot like the movie battle beyond the stars but so what! i just pretend it happens in the same universe. kind of like a side-quel. its fun and the kid is'nt too annoying, the scenes on the station are cool. besides hawk has a hero quality thats hard not to like. kinda like ice pirates meets battle beyond the stars. kids will like this film.
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Now where have I seen this before ?,
This review is from: Space Raiders [VHS] (VHS Tape)
When is a movie not a movie ? answer when it's Space Raiders, this film is the definition of " Deja vu", it is the ultimate in cheap exploitational rip offs. Most of the special effect scenes have been ripped wholesale from "Battle beyond the stars". So here we have a lousy story with a cute kid, badly grafted onto chopped up bits of a second rate older movie. DO NOT BUY THIS !
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