1983. The year of Return of the Jedi. The Star Wars trilogy was complete, and sci-fi films had been enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Some films released during this era are classics of the genre (Alien, Close Encounters, Star Trek II). Others have enjoyed a smaller cult status (Tron, The Last Starfighter). Then there are films like Space Raiders.
Infamous B-movie king Roger Corman saw the opportunity to quickly get a science-fiction kids movie released to piggyback on the success of Star Wars. Scenes from previous films of his, mainly Battle Beyond the Stars from 1980, were cobbled together with new footage to create Space Raiders. A story about a young boy who stows away on a ship full of space pirates is surrounded by footage of space battles from the previous films.
Space Raiders was cheap to make, and it shows. The opening scene takes place in a warehouse that is supposed to be futuristic, yet it looks like a plain old warehouse from 1983. The space battles show the same ships exploding several times over. The dialogue is dreadful. Space Raiders is a terrible movie, but is it so bad that it's good? Most casual movie watchers wouldn't get very far with this one, but those who enjoy 1980's cheese will find something to enjoy here.
Yes, the movie is cheap. Yes it's a blatant Star Wars rip-off, right down to a cantina scene with musical aliens. Still, there's a charm about it. In a way it's fun to watch what the film makers did with what little they had and still try to produce something entertaining. The actors give their all despite a lousy script, especially Vince Edwards as gruff space pirate Hawk. The film also features the debut of David Mendenhall, who would later co-star with Sylvester Stallone in another 80's cheese-fest, Over the Top.
Space Raiders recently released on limited-edition Blu-ray, limited no doubt to the little interest the film still generates. A nice interview with David Mendenhall is included, who fondly remembers making the film and respects its fans, yet still knows what type of film was made. Recommended only for die hard fans of the genre or sci-fi completists.
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