MovieChat Forums > Space Raiders Discussion > Others hate it but I like Space Raiders

Others hate it but I like Space Raiders

posted 18 years ago by mike_cable
18 replies | jump to latest

I don't think this film deserves all the bad comments it receives.

As a kid I was heavily into sci-fi and I saw Space Raiders years before even knowing it was a rehash of effects and music from an earlier film from the same company called Battle Beyond the Stars.

The tale of a small boy who gets caught up with an intergalactic gang, who go soft and try to get the kid home, touched me and so I've always kept an old VHS copy of it on my shelf. I haven't watched it for years but there's something about the bad acting, terrible effects and that little annoying kid that I enjoy.

The one thing that I truly adore about it is the music from the other film that it used. It's just like Star Trek II, another favorite of mine.

In fact, if you want the full James Horner music experience from this time, try and find the soundtracks for Battle Beyond the Stars or Space Raiders, Krull, Star Trek II, Star Trek III, Aliens and possibly Cocoon and Cocoon: The Return.

Anyway, just wanted to leave a positive comment! :)

[–] dganassin 18 years ago

I also enjoyed this film and the story line. It's been a long time since I last saw it. (At least 15 years ago).

You discussed the music by James Horner. I have a question you may be able to answer given that you have kept a VHS copy.

There is a song playing in a bar scene by an Alien band. The boy & intergalactic gang are present. I recall some Alien playing a kind of electronic keyboard. What was the title of this song and song artist? Was it a James Horner piece? It's been bugging me for years...

Dean

[–] mike_cable 18 years ago

Don't know.. I doubt it would have been. I would think that James Horner didn't produce any more music for this film.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] mike_cable 18 years ago

I liked it more than the film it "used" for its music and effects. When I first saw Battle Beyond the Stars, I found it highly crap compared to Space Raiders. It's probably because of growing up having only seen Space Raiders first. I'm sure that people who saw Battle Beyond the Stars first would say the exact opposite, if they could even lower themselves enough to admit they could like such bad films anyway. :)

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Charley667 17 years ago

I liked this more than Battle Beyond The Stars

Amen to that.

[–] Black_Dahlia 17 years ago

I saw BBTS before Space Raiders, so this otherwise acceptable film was ruined by seeing reused footage. The producers were so intent on milking their previously spent special effects budget that they even included shots of spacecraft that had nothing to do with SR's storyline.

Still, this is a somewhat better film than BBTS, which seemed to have been made just to cash in on the Star Wars series' revival of science fiction/space fantasy cinema. I would have to give BBTS credit for the best line, the reptilian alien's kamakazian "SHAKAA RIIIIIIIIII!"

Nonetheless, I would probably not want to re-view either film unless it was an academic exercise.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] lanfisher-1 17 years ago

I remember liking this movie when I was a kid, but I'd probably change my mind if I saw it now.

Anyone remember Ice Pirates? That was classic.

[–] mike_cable 17 years ago

The Ice Pirates was hilarious! I wish they had made a sequel.

[–] jvaldeztoo 16 years ago

hehehehe

Ahhhh....yes...Ice Pirates...

That's another cult film that takes us to places that many of you thought only Buckaroo Banzai would ever show us where to go. Ice Pirates, Battle Beyond the Stars, Space Raiders...what more could a person ask for.

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[–] smerd_70 16 years ago

Too be honest, I don't remember which I saw first- Battle or Space Raiders, but I like them both. I'm a huge fan of most scifi from the 80's(among other decades), but the lower budget scifi flicks from the 80's have a certain charm(of course I still love the bigger budget or more mainstream scifis from the 80's)- whether they're comedy or not, or cheesy or not, I enjoy them: Battle Beyond the Stars, Space Raiders, Ice Pirates, Galaxina, Android, 2019: After the Fall of New York, Cherry 2000, Trancers, Zone Troopers, Def-Con 4, Dead-End Drive In...to name a few...

My head hurts, my teeth itch, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Woodyanders 9 years ago

It's a fun little low-budget sci-fi romp that's done with a lot of heart.

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[–] jvaldeztoo 8 years ago

Fun...I think that's the perfect word for this movie. I also think some of the characters are quite interesting... Flightplan, Zariatin, and even Crazy Mel was a cool distraction. By the way, Thom Christopher who played Flightplan, also played Hawk in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century TV show.

Nothing can please like a little cheese...

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] residentevil6901 8 years ago

My best friend when I was 10 and I saw this when it came out and we loved it, we would talk about it all the time. Years and years go by and I kind of forgot about it, in the mid 90's I was trying to remember what it was called. Finally around the mid 2000's I start researching it and finally found a copy of it on VHS. I re-watched it and I got to say I did not like it anymore. Lol even though I saw it as a kid this is one of those movies that did not speak to me with my kids eyes again. I don't do that often, if I see a movie as a kid I can still like it when I'm older no matter the reason. This is probably the only movie that gets the thumbs down from me now. I love BBTS and know they re-used some things from that for this but I don't have the love for it at all anymore. Kind of weird as I don't talk bad about a movie that I once loved like hardly ever.

[–] mike_cable 8 years ago

I felt that way about Monster Squad, Space Hunter and even Iron Eagle. Loved them as a kid, then watched them again as an adult and I had very different feelings.

Space Raiders still connects to me, though. I think I appreciate the dark/gritty feel it has. For me, BBTS is much too campy by comparison.