The Last Starfighter is not in any way, shape or form a Star Wars ripoff aside from taking place in space and having a young protagonist... Plus in a vacuum without Star Wars it still stands on its own...
Krull, Flash Gordon, The Black Hole & The Last Starfighter are great films. They are not rip offs of Star Wars. Some of the other ones you listed are ripoffs.
I came here to say this as well. I would add that the epic type sci-fi fantasy was popular before Lucas. I would argue that his major contribution was more about the quality of special effects.
Let's call it The Bandwagon of Tropes than, instead of a rip-off. Young (often orphaned) protagonist going on The Hero's Journey to fight an Evil Empire in space, with robot companions, engaging in elaborate battles with small and fast spaceships inspired by WW1 and WW2 'dogfights' , a plucky perky princess type in distress, a handsome rogue grumpy wisecracking secondary hero, an army of humanoid but robot like faceless drone soldiers, an unexpected but not quite but still 'reveal' about a major character's identity. references to classic and still niche arthouse movies, analogies to Nazis and Soviets, production design inspired by emperial Rome, Khan's Mongolia, Ming China, and Feudal Japan, a clear intention to sell toys based on the characters, dialogue full of oneliners and quotable pseudo-wisdom, a 'mystical master' type, cutesy but kinda racisty tribal 'warrior beast' side characters. Do I have to go on?????
Yes the “epic sci fi fantasy” existed before Star Wars but Lucas was the one who brought it back and grew it into a multi-billion dollar franchise. I think that Flash Gordon could be done today with a decent filmmaker at the helm.
I came to comment on Ice Pirates as well. Scruffy looking nerf herder and motley crew, kidnapping a princess, rescuing the princess, androids aplenty, imperialist government controlling access to water, meeting in a hive of scum and villainy, space battles and sword fights!
Fun fact! As the USS Enterprise (CV-6) was gearing up to return to the Solomons in late 1942, rookie pilot Donald Gordon reported to Enterprise's new fighter boss Jim Flatley. "What do they call you, son?" Flatley demanded. "Uh ... they call me Curly, sir." "Son, Curly's no name for a fighter pilot! From now on, we're gonna call you ... "... FLASH." That's right, boys and girls! FLASH GORDON SERVED ON THE ENTERPRISE! *FLASH! A-A-A-AH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!* 😂
LOL. You know. I can believe it. Can you imagine if the Japanese were listening in on the radio chatter and heard that Flash Gordon was a pilot for the US Navy? (And don't tell me the Japanese didn't know who Flash Gordon was.) They might even believe that's why they couldn't sink the Enterprise.
@drivernjax It's true! I found this tidbit about the real-life Flash in Barrett Tillman's "Entrrprise: America's Fightingest Ship." I'm sure Mr. Tillman was just as tickled as I am by the prospect of Flash on the Entrrprise, just as I'm sure Mr. Gordon's come in for some good-natured ribbing over the years. (FLASH! A-A-A-AH! HE'LL SAVE EVERY ONE OF US!)
@drivernjax You reminded me of another real-life Star Trek story I've treasured since childhood. James Blish, the SF author who adapted Star Trek for Bantam Bòoks, related that he got a letter from Captain (Pierre D.) Kirk, U.S. Army. He and his men, doing their tour of duty in Vietnam, had become full-bore Trekkies, calling their weapons "phasers" and changing the command jeep's plates to read NCC-1701. (Alas, they couldn't convince the XO to get an ear job.) One day (Pierre D.) Kirk was leading a patrol through the jungle when he realized they had been surrounded by Viet Cong, whose radio chatter was coming in from everywhere. With nothing left to lose, he radioed back, "Viet Cong, this is the Starship Enterprise and you are in big trouble. Men, charge your phasers!" (By which he meant "Lock and load.") Scarcely had Kirk spoken when there was a flurry of rather panicky Vietnamese over the radio, and the VC went away! Kirk and his men returned to base none the worse for wear. It.seems obvious what just happened. Star Trek's appeal transcends national boundaries, and Kirk seems to have stumbled across VC who were also fellow Trekkies. They may even have seen the classic TOS episode "A Taste of Armageddon," in which Mr. Scott (in acting command) tells a hostile world to give back Captain (James T.) Kirk and his away team or he'd slag their entire planet, city by city. Already subjected to bombing and strafing by Uncle Sam, the Viet Cong clearly had no wish to undergo a bombardment from orbit, so ... 😁
@@seanbigay1042 Speaking of this, I read somewhere that Gene Roddenberry served on board the USS Enterprise during WW2. I also heard that's why he named the Star Trek starship, the USS Enterprise.
Great video! As someone old enough to have seen Star Wars when it first came out, it was obvious at the time that these all tried to capture some of the Star Wars magic. And without Star Wars it is doubtful that many of these films would have ever been produced.
Something that stayed with me about The Black Hole (other than the trippy ending scene and the forboding design of the robot Maximilian) was the awesome theme by John Berry. Forboding and mysterious, it set the tone amazingly.
That film got me into trouble! Mother let me go to the cinema on my own, for the first time. When I arrived I saw Moonraker was also showing, 007 in space? No competition! I didn't realise it was an hour longer, so I was late returning home.
First UK television Boradcast of Star Wars, watched it with Grandad, he thought it was derivative rubbish if well done and then gave me a well dog eared copy of "Princess of Mars" telling me to wrap my eyes round this. He was right, of the style it was the wellspring that watered all the others.
@@jon-paulfilkins7820 For a better comparison he should have given you First Lensman .....Star Wars though was such a huge mix of different influences from Akira Kurosawa Edgar Rice Burroughs and EE(Doc)Smith to Flash Gordan and Buck Rogers... Mind i freaking love A Princess Of Mars
And didn't George Lucas write the script for Star Wars because he could not get the rights to Flash Gordon? So if things had gone just a bit different we would not have gotten Star Wars, we would have a Flash Gordon movie by George Lucas.
The Black Hole, Krull, and The Last Starfighter are all movies I still love to this day. Masters of the Universe is...a movie...known for being the second Courteney Cox movie. What's also great to see with some of these choices, like Krull and Yor, is that while studios were trying to find the next big Star Wars type movie Conan the Barbarian became extremely popular. Studios tried to pivot, and many movies from that era seemed to be nods to both. Good list. Let me get my popcorn ready.
@@Sungazerglass love the black hole with Vincent the robot.....Vital Information Necessary CENTralised.......sorry , I went into nerd mode for a second
The shooting gallery scene was one of my favorites. We were lucky, seeing that starship parked on the edge of the event horizon was really cool on the big screen. For anyone unimpressed, this was the best live looking animation in movies at the time. This was Disney (pretty dark for their standards) and the tech was cool, but the scale of the film was overwhelming for my young mind.
@ericrosenburg657 I think it was one of the first films my dad took me to see , I was only 5 when starwars came out so he took my older brother who was 7, but when this came out in 78/79 I was that bit older , I was mesmerised by the big swirling black hole
I wouldn't call many of these "rip-offs" and instead say "cash grabs." There were so many jumping in the sci-fi bandwagon in 79-85, including TV. This list hit some obscure ones, but not the ones you should actually watch. The original Battlestar Galactica pilot should be on here. It was fracking awesome.
You missed the theatrical release of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century from 1979. In short, the television pilot was deemed so good that the studio decided to give it a theatrical release where it actually did fairly well considering it had already played on TV. Of course, the TV's of that time were seriously low resolution. Seeing it on the big screen was like watching a whole different movie.
Yes, Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers were both Glen A Larson series that certainly got releases because of Star Wars even if they had their own vibe. BSG was pretty post apocalyptic, an intriguing mesh of mythologies as background and an interesting blend of design ideas until it got all ecclesiastical with count Iblis etc. Buck Rogers again seemed to run out of oompf/creative juices about 2/3rd of its way through its first Season. Hawkman was the best thing in the 2nd season.
Some of the movies you listed were only comparable if you look at really specific elements like a badguy wearing a hood or 'teen gets to be a space hero'... Love Krul though and I'm really glad Flash Gordon has gotten the cult fandom it deserved.
Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon could not be rip offs of STAR WARS when they originally appeared in the 1930's in comics and serials. Maybe the updated storylines and robots, etc, make them more like STAR WARS.
I always thought that Star Wars was a “ripoff” of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. I even believe that is what Disney doesn’t understand about Star Wars and part of the reason that the Sequel trilogy is not loved by fans. IMO
If you include parodies, you have to include Ice Pirates. Some of the visual gags are very much of their time, however it includes a scene that garnered the biggest laugh from an audience that I have ever experienced. (You'll know when you get to it.)
Was it cheesey, campy, lets all laugh into a freeze frame as the credits rolled 70's television. Yes. But, the overall story and concept (aside from it being Sci-Fi) has zero comparison to Star Wars.
@@geraldmartin7703 There were elements of that in the remake as well. Kobol stands in for Kolob, the religion is vaguely polytheistic, the whole theme is about being evicted from their homes and needing to find Eden . . .
I saw ALL a of these as they came to theaters. Battle Beyond the Stars is one of my favorite films, and Flash Gordon 1980 is The Greatest Movie Ever Made! What a list!!
You left out Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), and Message from Space (1978). And arguably Titan A.E. (2000) belongs here too. And possibly the Buck Rogers theatrical pilot, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979).
People in the comment section don't know the difference between "Ripp-off", "lampooning", "Jumping on success" and "inspired" and some don;t know what scifi and space Fantasy is I'll start by saying Star Wars is NOT a sci-fi but a space fantasy, completely two different things Also just because a film is set in space and in the same time period as Star Wars doesn't mean its a "rip-off" from Star Wars.
You know the best part of Flash Gordon would have to be Brian Blessed the man is a legend and I could not imagine anybody else as the king of the Hawkmen.
@@DarrenEden-ub4vj All that most people remember from that film is Brian Blessed and the Queen soundtrack. Mayyybe Max von Sydow’s Ming the Merciless, which was brilliant.
During the Lockdowns, Antarctic Press asked me to contact StarCrash writer/director Luigi Cozzi and pitch the idea of a comic book sequel to one of my favorite classic cult films. Mr. Cozzi was so enthusiastic that he wrote an all-new screenplay about Stella Star! Unfortunately, he didn’t own the rights to StarCrash, so Stella Star had to be changed to Luna Diamond, and other iconic things from the film had to be altered (it was sad to lose the Giant Space Claw, but the new stuff is just as wild). What StarCrash was to Star Wars, The Midas Star (Luna Diamond Adventures) is to Guardians of the Galaxy, and the best of the MCU. The comic is still in development, so I am translating and adapting Luigi Cozzi’s novelizations, to generate interest. (Anyone? Anyone…?) Meanwhile, that all-new screenplay by Mr. Cozzi (THE MIDAS STAR: Luna Diamond) is currently available as an illustrated book, from Amazon’s Createspace imprint. I genuinely love StarCrash. Luigi Cozzi has been a pleasure to work with, and everyone involved with the original film gave their all (it just suffers m the limitations of being a low budget film that was made in the 70s). But maybe Luna Diamond can fire up some imaginations, and maybe cult film fans will want to participate in some in LUIGI COZZI’s STARCRASH UNIVERSE!
@@Foebane72 It says something that after so many decades of brilliant performances, from Shakespeare to I, Claudius… his most remembered line is that one. Though ‘PUBLIUS QUINCTILIUS VARUS, WHERE ARE MY EAGLES?!’ and ‘HAS ANYONE IN ROME NOT SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!’ are up there
All's fair, as Lucas "ripped off" other movies like The Wizard of Oz, 2001, etc. Fox and Lucas even got sued! No mention of the ultimate SW rip-off Battlestar Galactica. One episode even had an ice planet!
'Star Crash' gets MY vote and is SO good, it makes 'Star Wars' the ripoff. Caroline Munro in Vampirella micro-wardrobe wins hands and pants down👍 (Sorry George L.)
"The Last Starfighter" desperately needs updated CGI. Don't change anything else. Look at how great the original "Star Trek" series is with updated effect shots.
I saw "The Black Hole" (1979) in early '80 at 1 screen theatre -- it's no longer there -- in Malone, NY. I was living in southwestern Quebec at the time.
@GiantFreakinRobot My mom got permission to take me in June of '83, so I moved to Toronto with her. That didn't last long, and I ended up in 2 foster homes before getting moved back to the one in Quebec in November '83. A few months later, in February '84, I was moved into a group home in Montreal, but I would visit my former foster family every weekend until August of '88. The last movie I saw with them there was "Places in the Heart" (1984).
To my knowledge, The Last Starfighter is the first movie who's space scenes where completely CGI generated. What does that film have in common with Star Wars except being a space fight movie? Flash Gordon, yeah, I've watched that movie in the theatre, 3 times in a row within 3 days. But I was 10 at the time 😇 I've never watched it agin, but I've kept listening to Queen music to this day...
"The Black Hole": When Disney resources actually fund GOOD storytelling without an agenda. I LOVED watching this on HBO in the 80s and it is still at least an annual viewing on DVD in my house. "Galaxy Of Terror": God, I LOVE this flick! The cast is amazing: Ray Walston, Eddie Albert Jr., Erin Moran, Sid Haig, and Robert Englund... WOW! Great low-budget effects, great look. So much done with so little. Great late night viewing. "Flash Gordon": LOVE this one too. Another HBO favorite. The Queen soundtrack, the flashy comic-book colors. Love the ray-gun fire effects. Great old-timey serial adventure/action. Faithful to the old 30s-50s "rocket-ship" aesthetic. Max Von Sydow as Ming can't be beat for a villain. Also love Brian Blessed as Vultan, and Topol as Dr. Zarkov two larger-than-life performances. And Melody Andersen as Dale... rrrrrRRRRRROWWW! Wouldn't call these three "Star Wars rip-offs". Would they have been released without the success of "Star Wars"? Who knows? Sci-fi films would have continued to be made without "Star Wars'" existence.
Yeah, I watch Star Wars, technically a kids movie ( If u don't believe me u can google it). So.... yeah. Also, people who dislike or haven't even heard of sci-fi (could be living under a literal rock) know what Star Wars is. What is the most influential movie of all time to you?
It was one of the many sci-fi movies that no studio even considered making until the success of Star Wars came along. The only reason this movie got greenlit (just like Alien) was because the studio execs wanted those sweet Star Wars dollars.
George Lucas invented sci-fi, robots, the color purple, wizards, the internet, and bagels. Anyone else is just ripping him off! Just ask @giantfreakingrobot and his “research skills.”
Good video! I bought Star Crash on Blu-ray last year and thought it was funny it beat The Empire Strikes Back in showing a green lightsaber on the big screen first! There could be a video of many different things that imitated Star Wars, starting with arcade games, both pinball and video. For Pinball, my #1 choice is Firepower by Williams Electronics--just look at the artwork! For videogames, Starhawk and Star Fire come to mind, but it seems everyone was trying to jump on the SW bandwagon back then.
C'mon, the height, the pinnacle, the greatest moment of film history is the delivery of those seven words, "What do you mean Flash Gordon approaching."
How dare you blaspheme against Flash Gordon! 😅😅😅 10:43 He saved every one of us! Side note- Ming did return and was in The Force Awakens (the informant at the beginning)
OK i've got to 0:11 and already thoughtful; 'Arguably the most influential move ever made'? Personally I can't think of any movie that gets close. The nearest for me is 'Metropolis' the silent movie that opened the gates, wide open with visual story telling. Love to know your thoughts....
Some of these films were hoping to pull on the success of a Sci-fi style film in Star Wars but even without that; The Black Hole is a really good, entertaining film. Battle Beyond the Stars is a classic, fun film. The Last Starfighter is an old school gamers treat and Flash Gordon was great entertainment, despite what valueless critics had to say.
In the midst of the climactic battle in outer space, "Star Crash" features the Big Villain uttering the immortal line, "By sundown I will be the next emperor!"
The last time I saw "The Black Hole", I was a kid in the 80s. Somehow, I immediately recalled the name of the exploratory craft, Palomino. Some things just burn themselves into your brain.
I remember watching "Star Crash" in theatre in the days. Best laughs of my life, stands with "Frankenstein Junior" and "The Blues Brothers". THE cult movie. Honorable mention: "Creators the Past".
Flash Gordon, krull, last starfighter, battle beyond the stars, these are all cult classics that are guilty pleasure for sci-fi fans. 😍🤓 however, you didn't mention ice Pirates, which came out around the same time and it is also a Star Wars ripoff.
3 things about that film, it arrived quite late, had a messy production yet still turned out great, Ron Perlman is NOT the tallest member of the cast, or even the Hero band! oh and add space herpies for a 4th
Definitely check out The Ice Pirates. What would you get if the entire cast was Han Solo... Solos... and Ron Pearlman... and Sloth from Goonies and for some inexplicable reason Anjelica Huston? And robots everywhere, an evil emperor, the best time warp in film history, and did I mention it's a comedy but everyone plays it straight? Seriously... a must see.
Star crash had finished filming as Star Wars (1977) had started. The problem was the producers did not know what they had and shelved it. They only released it after ST should movies like this could be popular. I felt that the Princess Leia as slave girl was a homage to Stella Star. I also like Flash Gordon better than ST. I wish they had been able to do more.
2:17 no argument. Great for its day. saw this in the theater 3:35 saw this in the theater 5:53 Krull was great still a fav. 8:33 I love this movie more than all 3 of the prequels. 10:40 yes saw this in the theater, twice
Star Trek had a TV series that built up a cult following in the 1960s, a decade before Star Wars. Star Trek also managed to pump out 10 movies before rebooting. And I love Star Wars, just providing some clarity...
Spaceballs should definitely be on the list. And since you include Masters of the Universe, I would also include The Beastmaster… it, Krull, The Black Hole, The Last Starfighter, and Flash Gordon are all some of my favorite guilty pleasure movies.
One of the great appeals of Krull is the stunning cast of now legendary character actors. Liam Neeson, Robbie Coltrane, Alun Armstrong, David Battley, Todd Carty, Bernard Archard, Bernard Breslaw... Some.of the names may escape you but you'll definitely remember them from various other film and TV shows
I know it was television, but Battlestar Galactica was painfully obvious with similarities. Cylons=Stormtroopers, Starbuck=Han Solo, the ships (different, but similar enough for comparison) etc.
Some of these were new to me, and some were movies I watched over and over as a kid. I’m ashamed to admit that He-Man was one of them. But not ashamed of Last Starfighter. Time for a rewatch actually.
I loved The Black Hole as a kid. Great old school effects, and honestly it reminds me of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", in space. Anthony Perkins death scared the hell out of me though lol
I was incensed when I heard a guy on the street telling his buddy Star Trek was a Star Wars rip off. I had to tell the guy Star Trek predated Star Wars by at least a decade. I do think Last Starfighter stands on it's own though. It follows classic tropes like Star Wars did but with it's own twist.
An English-language version of the Yor comic is currently published by Antarctic Press. (I believe #3 of 4 has been released: a collected version will be available in March. I know, because I’m the editor 😅) The movie was condensed from a 4-part miniseries that ran on Italian TV. (I watched it: for “research.” 😜) The first 3/4 of both adaptations are shockingly close to the comic. The longer version has more dramatic character moments and romance, but it’s also padded with more of Reb Brown wandering around the Turkish countryside. Despite the general faithfulness of the film/TV adaptations, some of their infamously goofier moments were not in the comic: Yor doesn’t use a pterodactyl’s corpse to hang glide to the rescue, and the trapeze act/laser battles at the end are just a couple of things that were added to the final act. (The comic is fun, but it takes itself more seriously than either film version. It’s also not limited by budget or filmmaking technology, so the dinosaur battles and fantastical elements aren’t as silly. The art is beautiful, and the writing is like a flowery, semi-philosophical tribute to Robert E. Howard.) The Overlord mentioned in this video was originally a Big Brother-like character called The Supreme: once Yor stumbles into the futuristic city, there’s an info dump of amazing revelations that completely change everything you think you know about Yor lore. (There’s also a comic book sequel about Yor’s son, who’s ACTUALLY named HOR 🤣!)
7:24 A completely reasonable statement if were talking minor details and maybe the occasional difference of moderate importance, but not when discussing major details or entire events. If 5 bystanders witness a shooting they all may have different recollections of the type of firearm, or what the shooter was wearing but they will all remember which of the 2 people involved was the one who fired the gun.
Masters of the Universe isn’t a Star Wars rip-off. Gary Goddard, the film’s director, clearly drew inspiration from Jack Kirby’s New Gods. In fact, he wanted to hire Kirby to work on the movie, but the studio didn’t allow it. The connections are undeniable-Skeletor is essentially Darkseid, and there’s even a scene where He-Man rides a device that’s almost identical to Orion’s Astro Harness. Then there’s the Cosmic Key, which is clearly a stand-in for the Mother Box, with its power directly tied to what Kirby called “The Source.” People think it feels like Star Wars because Star Wars borrowed heavily from New Gods (among other influences) in the first place. The family drama, cosmic battles, and larger-than-life stakes are all Kirby hallmarks that George Lucas brought into his galaxy far, far away. Masters of the Universe wasn’t copying Star Wars-it was paying tribute to the original cosmic epic that inspired so much of modern sci-fi.
I guess it all depends on how you define 'rip-off'. Just because a movie is based in space doesn't mean it is ripping off Star Wars. That would mean Star Wars ripped off Star Trek, or TV shows like UFO (before Space:1999), or any other Space-based movie of the 60's.
Not a movie ripoff, but a Japanese TV show: Message from Space Galactic Wars (宇宙からのメッセージ・銀河大戦). Currently on Amazon Prime video for free. And you have to give credit to Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress from which Star Wars ripped off much of its characters, plot, and camera style
The Last Starfighter is not in any way, shape or form a Star Wars ripoff aside from taking place in space and having a young protagonist... Plus in a vacuum without Star Wars it still stands on its own...
It's about a young protagonist who is recruited by aliens to fight the evil empire. Kinda like star wars.
Both Star Wars and The Last Starfighter follow the classic hero's journey.
It’s just such a crappy movie though.
@@GiantFreakinRobot STill not a Ripp off
@@lonster3000 YOu be amazed some people dont want it reboot.
Krull, Flash Gordon, The Black Hole & The Last Starfighter are great films. They are not rip offs of Star Wars. Some of the other ones you listed are ripoffs.
Star Wars would be closer to a rip off of Flash Gordon. Not the 80s movie, but the property itself
I came here to say this as well. I would add that the epic type sci-fi fantasy was popular before Lucas. I would argue that his major contribution was more about the quality of special effects.
Let's call it The Bandwagon of Tropes than, instead of a rip-off. Young (often orphaned) protagonist going on The Hero's Journey to fight an Evil Empire in space, with robot companions, engaging in elaborate battles with small and fast spaceships inspired by WW1 and WW2 'dogfights' , a plucky perky princess type in distress, a handsome rogue grumpy wisecracking secondary hero, an army of humanoid but robot like faceless drone soldiers, an unexpected but not quite but still 'reveal' about a major character's identity. references to classic and still niche arthouse movies, analogies to Nazis and Soviets, production design inspired by emperial Rome, Khan's Mongolia, Ming China, and Feudal Japan, a clear intention to sell toys based on the characters, dialogue full of oneliners and quotable pseudo-wisdom, a 'mystical master' type, cutesy but kinda racisty tribal 'warrior beast' side characters. Do I have to go on?????
Yes the “epic sci fi fantasy” existed before Star Wars but Lucas was the one who brought it back and grew it into a multi-billion dollar franchise.
I think that Flash Gordon could be done today with a decent filmmaker at the helm.
Those are classic
Ice Pirates. Robots, a hyperspace battle, a desert scene, a princess and Bruce Vilanch.
I will definitely look into that.
And space herpes
@@ClayHales I came here to say that! 🤣
That movie is so fun. It rips off quite a few 'bits' from other movies. 'A Boy and his Dog' is worth a watch but not like these.
I came to comment on Ice Pirates as well. Scruffy looking nerf herder and motley crew, kidnapping a princess, rescuing the princess, androids aplenty, imperialist government controlling access to water, meeting in a hive of scum and villainy, space battles and sword fights!
Fun fact! As the USS Enterprise (CV-6) was gearing up to return to the Solomons in late 1942, rookie pilot Donald Gordon reported to Enterprise's new fighter boss Jim Flatley. "What do they call you, son?" Flatley demanded.
"Uh ... they call me Curly, sir."
"Son, Curly's no name for a fighter pilot! From now on, we're gonna call you ...
"... FLASH."
That's right, boys and girls! FLASH GORDON SERVED ON THE ENTERPRISE!
*FLASH! A-A-A-AH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!* 😂
LOL. You know. I can believe it. Can you imagine if the Japanese were listening in on the radio chatter and heard that Flash Gordon was a pilot for the US Navy? (And don't tell me the Japanese didn't know who Flash Gordon was.) They might even believe that's why they couldn't sink the Enterprise.
@drivernjax It's true! I found this tidbit about the real-life Flash in Barrett Tillman's "Entrrprise: America's Fightingest Ship." I'm sure Mr. Tillman was just as tickled as I am by the prospect of Flash on the Entrrprise, just as I'm sure Mr. Gordon's come in for some good-natured ribbing over the years. (FLASH! A-A-A-AH! HE'LL SAVE EVERY ONE OF US!)
@drivernjax You reminded me of another real-life Star Trek story I've treasured since childhood.
James Blish, the SF author who adapted Star Trek for Bantam Bòoks, related that he got a letter from Captain (Pierre D.) Kirk, U.S. Army. He and his men, doing their tour of duty in Vietnam, had become full-bore Trekkies, calling their weapons "phasers" and changing the command jeep's plates to read NCC-1701. (Alas, they couldn't convince the XO to get an ear job.)
One day (Pierre D.) Kirk was leading a patrol through the jungle when he realized they had been surrounded by Viet Cong, whose radio chatter was coming in from everywhere. With nothing left to lose, he radioed back, "Viet Cong, this is the Starship Enterprise and you are in big trouble. Men, charge your phasers!" (By which he meant "Lock and load.")
Scarcely had Kirk spoken when there was a flurry of rather panicky Vietnamese over the radio, and the VC went away! Kirk and his men returned to base none the worse for wear.
It.seems obvious what just happened. Star Trek's appeal transcends national boundaries, and Kirk seems to have stumbled across VC who were also fellow Trekkies. They may even have seen the classic TOS episode "A Taste of Armageddon," in which Mr. Scott (in acting command) tells a hostile world to give back Captain (James T.) Kirk and his away team or he'd slag their entire planet, city by city. Already subjected to bombing and strafing by Uncle Sam, the Viet Cong clearly had no wish to undergo a bombardment from orbit, so ... 😁
@@seanbigay1042 I remember reading that story somewhere a long time ago. I laughed my butt off when I read it.
@@seanbigay1042 Speaking of this, I read somewhere that Gene Roddenberry served on board the USS Enterprise during WW2. I also heard that's why he named the Star Trek starship, the USS Enterprise.
Great video! As someone old enough to have seen Star Wars when it first came out, it was obvious at the time that these all tried to capture some of the Star Wars magic. And without Star Wars it is doubtful that many of these films would have ever been produced.
If spaceballs is not on the list, then you did it wrong.
No, that was a direct homage, not a ripoff. (See Mel Brooks' own audio commentary on 'Spaceballs'.)
Space balls wasn’t a rip off. It was the upgrade!
He did it wrong on so many levels, what’s one more?
Spaceballs is a parody. Not a rip-off.
Its a parody not a rip off
Something that stayed with me about The Black Hole (other than the trippy ending scene and the forboding design of the robot Maximilian) was the awesome theme by John Berry. Forboding and mysterious, it set the tone amazingly.
Even 007 had to jump on the SW train. James Bond in “Moonraker” 🤘🏻👍🏻❤️
still brilliant tho.
@ I agree. Love that movie. Nothing better than American & British commandos in space suits shooting Drax’s henchmen with lasers in the void. Sick.
When James Bond is firing lasers from his spaceship to destroy a planet-killing flower, then you know that you have lost control of your franchise.
@@privatename5788 it’s cool for sure. Jumping the shark with style baby.
That film got me into trouble! Mother let me go to the cinema on my own, for the first time. When I arrived I saw Moonraker was also showing, 007 in space? No competition! I didn't realise it was an hour longer, so I was late returning home.
But isn't Star Wars itself a combination of many films that came before ? - just done better ...
yeah that's why its so easy to make parodies and ripoffs of it.
First UK television Boradcast of Star Wars, watched it with Grandad, he thought it was derivative rubbish if well done and then gave me a well dog eared copy of "Princess of Mars" telling me to wrap my eyes round this. He was right, of the style it was the wellspring that watered all the others.
@@jon-paulfilkins7820 For a better comparison he should have given you First Lensman .....Star Wars though was such a huge mix of different influences from Akira Kurosawa Edgar Rice Burroughs and EE(Doc)Smith to Flash Gordan and Buck Rogers...
Mind i freaking love A Princess Of Mars
@@wildfire160 I only got into it after the anime came out (which was OK). But I never got round to doin a deep dive into it.
And didn't George Lucas write the script for Star Wars because he could not get the rights to Flash Gordon? So if things had gone just a bit different we would not have gotten Star Wars, we would have a Flash Gordon movie by George Lucas.
The Black Hole, Krull, and The Last Starfighter are all movies I still love to this day. Masters of the Universe is...a movie...known for being the second Courteney Cox movie.
What's also great to see with some of these choices, like Krull and Yor, is that while studios were trying to find the next big Star Wars type movie Conan the Barbarian became extremely popular. Studios tried to pivot, and many movies from that era seemed to be nods to both. Good list. Let me get my popcorn ready.
Spaceballs not mentioned is a true crime!🍻
“The Black Hole” and “Flash Gordon” were important features of my youth. So great!!
I have still NEVER The Black Hole,YET!!
I saw Flash Gordon as a first run movie with my cousin in 1980, It was the last movie we ever saw together.
@@Sungazerglass love the black hole with Vincent the robot.....Vital Information Necessary CENTralised.......sorry , I went into nerd mode for a second
The shooting gallery scene was one of my favorites. We were lucky, seeing that starship parked on the edge of the event horizon was really cool on the big screen. For anyone unimpressed, this was the best live looking animation in movies at the time. This was Disney (pretty dark for their standards) and the tech was cool, but the scale of the film was overwhelming for my young mind.
@ericrosenburg657 I think it was one of the first films my dad took me to see , I was only 5 when starwars came out so he took my older brother who was 7, but when this came out in 78/79 I was that bit older , I was mesmerised by the big swirling black hole
"Battle Beyond the Stars"
AKA John-boy in space.
I was today years old when I found out James "Jim" Cameron worked on that film.
And known for 'Boob Ship'.
I've not seen it but I recall laughing at its shit poster.
And there he was!!!
hah.. that's right. I'll never forget the only ship in space with boobs.
I wouldn't call many of these "rip-offs" and instead say "cash grabs." There were so many jumping in the sci-fi bandwagon in 79-85, including TV. This list hit some obscure ones, but not the ones you should actually watch. The original Battlestar Galactica pilot should be on here. It was fracking awesome.
You missed the theatrical release of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century from 1979. In short, the television pilot was deemed so good that the studio decided to give it a theatrical release where it actually did fairly well considering it had already played on TV. Of course, the TV's of that time were seriously low resolution. Seeing it on the big screen was like watching a whole different movie.
and then Buck Rogers became bad.
@@zimriel 2nd season.
Buck Rogers wasn’t a ripoff. It was a remake. The original was from the 39. Flash Gordon was even earlier, 1936.
@@mikemesser4326Right and agreed. The point was it capitalized on the Star Wars popularity, just as the Flash Gordon movie did.
Yes, Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers were both Glen A Larson series that certainly got releases because of Star Wars even if they had their own vibe. BSG was pretty post apocalyptic, an intriguing mesh of mythologies as background and an interesting blend of design ideas until it got all ecclesiastical with count Iblis etc.
Buck Rogers again seemed to run out of oompf/creative juices about 2/3rd of its way through its first Season. Hawkman was the best thing in the 2nd season.
Some of the movies you listed were only comparable if you look at really specific elements like a badguy wearing a hood or 'teen gets to be a space hero'... Love Krul though and I'm really glad Flash Gordon has gotten the cult fandom it deserved.
Flash Gordon is still a rewatch around here.
Ahh-oh!
I saw Yor, The Hunter from the Future, on the big screen. The guy is so badass he shoots down pterodactyl creature, then uses it as a hang glider.
Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon could not be rip offs of STAR WARS when they originally appeared in the 1930's in comics and serials. Maybe the updated storylines and robots, etc, make them more like STAR WARS.
I always thought that Star Wars was a “ripoff” of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon.
I even believe that is what Disney doesn’t understand about Star Wars and part of the reason that the Sequel trilogy is not loved by fans. IMO
If you include parodies, you have to include Ice Pirates. Some of the visual gags are very much of their time, however it includes a scene that garnered the biggest laugh from an audience that I have ever experienced. (You'll know when you get to it.)
That is currently a popular recommendation. But this list didn't include parodies, then spaceballs would have been on there.
@@GiantFreakinRobot Spacebars?
Hello, my baby
Space Herpes!
ok, I fixed it, spacebars is the parody of Space Balls
YES..... Ice Pirates is an awesome movie. Slightly better is the classic The Fifth Element
How is "Starchaser: The Legend of Orin" not here? I'm deducting -1000 Nerd Points.
I AGREE
1000! wow, you are in full nerd strop.
Damn good film...and on YT
I was coming here to say this.
@@IntergalacticDustBunny took screenshot so I wouldn’t forget to look that one up🤣I loved me a B movie🤔😍
Battle Beyond the Stars is also one of the inspirations behind the famous (now classic) video game series “Star Control”
I see Star Control, I upvote.
Now lets have a *happy party at *your house!
Even for its stilted, melodramatic flaws, the 1978 Battlestar Galactica belongs here.
It was surprisingly watchable.
@@terencemccormick8178 Been a fave since it premiered. That and Space:1999.
Was it cheesey, campy, lets all laugh into a freeze frame as the credits rolled 70's television. Yes.
But, the overall story and concept (aside from it being Sci-Fi) has zero comparison to Star Wars.
Because of Mormon creator Glen Larson, the show was a retelling of Mormon theology. Not being a Mormon, I don't know in what precise way.
@@geraldmartin7703 There were elements of that in the remake as well.
Kobol stands in for Kolob, the religion is vaguely polytheistic, the whole theme is about being evicted from their homes and needing to find Eden . . .
The Last Starfighter is the 1st movie to use computer generated effects. They figured it out as they went. Even ILM hadn't done that yet
I saw ALL a of these as they came to theaters.
Battle Beyond the Stars is one of my favorite films, and Flash Gordon 1980 is The Greatest Movie Ever Made!
What a list!!
I saw Star Crash, Yor, Flash Gordon, Battle Beyond, Krull, all in theaters and it was a blast. fun times
fun times indeed....
You left out Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), and Message from Space (1978). And arguably Titan A.E. (2000) belongs here too. And possibly the Buck Rogers theatrical pilot, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979).
People in the comment section don't know the difference between "Ripp-off", "lampooning", "Jumping on success" and "inspired" and some don;t know what scifi and space Fantasy is
I'll start by saying Star Wars is NOT a sci-fi but a space fantasy, completely two different things
Also just because a film is set in space and in the same time period as Star Wars doesn't mean its a "rip-off" from Star Wars.
You know the best part of Flash Gordon would have to be Brian Blessed the man is a legend and I could not imagine anybody else as the king of the Hawkmen.
@@DarrenEden-ub4vj All that most people remember from that film is Brian Blessed and the Queen soundtrack. Mayyybe Max von Sydow’s Ming the Merciless, which was brilliant.
During the Lockdowns, Antarctic Press asked me to contact StarCrash writer/director Luigi Cozzi and pitch the idea of a comic book sequel to one of my favorite classic cult films.
Mr. Cozzi was so enthusiastic that he wrote an all-new screenplay about Stella Star!
Unfortunately, he didn’t own the rights to StarCrash, so Stella Star had to be changed to Luna Diamond, and other iconic things from the film had to be altered (it was sad to lose the Giant Space Claw, but the new stuff is just as wild).
What StarCrash was to Star Wars, The Midas Star (Luna Diamond Adventures) is to Guardians of the Galaxy, and the best of the MCU.
The comic is still in development, so I am translating and adapting Luigi Cozzi’s novelizations, to generate interest. (Anyone? Anyone…?)
Meanwhile, that all-new screenplay by Mr. Cozzi (THE MIDAS STAR: Luna Diamond) is currently available as an illustrated book, from Amazon’s Createspace imprint.
I genuinely love StarCrash. Luigi Cozzi has been a pleasure to work with, and everyone involved with the original film gave their all (it just suffers m the limitations of being a low budget film that was made in the 70s).
But maybe Luna Diamond can fire up some imaginations, and maybe cult film fans will want to participate in some in LUIGI COZZI’s STARCRASH UNIVERSE!
As for Flash Gordon, everyone also loves Brian Blessed as the King of the Birdmen, too: "Gordon's ALIVE??"
Yes!!! Exactly!!!
@@Foebane72 It says something that after so many decades of brilliant performances, from Shakespeare to I, Claudius… his most remembered line is that one.
Though ‘PUBLIUS QUINCTILIUS VARUS, WHERE ARE MY EAGLES?!’ and ‘HAS ANYONE IN ROME NOT SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!’ are up there
Flash Gordon and The Black Hole are regular rewatches in my house. I love both those movies.
Right on
All's fair, as Lucas "ripped off" other movies like The Wizard of Oz, 2001, etc. Fox and Lucas even got sued!
No mention of the ultimate SW rip-off Battlestar Galactica. One episode even had an ice planet!
That my friend, is how the movie industry or any industry works, by copying other ideas or making the original better.
To be fair, the Battlestar Galactica episode("The Gun on Ice Planet Zero") aired two years before Empire Strikes Back was released.
'Star Crash' gets MY vote and is SO good, it makes 'Star Wars' the ripoff. Caroline Munro in Vampirella micro-wardrobe wins hands and pants down👍 (Sorry George L.)
The Last Starfighter and Flash Gordon were 2 epic movies that should never be remade. They are perfect.
"The Last Starfighter" desperately needs updated CGI. Don't change anything else.
Look at how great the original "Star Trek" series is with updated effect shots.
"Flesh Queens of Venus" was a good/bad film and "Vixens of Mars" was another.
I saw "The Black Hole" (1979) in early '80 at 1 screen theatre -- it's no longer there -- in Malone, NY. I was living in southwestern Quebec at the time.
Thats really cool and kinda sad that the theatre is not there anymore.
@GiantFreakinRobot I got to see a lot of the "big" movies there between '79 & going into mid-83. I was in foster care at the time.
It seems like you have a lot of good memories at that theatre though. At least I hope you enjoyed it.
@GiantFreakinRobot My mom got permission to take me in June of '83, so I moved to Toronto with her. That didn't last long, and I ended up in 2 foster homes before getting moved back to the one in Quebec in November '83. A few months later, in February '84, I was moved into a group home in Montreal, but I would visit my former foster family every weekend until August of '88. The last movie I saw with them there was "Places in the Heart" (1984).
@GiantFreakinRobot It closed permanently in the early 2000s from what I could find out.
To my knowledge, The Last Starfighter is the first movie who's space scenes where completely CGI generated. What does that film have in common with Star Wars except being a space fight movie?
Flash Gordon, yeah, I've watched that movie in the theatre, 3 times in a row within 3 days. But I was 10 at the time 😇
I've never watched it agin, but I've kept listening to Queen music to this day...
Actually Tron was the first, Starfighter was the second.
"The Black Hole": When Disney resources actually fund GOOD storytelling without an agenda. I LOVED watching this on HBO in the 80s and it is still at least an annual viewing on DVD in my house.
"Galaxy Of Terror": God, I LOVE this flick! The cast is amazing: Ray Walston, Eddie Albert Jr., Erin Moran, Sid Haig, and Robert Englund... WOW! Great low-budget effects, great look. So much done with so little. Great late night viewing.
"Flash Gordon": LOVE this one too. Another HBO favorite. The Queen soundtrack, the flashy comic-book colors. Love the ray-gun fire effects. Great old-timey serial adventure/action. Faithful to the old 30s-50s "rocket-ship" aesthetic. Max Von Sydow as Ming can't be beat for a villain. Also love Brian Blessed as Vultan, and Topol as Dr. Zarkov two larger-than-life performances. And Melody Andersen as Dale... rrrrrRRRRRROWWW!
Wouldn't call these three "Star Wars rip-offs". Would they have been released without the success of "Star Wars"? Who knows? Sci-fi films would have continued to be made without "Star Wars'" existence.
I'm really surprised you didn't include Starchaser: The Legend of Orin in your list. It's a fun little animated film that actually isn't half bad.
Star Wars and The Last Starfighter was my childhood
„The most influential movie of all time?“ Boy, you must have the cinematic horizon of a sandbox-toddler.
Yeah, I watch Star Wars, technically a kids movie ( If u don't believe me u can google it). So.... yeah. Also, people who dislike or haven't even heard of sci-fi (could be living under a literal rock) know what Star Wars is. What is the most influential movie of all time to you?
The 1980s tv shows for Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers were far more similar to SW than half these. He-man? lol come on.
I wouldn't call "The Black Hole" (1979) a "Star Wars" rip-off. Heck, I didn't even know that SW existed until years later.
It was one of the many sci-fi movies that no studio even considered making until the success of Star Wars came along. The only reason this movie got greenlit (just like Alien) was because the studio execs wanted those sweet Star Wars dollars.
great movie!
Hey, it's all an opinion not absolute truth or anything.
George Lucas invented sci-fi, robots, the color purple, wizards, the internet, and bagels. Anyone else is just ripping him off! Just ask @giantfreakingrobot and his “research skills.”
@Izzboticus ok... but that's "coattails" not a ripoff...
Good video! I bought Star Crash on Blu-ray last year and thought it was funny it beat The Empire Strikes Back in showing a green lightsaber on the big screen first!
There could be a video of many different things that imitated Star Wars, starting with arcade games, both pinball and video. For Pinball, my #1 choice is Firepower by Williams Electronics--just look at the artwork! For videogames, Starhawk and Star Fire come to mind, but it seems everyone was trying to jump on the SW bandwagon back then.
Glad to see Starcrash on the list, where it should be.
“Flash, I Love You! But We Only Have Fourteen Hours Left to Save the Earth!”
exactly!!!
Buck Rogers should be on the list. Thanks for the video.
I absolutely love Krull, great movie as a kid and still is.
C'mon, the height, the pinnacle, the greatest moment of film history is the delivery of those seven words, "What do you mean Flash Gordon approaching."
How dare you blaspheme against Flash Gordon! 😅😅😅 10:43
He saved every one of us!
Side note- Ming did return and was in The Force Awakens (the informant at the beginning)
Thats just what I think.
@GiantFreakinRobot lol I'm just kidding with you. I actually shared this to a few people
aww, that so sweet and I knew you were joking, that's why I responded, I should have put an emoji there or something.
Cue the music...
OK i've got to 0:11 and already thoughtful; 'Arguably the most influential move ever made'? Personally I can't think of any movie that gets close. The nearest for me is 'Metropolis' the silent movie that opened the gates, wide open with visual story telling. Love to know your thoughts....
I can't think of any, maybe when I was a kid though
Some of these films were hoping to pull on the success of a Sci-fi style film in Star Wars but even without that; The Black Hole is a really good, entertaining film. Battle Beyond the Stars is a classic, fun film. The Last Starfighter is an old school gamers treat and Flash Gordon was great entertainment, despite what valueless critics had to say.
In the midst of the climactic battle in outer space, "Star Crash" features the Big Villain uttering the immortal line, "By sundown I will be the next emperor!"
I still watch flash Gordon every now and then. Bloody cool and fun movie 👍
Why is The Last Starfighter lumped in here. Literally no relation
The last time I saw "The Black Hole", I was a kid in the 80s. Somehow, I immediately recalled the name of the exploratory craft, Palomino. Some things just burn themselves into your brain.
Especially when you are a kid.
I remember watching "Star Crash" in theatre in the days. Best laughs of my life, stands with "Frankenstein Junior" and "The Blues Brothers". THE cult movie.
Honorable mention: "Creators the Past".
Flash Gordon, krull, last starfighter, battle beyond the stars, these are all cult classics that are guilty pleasure for sci-fi fans. 😍🤓 however, you didn't mention ice Pirates, which came out around the same time and it is also a Star Wars ripoff.
3 things about that film, it arrived quite late, had a messy production yet still turned out great, Ron Perlman is NOT the tallest member of the cast, or even the Hero band! oh and add space herpies for a 4th
Queen did the Soundtrack to Flash Gordon...making it worth it.
How about Galaxina?
FLASH GORDON WAS GREAT DIDN'T EVEN THINK IT WAS A STAR WARS RIPOFF
Definitely check out The Ice Pirates. What would you get if the entire cast was Han Solo... Solos... and Ron Pearlman... and Sloth from Goonies and for some inexplicable reason Anjelica Huston? And robots everywhere, an evil emperor, the best time warp in film history, and did I mention it's a comedy but everyone plays it straight? Seriously... a must see.
I saw Starcrash at the drive in when i was 13 and years later realized that Prince Simon was also Michael Knight 🤣
8:57 "Nice shooting son. What's your name?" Robocop 1987
Star crash had finished filming as Star Wars (1977) had started. The problem was the producers did not know what they had and shelved it. They only released it after ST should movies like this could be popular. I felt that the Princess Leia as slave girl was a homage to Stella Star. I also like Flash Gordon better than ST. I wish they had been able to do more.
I got one word: Spaceballs.
2:17 no argument. Great for its day. saw this in the theater
3:35 saw this in the theater
5:53 Krull was great still a fav.
8:33 I love this movie more than all 3 of the prequels.
10:40 yes saw this in the theater, twice
"Battle beyond the stars", "Black Hole" , "Krull" , "Masters of the Universe" , "Flash Gordon" . I watched them all at the movie theater
Star Trek - The Motion Picture was made following the success of Star Wars. So while not a rip off, it was definitely only produced because of SW.
I can see what you are saying about that, but it is very different from Star Wars.
Star Trek had a TV series that built up a cult following in the 1960s, a decade before Star Wars.
Star Trek also managed to pump out 10 movies before rebooting.
And I love Star Wars, just providing some clarity...
Spaceballs should definitely be on the list. And since you include Masters of the Universe, I would also include The Beastmaster… it, Krull, The Black Hole, The Last Starfighter, and Flash Gordon are all some of my favorite guilty pleasure movies.
Thank you here's a sub and like 🎉
The Last Starfighter was good and didn't take itself too seriously. The same for Flash Gordon
One of the great appeals of Krull is the stunning cast of now legendary character actors.
Liam Neeson, Robbie Coltrane, Alun Armstrong, David Battley, Todd Carty, Bernard Archard, Bernard Breslaw...
Some.of the names may escape you but you'll definitely remember them from various other film and TV shows
Krull is a fantastic movie. My favourite part is them catching and riding the fire mares. Love it
Masters of the universe is so fun and entertaining! I think it's an underrated film ❤
I know it was television, but Battlestar Galactica was painfully obvious with similarities. Cylons=Stormtroopers, Starbuck=Han Solo, the ships (different, but similar enough for comparison) etc.
You didn't mention "SpaceBalls". Good video though!
Last Starfighter had a real earnestness that made it stand out. Some of it was cheesy but it was a fun movie that stands the test of time.
If you had called this Star Wars “inspired” I might have been with you, but so many of these films are thoroughly original in their own right
The Last Starfighter is basically 'The Magnificent Seven' in space.
Not a rip-off but a spoof short, I have a fond memory of “Hardware Wars”
Oh really? I like that movie a lot. Fluke Skybucker..... what fun!
I saw The Black Hole as a kid and still don't know what is going on.
Some of these were new to me, and some were movies I watched over and over as a kid. I’m ashamed to admit that He-Man was one of them. But not ashamed of Last Starfighter. Time for a rewatch actually.
I loved The Black Hole as a kid. Great old school effects, and honestly it reminds me of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", in space.
Anthony Perkins death scared the hell out of me though lol
I love the soundtrack of The Black Hole. This film was freaking eerie for me as a kid, but I loved it.
I was incensed when I heard a guy on the street telling his buddy Star Trek was a Star Wars rip off. I had to tell the guy Star Trek predated Star Wars by at least a decade.
I do think Last Starfighter stands on it's own though. It follows classic tropes like Star Wars did but with it's own twist.
An English-language version of the Yor comic is currently published by Antarctic Press. (I believe #3 of 4 has been released: a collected version will be available in March. I know, because I’m the editor 😅)
The movie was condensed from a 4-part miniseries that ran on Italian TV. (I watched it: for “research.” 😜)
The first 3/4 of both adaptations are shockingly close to the comic. The longer version has more dramatic character moments and romance, but it’s also padded with more of Reb Brown wandering around the Turkish countryside. Despite the general faithfulness of the film/TV adaptations, some of their infamously goofier moments were not in the comic: Yor doesn’t use a pterodactyl’s corpse to hang glide to the rescue, and the trapeze act/laser battles at the end are just a couple of things that were added to the final act.
(The comic is fun, but it takes itself more seriously than either film version. It’s also not limited by budget or filmmaking technology, so the dinosaur battles and fantastical elements aren’t as silly. The art is beautiful, and the writing is like a flowery, semi-philosophical tribute to Robert E. Howard.)
The Overlord mentioned in this video was originally a Big Brother-like character called The Supreme: once Yor stumbles into the futuristic city, there’s an info dump of amazing revelations that completely change everything you think you know about Yor lore. (There’s also a comic book sequel about Yor’s son, who’s ACTUALLY named HOR 🤣!)
@3:51 that is Marta Kristen, AKA Judy Robinson from the original Lost in Space on the left.
Did you have Maverick 2 on the list ?
What's the best way to see these?
Krull was also released when Vacation was in theaters
7:24 A completely reasonable statement if were talking minor details and maybe the occasional difference of moderate importance, but not when discussing major details or entire events. If 5 bystanders witness a shooting they all may have different recollections of the type of firearm, or what the shooter was wearing but they will all remember which of the 2 people involved was the one who fired the gun.
Masters of the Universe isn’t a Star Wars rip-off. Gary Goddard, the film’s director, clearly drew inspiration from Jack Kirby’s New Gods. In fact, he wanted to hire Kirby to work on the movie, but the studio didn’t allow it. The connections are undeniable-Skeletor is essentially Darkseid, and there’s even a scene where He-Man rides a device that’s almost identical to Orion’s Astro Harness. Then there’s the Cosmic Key, which is clearly a stand-in for the Mother Box, with its power directly tied to what Kirby called “The Source.”
People think it feels like Star Wars because Star Wars borrowed heavily from New Gods (among other influences) in the first place. The family drama, cosmic battles, and larger-than-life stakes are all Kirby hallmarks that George Lucas brought into his galaxy far, far away. Masters of the Universe wasn’t copying Star Wars-it was paying tribute to the original cosmic epic that inspired so much of modern sci-fi.
I guess it all depends on how you define 'rip-off'.
Just because a movie is based in space doesn't mean it is ripping off Star Wars. That would mean Star Wars ripped off Star Trek, or TV shows like UFO (before Space:1999), or any other Space-based movie of the 60's.
Message From Space. A sporty little Japanese import. Silly fun.
Thats cool, thanks for sharing.
Eragon is basically fantasy starwars. The Stargate movie is basically return of the jedi.
Disney's handling of Star Wars reminds me of Napoleon's Spanish Ulcer.
The Japanese made Message from Space is the best one I think.
Last Starfighter is peak for me. But a huge guilty pleasure for me is Ice Pirates. That movie cracks me up still.
Not a movie ripoff, but a Japanese TV show: Message from Space Galactic Wars (宇宙からのメッセージ・銀河大戦). Currently on Amazon Prime video for free. And you have to give credit to Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress from which Star Wars ripped off much of its characters, plot, and camera style
I was going to mention Message from Space, but you beat me to it.