87 - Starcrash (1978)

Starcrash is a bad movie. Sloppily made and nothing more than a quick cash-grab based off the popularity of 1977’s Star Wars, Starcrash doesn’t even try and hide what it really is; “If you liked Star Wars, you’ll maybe sit through this!” Yet somehow, despite all its shortcomings, it’s an entertaining ninety minutes that while produced purely to make a quick dollar, genuinely tried to create something new.

I’m a firm believer that the worst cinematic crime is laziness, when it becomes apparent onscreen that nobody involved had any interest in being involved, a movie becomes unwatchable. Starcrash is a movie made within a specific time frame and with a specific goal - to get the money of those looking for more movies like Star Wars - and it that sense it succeeded. 

The Director, Luigi Cozi, famously claims that he had never seen Star Wars before making this movie - which I find absolutely untrue (there is a god damned lightsaber in this movie!) - but he did actually try and make something different, and I can’t fault anyone for trying something new. He could have easily replicated the hero's journey verbatim (like Star Wars) but he didn’t. Different doesn’t equal good but considering the time constraints and budget, Cozi made something memorable and if I’m watching the Blu Ray copy of a movie you made one year after Star Wars in order to capitalize on its success, you’ve done an admirable job.