Galaxy of Terror
'I live and die by the crystals.' ~ Quuhod, played by Sid Haig
IMDB.com Rating: 5.0 out of 10
Availability: Still in print moderately priced.
Watch Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMEryXNx28o
OH SHIT! Moment: A slimy rape/death of Taaffe O'Connell . . . by way of a giant, horny, evil space-maggot.
Beverage: A Fallen Froggie
A FALLEN FROGGIE:
Ingredients:
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A rescue ship travels to the storm-lashed planet, Morganthus, to save the missing crew of the starship Remus; but instead find a whole host of deadliness -- but of course, they are going on a rescue mission to a star system known as "the galaxy of terror", so what did you really expect? Tonight's movie, of course, is the 1981 cult classic, 'Galaxy of Terror'. 
You know, it's not an 'Alien' ripoff. It's an 'Alien' homage. This is one of those Roger Corman movies. Roger was the film's producer; which is, really, just a lazy way of getting money for letting the film attach itself to your name. I won't complain, though; because had his name not been attached, this picture would've been long since forgotten. Roger Corman first introduced the world to Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Sylvester Stallone and Martin Scorsese. Maybe it's because he had such an eye for talent. Or maybe it's because he made, like, 800 fucking movies so eventually someone he associated with had to become famous. This flick has an amazing cast including Erin Moran (Joanie, from 'Happy Days'), Ray Walston (Mr. Hand, from 'Fast Times at Ridgemount High), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger, from 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'), Zalman King (from 'Blue Sunshine') and Sid Haig (from anything Rob Zombie-related). Some of the film's special effects were done by Academy Award-winning director James Cameron and the set design was made by Bill Paxton. 
There's something about trashy, exploitation films I love -- they just seem cheap. I don't mean cheap in quality -- I mean cheap in EVERYTHING. This is a half-done script with, at best, decent acting (composed mostly of recognizable faces through television, other trashy movies and, yes, pornos). The only redeeming factors are the special effects. Anything big is going to look like crap, but all the kills and close-ups are going to be gory and fantastic.
This trash-tastic masterpiece of shit is tough to follow. You get confused as to what's going on. You always feel like there's something more to understand, but you're too unconcerned with the characters to give two shits. The one guarantee is almost everyone will brutally die. It's amazing how much a blood-filled death will make up for twenty minutes of useless dialogue. As the film reaches its climax, you're left unsure of what the plot was; but somehow, you're happy with the results. It's just fun.
Let's count them off. For the crew's fate, we have:
-1 slimy rape-death, courtesy of a giant space-maggot (it's exactly what it sounds like)
-1 death by flying space-crystals, which includes a partial dismemberment
-1 death, via flaming-spontaneous human combustion
-3 deaths, at the hands of assorted violent aliens
-And 1 of these > > >
There's a reason Roger Corman is the king. It's his participation in pictures like 'Galaxy of Terror' that made him a B-Movie God.
On my scale:
Overall Enjoyment ----12
Redeeming Qualities---14
Rewatchability---------7
Directing/Quality------7
Plot/Storyline----------4
Pacing-----------------5
Dialogue/Writing-------5
Acting-----------------5
TOTAL---------------59
Overall Enjoyment ----12
Redeeming Qualities---14
Rewatchability---------7
Directing/Quality------7
Plot/Storyline----------4
Pacing-----------------5
Dialogue/Writing-------5
Acting-----------------5
TOTAL---------------59
As I said before, this isn't an 'Alien' ripoff. It's an 'Alien' homage. Actually, I didn't say that. I think Joe Bob Briggs said that, but I'm not sure. This movie is out there. I get a good amount of enjoyment from pictures like this. There's not much going on as far as a message. Watching these creatures and the special effects reminds me of a time in film when nothing was left to the imagination -- in a good way. They showed everything. I wouldn't say they pushed the envelope, because they weren't making a statement about censorship. They just wanted to fill seats; and what better way to put the butts in the theater than by lots of gore? I really these type of movies. I can shut off everything and just watch a perfect blend of crappy sci-fi and cheap-o, gory effects. I feel this film is as good as it could've been, considering the lacking script. I am very happy to own this and to be able to share it with you. Best of 1981! Tony says, "Watch it!"
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