So I have been searching the net trying to figure out what the heck this 3D sci-fi cartoon was that I saw in 1985, and I am thrilled to say I've found it in Starchaser. I saw the film at the ripe young age of 11. I have found a copy of it and just watched it again last night and here are my thoughts on it 19 years after its release.
Before watching it I had only vague recollections that this was a pretty cool film and a fantastic film-going experience, being a 3D film at the local AMC cinema. This 3d thing was not very common at the time--especially at an AMC mainstream theatre. I remember it being fairly dark for my 11 year old sensibilities and it was definitely influenced by Star Wars, which I personally like. It also reminded me of Logan's Run and of THX1138 a bit. It has a look not unlike Thundar the Barbarian or some of the other cartoons of that era: space ghost, He-man, etc. I saw that Matt Damon-voiced cartoon Titan AE not too long ago and couldn't help but feel like they were somehow similar in style or tone. I don't know... I was 11, like I said. I will say that overall I remember leaving the theatre with my brother who was 16 and we both liked it a lot. What's not to like about the human young hero kid trying to stop the super-villain and his army of robots?? I think there was even some sort of light-sabre sword thing that the kid had to struggle to use. That's all I can dig from the cobwebs of my memory. Don't blame me if it sucks.
Starchaser today So I received my copy of Starchaser. It looks pretty official and I find it hard to believe, looking at this box that this is an unofficial copy of it. It looks pretty authentic.
Anyway, about the movie Yes, it was okay. It was pretty much as I remembered it. It was pretty decent in its own way. You have to simply put the thing into context. Look at when it was made and most importantly, look at what it was made to bea 3D sci-fi adventure. Seeing it like this in 2D on my 16 inch TV, it doesn't really live up to what it was supposed to be, originally. I think being able to see it in 3D would be a great thing. I don't know if or how that could happen, but it should. I think this film could have a nice little cult following if it was re-released or released on DVD now with some 3D glasses in the box. It's a gem in its own way.
Yes, it does steal from Star Warsand A LOTbut so does everything else. And really, it's not like George ever stolehello, DUNE, anyone?! I don't really mind the stealing. And they stole from all sorts of places. There were quite a few sources referenced by these filmmakers: maybe a bit of Tron, Empire Strikes Back, Thundar the Barbarian, Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Black Hole, THX1138, Logan's Run
But you know what? I liked it. I think that overall, they succeeded with what they were trying to do at the time. I think there were some weak spots. Some of the animation looked a little lame at times, the writing was a bit flat, there were blatant moments heisted from other scripts, but they put together an interesting film overall. It was fun, it was an adventure. And if you like the nostalgia that comes with watching something older, you'll probably enjoy it. The performances are pretty decent, and it was pretty well held together by the director. I give it a thumbs up out of a sense of nostalgia and a pretty good effort on their part, at that time, knowing what they probably had to go through in order to make this 3D adventure happen.
Yes, I noticed a few damns, a son of a bitch, a bastard, a death of a principal character early on, violence towards children, some scary and mean robots and cyborgs, some sexually charged moments (no nudity), and some adult humor. I think most of that was pretty tame by modern standards and would pass over most kids' heads. I thought that it was totally appropriate and if I had kids of any age, I'd let them watch it without question.
Before watching it I had only vague recollections that this was a pretty cool film and a fantastic film-going experience, being a 3D film at the local AMC cinema. This 3d thing was not very common at the time--especially at an AMC mainstream theatre. I remember it being fairly dark for my 11 year old sensibilities and it was definitely influenced by Star Wars, which I personally like. It also reminded me of Logan's Run and of THX1138 a bit. It has a look not unlike Thundar the Barbarian or some of the other cartoons of that era: space ghost, He-man, etc. I saw that Matt Damon-voiced cartoon Titan AE not too long ago and couldn't help but feel like they were somehow similar in style or tone. I don't know... I was 11, like I said. I will say that overall I remember leaving the theatre with my brother who was 16 and we both liked it a lot. What's not to like about the human young hero kid trying to stop the super-villain and his army of robots?? I think there was even some sort of light-sabre sword thing that the kid had to struggle to use. That's all I can dig from the cobwebs of my memory. Don't blame me if it sucks.
Starchaser today So I received my copy of Starchaser. It looks pretty official and I find it hard to believe, looking at this box that this is an unofficial copy of it. It looks pretty authentic.
Anyway, about the movie Yes, it was okay. It was pretty much as I remembered it. It was pretty decent in its own way. You have to simply put the thing into context. Look at when it was made and most importantly, look at what it was made to bea 3D sci-fi adventure. Seeing it like this in 2D on my 16 inch TV, it doesn't really live up to what it was supposed to be, originally. I think being able to see it in 3D would be a great thing. I don't know if or how that could happen, but it should. I think this film could have a nice little cult following if it was re-released or released on DVD now with some 3D glasses in the box. It's a gem in its own way.
Yes, it does steal from Star Warsand A LOTbut so does everything else. And really, it's not like George ever stolehello, DUNE, anyone?! I don't really mind the stealing. And they stole from all sorts of places. There were quite a few sources referenced by these filmmakers: maybe a bit of Tron, Empire Strikes Back, Thundar the Barbarian, Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Black Hole, THX1138, Logan's Run
But you know what? I liked it. I think that overall, they succeeded with what they were trying to do at the time. I think there were some weak spots. Some of the animation looked a little lame at times, the writing was a bit flat, there were blatant moments heisted from other scripts, but they put together an interesting film overall. It was fun, it was an adventure. And if you like the nostalgia that comes with watching something older, you'll probably enjoy it. The performances are pretty decent, and it was pretty well held together by the director. I give it a thumbs up out of a sense of nostalgia and a pretty good effort on their part, at that time, knowing what they probably had to go through in order to make this 3D adventure happen.
Yes, I noticed a few damns, a son of a bitch, a bastard, a death of a principal character early on, violence towards children, some scary and mean robots and cyborgs, some sexually charged moments (no nudity), and some adult humor. I think most of that was pretty tame by modern standards and would pass over most kids' heads. I thought that it was totally appropriate and if I had kids of any age, I'd let them watch it without question.