Year: 1977
Duration: 01:28:26
Directed by: Ed Hunt
Actors: Robert Vaughn, Christopher Lee, Daniel Pilon
Language: English
Country: Canada
Also known as: Alien Encounter | War of the Aliens | Project Genocide (UK)
Description: Legion of the Winged Serpent is a rebel group of humanoid aliens that aim to invade Earth so they can transforme it into their new home planet as their sun is about to turn into a supernova. They will deal with humans by making everyone commit suicied, using an orbit transmiter.
The League of Races, another race of aliens that is living in a golden pyramid below the Earth’s oceans, will fight such a plan. But they will need the help of a human UFO expert to revive their robots and fleet that have been sabotaged.
The fate of planet Earth will be decided in space, through a great battle between the two fleets of flying saucers.
Review: Arriving hot on the heels of the one-two 1977 punch delivered by STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND was STARSHIP INVASIONS, writer/producer/director Ed Hunt’s delirious throwback to a type of pulp “B”science fiction film more common in the 1950s. While STARSHIP has frequently been cited as a rip-off of those aforementioned 1977 blockbusters the fact is it was already in production in 1976, well in advance of either film’s arrival. For a low-budget Canadian film one of the huge advantages it enjoyed was having Warner Brothers acquire the movie for distribution – and a juicy purchase by NBC also meant that Hunt’s little science fiction thriller was seen by more people that perhaps it would have otherwise. Christopher Lee stars as Rameses, leader of an alien race whose planet is soon to be extinct. He plans to make Earth their new home, but must first exterminate the pesky human species already living here. Standing in their way is a benevolent extraterrestrial society headquartered in an aquatic pyramid. After Rameses and his minions slaughter the inhabitants of the alien HQ they utilize a flying saucer to orbit Earth and broadcast a signal inducing suicidal & homicidal activity among the humans. Anaxi (Daniel Pilon) and Phi (Tiiu Leek) – dome-headed survivors of Rameses’ initial attack – recruit a human UFO expert (Robert Vaughn) and his computer-expert colleague (Henry Ramer) to help them fight back against the invasion, and the stage is set for a climactic deep space confrontation between fleets of flying saucers. Crisply shot by genre vet Mark Irwin and driven by a cool Gil Melle music score STARSHIP INVASIONS co-stars Helen Shaver, Sherri Ross, Victoria Johnson, Doreen Lipson, Sean McCann, Jonathan Welsh, and Kurt Schiegl. Hunt (who also made PLAGUE, BLOODY BIRTHDAY, and THE BRAIN) can be accused of having more imagination that his budget allowed – there’s no risk of encountering any CGI effects here – but this movie is still great fun, warts and all.
Screenshots:
Download:
on
Gosh how in god’s name did Chris Lee and Robert Vaughan end up in this dross ? 🙂