SPACE MUTINY - "Battlestar Galactica" - The Next Generation? (Watch for the cameo by Lorne Greene)!
The 1989 VHS release of Space Mutiny (click to Enlarge!)
Take a deep breath....and watch the infamous SPACE MUTINY (1988)!
Since the Echobridge DVD mocks this movie mercilessly (without giving a plot summary), I'll quote from the 1989 VHS release from A.I.P. Home Video: FRONT COVER: "There is Nowhere to Hide from the Enemy Within!" BACK COVER: "Breathtaking Special Effects from the team that brought you Star Wars!" - BOX LEGEND: Starring Reb Brown ("Uncommon Valor"), James Ryan ("Rage to Kill"), John Phillip Law ("Barbarella") and Cameron Mitchell ("My Favorite Year"), The enormous Southern Sun spacecraft faces destruction from within when the evil Kalgan (John Phillip Law) and his men take control through a violent and explosive mutiny. Kalgan's plan: scrap the ship and sell the passengers into slavery. Only one man, Dave Ryder, has the strength and courage to lead the fight against Kalgan's rebels. Armed with laser cannons and neutron grenades, he leads the Commander's daughter and a handful of soldiers into blasting battle against Kalgan and his powerful forces." - END QUOTE
The Echobridge DVD of Space Mutiny
This is a VERY BAD MOVIE...quite possibly the worst space / adventure movie ever filmed - yet it **does** have an oddball charm to it. Much has been made that Space Mutiny uses the amazing special effects from the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978 -79) TV series. In a way, the overall plot of Space Mutiny - an Earth space-ark on a centuries-long voyage who are led by a Moses-like commander (John Phillip Law) - **almost** seems like Battlestar Galactica: The Next Generation. Interestingly, the one-man attack craft flown by Reb Brown (Viper footage from Battlestar Galactica) is even called a "Viper"! If you look closely - watch for a cameo appearance by Lorne Greene (as Adama) featuring Battlestar Galactica stock footage F/X - in the scene where the Bridge is attacked, Greene can be seen on the Bridge with his back to the camera in a distance shot. The picture quality of the DVD is relatively clear - roughly the equal of any other low-budget movie made in the 1980's. Both the VHS and the DVD release are in Full Frame format. Since this WAS an incredibly low-budget film, I'm convinced that it was filmed in Full Frame with an eye towards the home video market - I doubt that this movie was filmed in Widescreen (but I could be wrong - who knows?). One oddity though - the VHS release runs 91 minutes and 30 seconds, while the Echobridge DVD runs 87 minutes - does anyone know what footage was cut for the DVD release? If you're a fan of the (classic) Battlestar Galactica TV series, the camp-classic movie Dark Star or space adventure films and TV shows in general, this movie is well-worth a look...every sci-fi fan should experience Space Mutiny at least once! :-) I rate this movie a generous 2 stars (out of 5).
Space Mutiny - the funniest MT3K episode ever! :-)
Also - to my great surprise, I absolutely LOVED the oh-so-'80s song "The Edge of a Dream" by Steven McClintock that is heard during the End Credits - if only the movie were as good as this song! You can listen to the song (with a slide-show music video) on YouTube HERE:
The MST3K version of Space Mutiny is currently on YouTube - this is definitely a "must-see"! Listen for the joke about Rick Springfield! View the movie HERE:
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