Leave it to those Cannon Film boys,, schlock producers Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, here in their ‘80s heyday, to see STAR WARS/’77 in a D.C. comic-book franchise. From its bold Bill Conti opening fanfare, pure John Williams copyright infringement; to fascist pageantry laced with STAR WARS design elements in sets & costume (check out those glossy black helmets); to a demonstration of deadly force by gesture, you know where you are. Even a Sorceress in white, held in electronic bondage while a team of space soldiers are sent to recover ‘the key’ so chief villain Skeletor (Frank Langella hamming it up nicely) can rule the universe. Luckily, their space portal takes them all the way to a double-feature: BACK TO THE FUTURE/’85! Yep, Globus/Golan have combined the two biggest franchises of the day. That’s young Courtney Cox as Earthly ingenue alongside boyfriend Robert Duncan McNeill. But what of the two good guys & one gal, plus freakish goblin? Busy adjusting to Earth’s ways before helping those two kids who just happened upon ‘the key.’ As ‘He-Man,’ Dolph Lundgren sports a great shag haircut, the jawbone of an ass, the largest breasts on screen, and acting chops that make Cox & McNeill look RADA-trained. All under first time director Gary Goddard who seems befuddled by so many moving parts. That’ll teach those Cannon boys to put up a decent budget.
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Learn how indie producer Roger Corman made a million bucks by not releasing his lowball try at the genre in the sadder-but-wiser tru-life Tale of Hollywood DOOMED: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ROGER CORMAN'S THE FANTASTIC FOUR/’15.
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