Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine

I wasn't expecting Star Wars, but this was so bad it was good. The cheesey effects, the acting, I loved it. You just don't see acting like this. This movie is giving Ed wood a run for his money.

I'm not sure why I expected anything different. The opening moments of the film, showing exterior shots of vessels and a battle, suggest computer-generated imagery of quality hovering somewhere between modern first-tier videogames and second-tier genre pictures - unremarkable, but fine, though the sheer abundance of the CGI is unfortunate. Shortly after we see computer-generated interiors, and visual effects, and they are an eyesore. Set design and decoration at large, and costume design, range from spartan, to questionable, to suitable - or, in some rare instances, all the way to enticing. Hair and makeup work follows a like pattern, though the more ambitious that the creature design for an alien race aims to be, the more dubious it looks in realization. The plot is fairly straightforward, bland, and common genre fare, while dialogue is too often downright tiresome and overblown. Characters fulfill certain archetypes and don't necessarily possess much of a spark otherwise - the protagonist is effectively a more heroic Han Solo, and the divisions between two chief figures frankly reflect antiquated sexist tropes. Scene writing is perhaps mostly best described as serviceable. 'Star raiders: The adventures of Saber Raine' is nothing if not low-grade entertainment, and no one who chances upon it even from a distance could ever confuse it as anything else. In fairness, however, there is also no intent here except to be a fun sci-fi romp, a saga in the spirit of but a few steps down from 'Star Wars' - only, just how much fun it actually provides, to those involved or to viewers, is up for debate. It's difficult to tell just what is shaping the acting here: it could be the proliferate CGI backgrounds, green screen creations that hinder honest reactions; somewhat indulgent and surely uncomfortable prosthetics, forcing the players to chew scenery to compensate; the restraining guiding hand of Mark Steven Grove's direction, prioritizing conveyance of the narrative and execution of each scene over their impact; a genuine lack of skill, making convincing performances the exception rather than the rule; or maybe a combination of all these factors. I don't think the acting is bad across the board; I detect glimmers of meaningful sincerity and effort in the contributions of some, and especial weakness in those of others. Yet the overall effect is undeniable. It rather seems to me that the screenplay was rushed. There are actually some good ideas here, and beyond that, some scenes are actually done very well, on paper and on film. Yet in addition to being unexceptional, the fundamental storytelling feels loose, and unbothered. Nothing was going to change the core nature of 'Star raiders,' but if the writing were tightened and approached with more care to even a small extent, the picture would have greatly benefited. As it stands, there are no surprises, and only passing enjoyment. There are a lot worse movies out there one could suffer through - I've seen too many of them - and there's just enough value here to make it a mild good time for a lazy afternoon. Still, I can't particularly begrudge anyone who thinks more poorly of this, and I wonder if I'm not being too generous as it is. Recommendable mostly for fans of the cast, or diehard sci-fi buffs, 'The adventures of Saber Raine' is okay - but keep your expectations in check.

A cheap homage to 30's film serials and 90s era space operas, Galaxy Raiders features some smart casting and unmistakable passion for the genre, but be warned, there are only two backdrops in this film, the Colorado woods and a green screen. It is insanely cheap and the prosthetics are almost flaunting in their unconvincing quality. You also have some lighting at moments which is too dark in my opinion and the CGI is... fitting for the tone really. Yes this film is cheap, but it's far from amateurish. I am very confident that the makers of Galaxy Raiders knew what they were doing and the film is knowingly camp. It also achieves the mammoth task about not being obnoxious about that kind of thing. The best aspect really about this film is it's tone. The film is at a perfect pitch in my opinion. But, self-awareness or not, the film does have it's pacing problems. It's overly stately dialogue does wonders for exposition, which there is always plenty of need in sci-fi features, but too much of it, like here, and your engagement wanes and the time drags. The storytelling is very much in 90s mini series mode and yeah that's good for twenty minutes, but for three times that long it outstayed its welcome. What keeps Galaxy Raiders from falling off the wayside though is the small character moments, especially from Casper Van Dien, which, combined with some good costume design, makes for a lot of great world-building. Could this turn into a series for Casper Van Dien? Well, the tone is definitely there and I could see myself watching another one of these. Galaxy Raiders is cheap, sometimes slow, but is a charming and enthusiastic Sci-fi B movie that will definitely appeal to fans of 90s fantasy yarns.

Casper Van Dien and Cynthia Rothrock used to be people... and now they are reduced to this kind of barely student film fluff. The Special effects look like something a Nerd would produce to get his work rejected by the Asylum. The acting is sub-standard. The only thing to speak for it is that the creature effects are kind of good. The movie had a very dense plot for a movie that was hard to follow, but it involves a bad guy who wants to conquer the galaxy. Most of the film is the actors walking around a forest pretending it's an alien planet. The sets are cheap as well.

Jesus I really thought B movies were bad, but this doesn't even fit into the alphabetical categories. God Casper doesn't age well at all, come on is he really that hard up he can't even afford a face lift? I've heard of Star Wars rip offs, but this one in 2017??! It makes the original 1977 Star Wars look absolutely amazing.... Which it still is by the way! Plus.. Is Casper meant to be a bad, bad Han Solo rip off? I spared 5mins of this film and really can't remember anything possibly half decent about it. Where do I end this.....?.? If you seriously want a cheap nasty laugh, watch this incredibly joke of a movie.

This is old school space opera at its full silly. When I watched it, I didn't note the release date. It felt like I was watching something from the late 80's or early 90's. It looks like 1980's movie effects. The script is typical 80's low budget. Boy meets girl, boy and girl save the universe. Boy and girl fall in love. It even borrows the look of Han Solo from the 80's. White shirt, blue uniform jacket with no insignia, blue uniform trousers, obvious sidearm... and just slightly graying. Wait, let's run that checklist again: Boy Meets Girl: Two, actually, both aliens. (One is Very Near Human, one isn't.) Boy and Girl save the universe: Kinda... for the moment... but the villain escapes for the sequel. Boy and Girl fall in love: Yep. Well, it sure looks like it. The thing is, this is a modern cast, with retro (obviously practical), Gerry Anderson style FX. Space Precinct wants it's look back... Casper van Dien is at his heroic comfortable level here. He does some stunt work, he does a decent sword-fight or two (depending upon where one draws the line at decent), and is the worst actor of the primary cast - and at that, he's not bad. He's the right age and physicality fr the character. Britt Laree does an excellent job as Fade - who is the leading lady every bit as much as Casper is the Leading man. Sara Salizar is definitely making a good choice moving to acting... she's both easy on the eyes and ears, and made me care about her character. And the actress under the lizard mask does a remarkable job considering the lack of articulation. Despite this seeming like a complaint, it's not. I love practical FX, even in miniatures. I love the "Tangibility" of them. And this does it reasonably well for the ships. Not, however, for the aliens. Oh, my, how very Jason of Star Command they are. (Look it up, younglings. It's a fun ride. Lame FX, but a fun ride.) The thing is, this looks like it was aimed to be either a series of low budget made for TV movies, or a pilot for a TV show, and not committed to which... And it ends on a scenery-chewing note by the villain. It screams, "More to come!" It's set, however, so that the first adventure has hit a strong chapter break, just in case funding fails. Bottom line: Waiting for the sequel...

Trailer—Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine

Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine