Starchaser - Legend of Orin (1985)

Get ready to blast into hyperspace with Starchaser: The Legend of Orin, an exhilarating, animated sci-fi saga hailed as "an excellent special treat for families" (Screen International) that brings interplanetary excitement and adventure to an all-time high! Deep within a subterranean Mine-World, a tribe of humans forced into a grim life of servitude by the malevolent overlord Zygon knows nothing of the surface world or of hope until a brave young boy named Orin discovers a sword with mysterious powers that only he can unlock! After escaping the Mine-World with his weapon, Orin teams with rogue smuggler Dagg, a beautiful princess and some trusty robots on an intergalactic mission to free his enslaved people and defeat the evil Zygon!

Starchaser gets props

STARCHASER: THE LEGEND OF ORIN was a space opera in the vein of the STAR WARS saga, unlike the EWOKS/DROIDS series, better animated. The story is generic: a young hero battles against a intergalactic lord, meets up with a smuggler with his own agenda and a lovely princess he falls in love with. The animation is grand. I only wish there was more done with STARCHASER. Only time will tell. Above all, I highly recomend it. April 22, 2008

More like 3 & 1/2 stars....

I first saw this film at the theater when I was a teenager back in 1985. It was originally shown in 3-D (a RARITY back then - WAY before the time of IMAX). Wow! I absolutely LOVED this film! I love both sci-fi and animated films, so when the 2 genres were combined for this movie, I knew I was in for a treat.

When I saw it was available on DVD, I snatched it up without hesitation. I watched it again recently and discovered that it was quite dated (in terms of animation techniques) and a shameless rip-off of the original Star Wars.

Despite those flaws, this movie is just plain FUN. The background animation is gorgeous to look at, the story (although familiar) is told in a logical and exciting way, and there's plenty of action. Though probably geared for teens and pre-teens, the story does not "talk down" to the audience. There is danger, a bit of mild violence, mild profanity (one of the characters uses the word "damn" about 50 times!), and some characters actually die.

Compared to today's modern animation techniques, Starchaser will seem a bit archaic, but the visuals are still very pleasing to the eye and most of the character's movements are fluid and life-like. Many of the sound effects are "borrowed" from Star Wars (you'll recognize a lot of them), but probably the most dated element is the electronic soundtrack that just REEKS of '80s cheesiness. But, hey! IT WORKS!

The movie, althought not "great", is a pleasant experience that you may want to pop into the player from time to time. It's also something you can enjoy with the kids who will no doubt laugh at certain scenes and say the word "cool" or "awesome" about a dozen times. Hey! What other words would you use to describe '80s entertainment? I can't think of any! (Well, maybe "knarly" or "radical" but I think those words have been retired - unless you're a surfer? I'll shut up now.)
August 28, 2007

Good Kid's Robot movie

We bought Starchaser - Legend of Orin for our 4-year-old grandson because he loves robot movies. I watched it with him. He loved it. I enjoyed it also. He took it home with him and he watches it over and over and over. He doesn't really understand the story yet, but it's a worthy story -- good vs. evil, coming of age, saving a civilization -- and when he does, that'll be good also. The animation is very, very good.

July 19, 2007

Wow

It's been a long time since I've even heard mention of this movie. It's a great show, long lost to time. July 18, 2007

love it

I had first seen this movie on TV a long time ago. I was lucky enough to catch it again and tapd it on VHS. I was thrilled when I saw that it was now out on DVD and had to buy it.
Wonderful cartoon type movie about a boy that was raised in the mines of a furture world. He finds a way out and discovers all about life above as well as his desire for revenge, to go back for his brother, and that not all things are as they seem. Very funny moments, action, some blood and death scenes are well. All in all, a great movie that you'll watch again and again. June 8, 2007

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