Starhunter - The Complete Series

This Complete Sci-Fi Series in a Deluxe Foil 4-Disc Package Features 22 Episodes on Four DVDs and Includes Unrated Bonus Footage! The year is 2275. Earth has colonized the entire solar system, but things are dangerous out there. Enter Dante Montana (Michael Paré, BloodRayne, Crash Landing), a reluctant bounty hunter haunted by his past, who, along with his crew, travels the universe in pursuit of dangerous interplanetary criminals, including The Raiders--an evil force that Dante believes kidnapped his son. Meanwhile, covert forces are waging a desperate war to unlock the secrets of the Divinity Cluster--powerful knowledge that in the wrong hands would mean universal domination... Product Description

One of the worst shows ever produced

Starhunter is without question one of the worst things ever committed to film. I gave it one star only because Amazon won't let me give it no stars.
From the cheesy introduction to each episode by the annoying "bounty hunter boss" to the nonsensical jumpy editing and the incomprehensible scripts, I can't imagine how this thing stayed on the air for an entire season.
The first episode of the series has our heroes, two bounty hunters and the teen-aged niece of the ship's captain, transporting a psychotic psychiatrist and her intelligent, but dweeby son to trial for multiple murders on a prison colony.
For reasons that are never explained, they leave the two of them, who are involved in an incestuous affair, in openwork cages right next to each other and leave the woman in possession of a high tech bracelet that she uses to take over the mind of the captain.
During the episode, the niece, who also serves as the engineer and mechanic aboard ship, lets the murderer's son out of his cage, because she thinks he's cute, and precipitates problems based entirely on plot driven stupidity.
If this particular plot had been done say in the middle of the series, after we had gotten to know the characters and started to care about them, it could have been workable, but as the first episode in a series, in which we do not know these people or any of their motivations, it was a complete disaster.
The following episodes, and I will admit here that I was not able to actually finish watching most of them, do not get any better.
In one episode, for example, the writers introduce a ship full of people in the first two minutes and then kill them all off a minute later.
We never actually understand the motivation of the any of the characters and all of their actions seem to be driven by the needs of the plot in that episode rather than any deeply held beliefs.
The ship that they are on, which is apparently an old cruise liner, has space for hundreds of people, but now has only the three inhabitants. This makes no sense from the position of operating a business as the cost of running a ship of that size would be vastly more than one could bring in by picking up and transporting the occasional criminal.
In one episode, we find that there are three military officers who have been in cold storage for the last 50 years on one of the lower decks of the Tulip (yes that is the name of the bounty hunter's ship) who for some reason have never been detected by the three crew members, who have been aboard this ship for years. It is never made clear whether the crew have never been to that deck, or if they simply never noticed the power drain into that abandoned section of the spacecraft.
In another episode, prisoners escape (again) into the ship and the crew have to chase them around this huge vessel that they apparently have not explored.
Ok, so the world creation on the show is bad, the characters make no sense and the technology is absurd, the worst part, however, is the production of the show itself.
The scripts for Starhunter are inane at best and incomprehensible at worst, the acting is mostly sub par, particularly the work of Michael Pare as the captain (who sleepwalks his way through the series), the directing is incompetent and the film editors must have been kidnapped and replaced by monkeys.
This show is so bad that if someone offers it to you for free you should consider them to be your enemy. If you are offered the choice between watching this series and shooting yourself in the head, take the bullet!
July 15, 2008

Low Budget Sci Fi with character

It is hard to find a good sci-fi series anymore. This was pretty good with interesting plots and characters. Picture quality is horrible, but if you can get past that Watch it!! For you Firefly fans, watch it! It is not like you can find any other similar shows that have not been canceled.

The second "series" or "season" of this show is also called "complete" but under a different name called Starhunter 2300. That show improved the budget considerably and is even better than the first series. Be warned however it ends in a cliffhanger and there is no more of it to be had.

If you want to find a good sci-fi show you really have to look at a show that was cancelled within the first 2 seasons. June 25, 2008

Gets Better With Each Episode

I gave this show 4 star because even though this was a great show it had it flaws. I have only watched episodes 1 through 12 but so far am enjoying the show. Now I can see where the comparison for Firefly does come in, but don't be fooled the two shows have very little in common. I am a huge fan of Firefly, and this show stands alone.

The Bad: The graphics and special effects at times is not the best and the acting at some points (in a couple episodes) is bad. The show just began as if you knew the whole history; there was no real build up. The US order of the episodes is not the correct one; which is slightly annoying.

The Good: The thing I loved about this show was the emotions of the characters. If it was the pain Dante felt because of his son, or the fear he felt for Percy. Or even Percy's frustrations for how protective Dante was towards her; plus the relationship between them was great. This was a great addition to this show. As was Luc she really stood out as a mother figure and friend for Percy. One thing I really enjoyed was the beginning of the episode, with Rudolpho DeLuna. His transmission always goes with the episode; he and Caravaggio add a bit of humor to the show.

But it would have been nice to see how Dante got into Bounty Hunting, him taking in Percy, meeting Luc, and so on. As I said I am only half way through the `first' season of Starhunter and am pleased. Each episode seems to get better as the characters develop and the storyline(s) get more intense. I do recommend this show for any sci-fi fan.
June 23, 2008

Awesomely Cheesey

I've always been a HUGE fan of the Starhunter series, and this complete box set (finally!) is really a treat to behold. Don't be fooled by the "complete series", though...they did retool the show for the second season under the new name of Starhunter 2300. This is a very bare-bones set-simple menus, and no extras. It does, however, have the extra footage that was cut from the original U.S. showings.

The show itself follows the bounty-hunting crew of Dante Montana (Michael Paré), his niece Percy Montana (Tanya Allen), and Lucretia Scott (Claudette Roche). Despite being plagued with some VERY cheap effects, and less than stellar writing, the show still manages to engage and captivate. Some of Percy's one liners alone warrant a purchase. Besides, you can't really beat the price.

May 5, 2008

Reach for the Star Hunter

The Good Things
*Some nifty special effects (even if they are low-grade) and a little bit of action.
*Pretty good characters. You get to know them well by the end of the show.
*Pretty good stories. Interesting story arc throughout the show.
*Each episode starts with a monologue by one of the characters, which is neat.

The Bad Things
*Low production value; fake-looking sets and lower-grade special effects.
*Basis is more on drama and less on action. It gets a little slow.
*Don't really like the music.

For the price, I am generally pleased with the show. It has a good cast of characters and some interesting stories. Special effects aren't great, but are used effectively. Even though it gets a little slow, it's worthwhile to sci-fi fans (especially if you liked "Firefly"). March 19, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...