Starchaser - Legend of Orin (1985) Review

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Starchaser - Legend of Orin (1985) ReviewStarchaser is a space opera along the same lines as Star Wars. You have the evil villain in a cape, spaceships blowing up each other, lasers flashing with neat noises, robots cracking jokes, heroes saving the day. You have it all. What ties it all together is a rather simple story that has been executed well. While some may find Starchaser too derivative I see a lot of charm in it.
The movie's biggest claim to fame is how they rotoscoped cell animation over computer animation to make various elements of the movie have a very fluid effect. This is especially true for the spaceships, which are pretty awesome for a movie made in the mid-80's. The rotoscoping technique gives a level of freedom of movement in the spaceship scenes that really stand out from anything else in this era. It's really a treat to watch the Starchaser weave around gun turrets and blasting away the bad guys.
The rest of the animation is close to what you saw on movies like Rock and Rule and to a lesser extent Heavy Metal. Solid cel drawings with decent to good animation, but not Disney quality. The original film was in 3D, but there is no 3D here. Probably a good thing considering 3D DVD's aren't exactly popular. The movie more than makes up for the lack of 3D and non-Disney quality with a clever script and excellent voice cast. You'll find yourself loving one or more of the characters because of the voice talents and what they say.
Now it's been said that Starchaser is just a Star Wars rip-off, and if you look for it you will probably say that too. You have a young "out of touch with the modern world" hero with a sword that cuts through about anything, a wisecracking smuggler who is also captain of a starship (the Starchaser), a prissy comic foil in the ship's computer, and a villian with all the stereotypical profiles for a space opera villain (just like Darth Vader had). In all fairness Star Wars was a rip-off of the classic space operas from the old Saturday morning matinees so keep that in mind when passing judgement. Also most who make this judgement tend to not see the things that make this movie different from Star Wars, and there is enough to do so. It's not like comparing Fisful of Dollars with Yojimbo (which are practically identical movies). More like comparing Rocky with The Karate Kid (same themes, but different approach and story path).
Now that the DVD version is finally here you can get this movie in it's original widescreen format. The only copies you could have gotten in the past were full frame and were either on VHS tape or transferred from VHS tape. Now this DVD is a no frills deal. There is no remastering to clean up the picture so you will see a fair amount of dirt, which is to be expected for a long neglected title. The sound is actually pretty good and in true stereo, but it's not Dolby Digital. There are no special features that I have found. Not even a trailer. Oh well. At least we finally have it on DVD. And the price definitely makes it worth a look.
The movie is PG for violence and mild language (very mild by today's standards). I suppose the movie can be a tad too violent for the youngest of viewers, but if they can handle Star Wars there shouldn't be a problem. If you enjoy space opera this movie should suite you just fine. If you're into animated science fiction that's on the lighter side you should get a kick out this too. Personally I love it in spite of any shortcomings others might find.Starchaser - Legend of Orin (1985) Overview

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