Jaws, Star Wars and Alien are not just three of the greatest films of all time, but also three films that brought down avalanches of cheap copycat flicks like few others have managed (Gremlins is up there, too). A big ol’ handful of those flicks were produced by Roger Corman. Some might call the rip-offs, but I would call them homages. Very cheap, quickly made homages.
One of the better Alien/Star Wars homages is this one, Galaxy of Terror. The story is simple: a galactic emperor that goes by the name The Master sends a crew on a rescue mission to a desolated planet. There be monsters on that planet. Monsters and a big old ancient spaceship in the shape of a pyramid.
What makes the film work is the fact that it looks great. The sets are good, even great—especially the planet of Morganthus—and it has some beautiful matte paintings that make the film look much more expensive than it was. The practical effects, some being quite gory, are also miles beyond most budgeted Corman flicks and there is a reason for all of that and his name is James Cameron.
James Cameron was the production designer for Galaxy of Terror. Corman loved him because he managed to make things look amazing, even with a limited budget—something that would prove handy when he directed The Terminator. His assistant on the set was Bill Paxton, and one can surely feel that trademarked Paxton energy.
The flick is also lifted by a great cast. Veteran actor Ray Walston (Popcorn) is a member of the crew, along with Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses). The captain is portrayed by the iconic Grace Zabriskie (Twin Peaks) who is a scene stealer in everything she appears in.
If you are going to watch one Alien homage, then I would recommend Galaxy of Terror. It obviously influenced Cameron a few years later when he went on to do Aliens and its ‘their fear create the creatures’ might have influenced Michael Crichton’s Sphere and most definitely Paul W. S. Anderson’s Event Horizon.
It was followed by the sequel Forbidden World in 1982.
