Space Raiders (film)
| Space Raiders | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Howard R. Cohen |
| Produced by | Roger Corman |
| Written by | Howard R. Cohen |
| Starring |
Vince Edwards David Mendenhall Patsy Pease Thom Christopher Luca Bercovici |
| Music by | James Horner |
| Cinematography | Alec Hirschfeld |
| Edited by | R. J. Kizer Tony Randel |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Space Raiders, also known as Star Child, is a 1983 science fiction film written and directed by Howard R. Cohen and produced by Roger Corman. The film was made during the time when many studios were releasing space opera films following the success of Star Wars, however the film was panned by critics especially for its reuse of special effects footage and music (composed by James Horner) taken from Corman's 1980 film Battle Beyond the Stars.
The story begins with Captain C.F. "Hawk" Hawkens (Vince Edwards) – a former Space Service Colonel turned pirate – who leads his crew on a mission to steal a freighter owned by an interstellar corporation simply referred to as "The Company". During the theft, a 10-year-old boy named Peter (David Mendenhall) slips aboard the freighter to hide and the pirates steal the ship unaware he is aboard. After the freighter rendezvouses with Hawk's ship, the crew fight to save the life of a comrade wounded during the shootout. Meanwhile, Peter comes out of hiding and asks to be taken home.
At first, Hawk considers ransoming the child, but during a skirmish with Company fighters, Hawk's feelings change when Peter courageously volunteers to squeeze into a tight compartment and fixes a damaged power conduit that allows them to escape. Hawk then promises to take Peter back to his home planet, Procyon III, with no strings attached. First however, Hawk's crew stop to rest at a space station owned by an alien crime lord named Zariatin (Ray Stewart).
On Procyon III, Peter's father meets with The Company's security director who decides to track the boy down with their advanced robot ship; a massive, fully automated battle cruiser that can home in on an identity tag Peter wears around his neck.
Back at Zariatin's station, a pair of bounty hunters spot Peter and realize he is a "company kid" worth a hefty ransom. When Peter wanders off, Flightplan (Thom Christopher), a psychic alien member of Hawk's crew, senses the boy is in danger. When Hawk finds him, Zariatin arrives and is furious a child is snooping around his station. Hawk promises the kid will not be a problem, but threatens to kill Zariatin if he tries to lay a hand on him.
...
Wikipedia