The Ice Pirates

This movie clearly has a small budget, looks cheap, and isn't very serious. Fortunately, that is exactly what the film makers were going for. I enjoy this one, though it is apparent by its score that most people don't. I just find it funny and I love the cast which includes Ron Pearlman and even Angelica Houston. Heck, John Carradine even has a small role in it, though his scene is absolutely pointless and adds nothing to the flick. In fact it is a rather serious scene especially considering the rest of the movie. This one doesn't look great, kind of like Space Mutiny, but unlike Space Mutiny this one isn't trying to be serious so the effects can be forgiven. This one has a band of space pirates that go after, you guessed it, ice. They do this at the beginning and get immediately captured and this sets up the rest of the movie. No work of art, but it is entertaining to me.

Water is scarce and the evil Templars from the planet Mithra have taken control of all of the supply. Jason (Robert Urich) leads a band of pirates in a raid to steal ice from the Templar fleet. Their raid turns into a kidnapping of Princess Karina. They are captured. Jason and his men are rescued by Karina who has her own plans.

It's a schlocky Star Wars derivative with a lot of campy 70s feel with some Alien and Mad Max thrown in. It's a lot of silly slapstick and broad sex comedy. I would like it if the jokes are actually funny. For some, this may be so bad that it's good. For me, this is mostly bad with a lot of amusement at how good actors get trapped in bad movies. The sets and costumes are a cheesy mix. The special effects are good B-movie work. I can't believe Anjelica Huston is in this. It's fun to see John Matuszak hulking over Ron Perlman. It's got bad sword fights, swashbuckling action and silly space battles. I'm not disputing that this brought a smile to my face which is always a good thing. It doesn't make it a good movie.

For lovers of Star Wars (ep.4 - 6) this is a must see.They have borrowed so many lines and ideas it's insane, then they have intertwined great comedy. The effects are poor, the aliens and robots, a joke, and the enemies appear to be cast offs off Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I always thought Spaceballs was the best Star Wars spoof movie; I was wrong, this is better. Give it a try, its bonkers.

I saw this movie as a kid and just watched it again. Some may think it's a sci-fi action flick that hit well below the mark. Others view as a comedy that hit pretty much dead-on. I don't really care ... it's got men being men, women kicking a**, lots of aliens and space battles that make a shoestring budget look appealing, but work anyway. It's lowdown, dirty, often vulgar, and succeeds in making just about every character in the bunch the butt of at least one joke. The only thing is, I can't remember any other movie that made Ron Perlman out to be the small, weaselly guy. Score one more for the Ice Pirates!

"The Ice Pirates" is a pretty engaging off kilter comedy spoofing both space adventures and swashbucklers, with enough verbal and visual gags to make it pleasant, and impossible to truly dislike. It's clearly not aiming to be something particularly memorable or special, just an irreverent diversion on lazy afternoons. It's played enthusiastically by an interestingly chosen cast that helps it to have a cult-film sort of appeal. The script, co-written by director Stewart Raffill ("The Philadelphia Experiment", "Mac and Me"), has a muddled story but a disarming sense of humour. Not all of its scenes work that well, but it's sure to have its viewers smiling if not laughing out loud.

TV stars Robert Urich ('Vega$') and Mary Crosby ('Dallas') headline a cast also featuring Michael D. Roberts, Ron Perlman, Anjelica Huston, John Matuszak, Bruce Vilanch, and a too briefly seen John Carradine. Urich plays Jason, the leader of the title characters in a galaxy where water is the most precious commodity. After their latest escapades, they're captured by the baddies - dubbed Templars - and then acquired by princess Karina (Crosby) so they can help in a quest to find her father.

Reasonably good visuals and a decent score by Bruce Broughton help in the enjoyment of this little bit of escapism, as well as a fairly clever finale taking place inside a time warp where our heroes steadily age while fighting the bad guys. There are also a variety of interesting and likable characters, human, robot, and otherwise, with actors and actresses such as Natalie Core, Jeremy West, Alan Caillou, Marcia Lewis, Robert Symonds, Rockne Tarkington, Ian Abercrombie, Hank Worden, and Carmen Filpi in various small roles. Perlman is particularly funny as one of Jasons' comrades, while Huston gets to be a total badass.

This would make a decent double feature with another off the wall cult genre effort from the same year, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension".

Six out of 10.