Space Opera Film Reviews by R.D Francis
by rdfranciscritic | created - 2 months ago | updated - 2 months ago | PublicFilms that inspired and were inspired by George Lucas and Ridley Scott. Look under "Critic Reviews" for B&S About Movies, for each.
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1. Destination Moonbase-Alpha (1978 TV Movie)
93 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
Lunar colonists of Moonbase Alpha are marooned in space after a nuclear explosion pushes the Moon out of its orbit and a rescue spaceship from the Earth is not what it seems to be.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Catherine Schell, Tony Anholt
Votes: 437
2. Genesis II (1973 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 74 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A scientist who has been preserved in suspended animation wakes up to find himself in a primitive society in the future.
Director: John Llewellyn Moxey | Stars: Alex Cord, Mariette Hartley, Ted Cassidy, Percy Rodrigues
Votes: 1,120
3. Planet Earth (1974 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 74 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A man awakens from suspended animation and finds himself in the 22nd century, where women rule the world and men are slaves called Dinks. He is captured and sold as a slave, but escapes and hooks up with a male rebel movement.
Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: John Saxon, Janet Margolin, Ted Cassidy, Christopher Cary
Votes: 894
4. Strange New World (1975 TV Movie)
100 min | Sci-Fi
In the near future, a group of scientists living in a space ship wake up from a hibernation state and come back to an apocalyptic Earth.
Director: Robert Butler | Stars: John Saxon, Kathleen Miller, Keene Curtis, James Olson
Votes: 391
5. Invasion: UFO (1974)
Not Rated | 97 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
An organization called SHADO fights off aliens who are infiltrating Earth by disguising themselves as humans.
Directors: Gerry Anderson, Cyril Frankel, Jeremy Summers, David Tomblin | Stars: Ed Bishop, Michael Billington, Gabrielle Drake, Wanda Ventham
Votes: 473
Film cut from the television series.
6. Back to the Planet of the Apes (1980 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 92 min | Sci-Fi
This is not an original made-for-TV movie, but two episodes of the 1974 TV series Planet of the Apes (1974) edited together: Planet of the Apes: Escape from Tomorrow (1974) and Planet of the Apes: The Trap (1974).
Directors: Arnold Laven, Don Weis | Stars: Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper, James Naughton, Royal Dano
Votes: 1,041
First telefilm culled the from series; offers the back story on all five films issued in a post-Star Wars world.
7. The Starlost: The Beginning (1980 TV Movie)
96 min | Sci-Fi
Three farmers in Cypress Corners discover that farm life is not so simple. Discovering a hidden door in the earth, they break through it, discovering they are not on Earth, but in a giant ... See full summary »
Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: Keir Dullea, Robin Ward, Gay Rowan, William Osler
Votes: 59
Film cut from the television series.
8. Brave New World (1980 TV Movie)
180 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A man who grew up in a primitive society educating himself by reading Shakespeare is allowed to join the futuristic society where his parents are from. However, he cannot adapt to their repressive ways.
Director: Burt Brinckerhoff | Stars: Julie Cobb, Bud Cort, Keir Dullea, Ron O'Neal
Votes: 1,149
9. Battlestar Galactica (1978)
PG | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Mankind, the last major fighter carrier leads a makeshift fugitive fleet on a desperate search for the legendary planet Earth.
Directors: Richard A. Colla, Alan J. Levi | Stars: Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, Herbert Jefferson Jr.
Votes: 10,769
The theatrical version that played in theaters.
10. The Shape of Things to Come (1979)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Some time in the future, man has set up colonies on the Moon, when Earth becomes uninhabitable. A madman decides to destroy the Moon colonies with his robots and automated ships, and only three people and their robot can stop him.
Director: George McCowan | Stars: Jack Palance, Carol Lynley, Barry Morse, John Ireland
Votes: 1,326
11. Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1979)
G | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Running low on fuel, the Battlestar Galactica receives the help of the supposedly lost Battlestar Pegasus which is taking the offensive with the Cylons.
Directors: Vince Edwards, Christian I. Nyby II | Stars: Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, Herbert Jefferson Jr.
Votes: 1,863
12. Bye Bye Jupiter (1984)
130 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
While extracting water from the Martian polar ice caps, ancient carvings are uncovered describing an alien spacecraft crashing into Jupiter, postponing plans to turn Jupiter into a second Sun.
Directors: Koji Hashimoto, Sakyô Komatsu, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Tomokazu Miura, Dangely Diane, Miyuki Ono, Rachel Huggett
Votes: 282
13. Conquest of the Earth (1980 TV Movie)
96 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The Battlestar Galactica and its ragtag fleet of ships finally locate Earth, only to discover that the planet is not prepared for the inevitable Cylon invasion.
Directors: Barry Crane, Sidney Hayers, Sigmund Neufeld Jr. | Stars: Kent McCord, Barry Van Dyke, Robyn Douglass, Lorne Greene
Votes: 633
14. The War in Space (1977)
TV-PG | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Earth is attacked by alien spacecraft from Venus. But a Japanese scientist has constructed a space craft, the Gohten, with which he may save humanity.
Directors: Jun Fukuda, Ishirô Honda, Toshio Masuda, Shûe Matsubayashi, Shirô Moritani | Stars: Kensaku Morita, Yûko Asano, Ryô Ikebe, Masaya Oki
Votes: 613
15. Space Milkshake (2012)
Not Rated | 85 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
Outer-space explorers encounter gigantic aliens on their ship.
Director: Armen Evrensel | Stars: Kristin Kreuk, Amanda Tapping, George Takei, Billy Boyd
Votes: 2,085
Canadian space comedy.
16. Saturn 3 (1980)
R | 88 min | Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi
Two lovers stationed at a remote base in the asteroid belt of Saturn are intruded upon by an anal-retentive technocrat from Earth and his charge: a malevolent eight foot tall robot.
Directors: Stanley Donen, John Barry | Stars: Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, Ed Bishop
Votes: 10,495
17. Spaced Out (1979)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
Three specimens from a female race of aliens crash land in England and abduct four earthlings by accident. They decide to use the opportunity to start experimenting. On the males.
Director: Norman J. Warren | Stars: Barry Stokes, Tony Maiden, Glory Annen, Michael Rowlatt
Votes: 743
AKA Outer Touch; U.K. space comedy.
18. The Martian Chronicles (1980)
360 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
In the 21st century, Earth begins the colonization of Mars. However, things do not go as planned, at first due to the hostile Martian natives and later because of the self-destructive Earthmen.
Stars: Rock Hudson, Gayle Hunnicutt, Bernie Casey, Christopher Connelly
Votes: 2,514
19. Escape from Galaxy 3 (1981)
92 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
The crew of a space ship confronts an evil galactic ruler out to rule the universe.
Directors: Bitto Albertini, Luigi Cozzi | Stars: Sherry Buchanan, Fausto Di Bella, Don Powell, Chris Avram
Votes: 569
20. Galaxina (1980)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
In the 31st century, sexy blonde android Galaxina helms the crew of a space cruiser on a mission to find the Blue Star, a mystical gem that holds unlimited power.
Director: William Sachs | Stars: Stephen Macht, Avery Schreiber, J.D. Hinton, Dorothy Stratten
Votes: 3,431
21. Hangar 18 (1980)
PG | 97 min | Sci-Fi
After a UFO crashes in Arizona, due to a space collision with a NASA satellite launch, the U.S. government tries to cover-up the incident for political reasons.
Director: James L. Conway | Stars: Darren McGavin, Robert Vaughn, Gary Collins, James Hampton
Votes: 2,986 | Gross: $6.00M
22. The Ice Pirates (1984)
PG | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In a distant future scarce of water, space pirates get caught after stealing ice from a spaceship. They are sold to a princess looking for her dad. He might have found a planet abundant with water.
Director: Stewart Raffill | Stars: Robert Urich, Mary Crosby, Michael D. Roberts, Anjelica Huston
Votes: 11,849 | Gross: $14.26M
23. Mysterious Planet (1982)
71 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A spaceship crash-lands on a planet, and the crew is astonished to find that it holds a beautiful woman who can heal the sick and injured and a race of super-intelligent beings.
Director: Brett Piper | Stars: Paula Taupier, Boydd Piper, Michael Quigley, Bruce E. Nadeau Jr.
Votes: 223
24. Star Odyssey (1979)
103 min | Sci-Fi
Earth is attacked by an intergalactic villain and his army of robotic androids.
Director: Alfonso Brescia | Stars: Yanti Somer, Gianni Garko, Malisa Longo, Chris Avram
Votes: 756
25. Starship Invasions (1977)
PG | 89 min | Sci-Fi
An advance team from a dying, far-off civilization seeks a new world to conquer and inhabit -- Earth.
Director: Ed Hunt | Stars: Robert Vaughn, Christopher Lee, Daniel Pilon, Tiiu Leek
Votes: 984
26. Operation Ganymed (1977 TV Movie)
118 min | Sci-Fi
Years ago, three spacecraft were launched to Jupiter. Only one, Ganymede II, survived the expedition, but lost two members of its crew. There has been no contact with Earth for 900 days. ... See full summary »
Director: Rainer Erler | Stars: Horst Frank, Dieter Laser, Jürgen Prochnow, Uwe Friedrichsen
Votes: 427
German telefilm issued to VHS in the '80s in U.S.
27. Damnation Alley (1977)
PG | 91 min | Sci-Fi
In a post-apocalyptic world, a group of survivors travel and find other settlements in huge custom designed all terrain vehicles.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Jan-Michael Vincent, George Peppard, Dominique Sanda, Paul Winfield
Votes: 5,877 | Gross: $8.72M
Post-apoc.
28. The Neptune Factor (1973)
G | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When an underwater ocean lab is lost in a earthquake, an advanced submarine is sent down to find it and encounters terrible danger.
Director: Daniel Petrie | Stars: Ben Gazzara, Walter Pidgeon, Ernest Borgnine, Yvette Mimieux
Votes: 1,300
On a sub with giant fish!
29. Inseminoid (1981)
R | 93 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A crew of interplanetary archaeologists is threatened when an alien creature impregnates one of their members, causing her to turn homicidal and murder them one by one.
Director: Norman J. Warren | Stars: Robin Clarke, Jennifer Ashley, Stephanie Beacham, Steven Grives
Votes: 4,333
30. Creature (1985)
R | 95 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
After a member of a geological research team who was sent to Saturn's largest moon: Titan crashes their spacecraft into a space station, another team is sent to Titan to investigate, not knowing the terror that awaits them.
Director: William Malone | Stars: Stan Ivar, Wendy Schaal, Lyman Ward, Robert Jaffe
Votes: 4,689 | Gross: $4.78M
31. Starforce (2000)
PG | 93 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A warrior and a beautiful ex-convict are left to fight the galaxy's most fearsome commandos in an alien wasteland.
Directors: Cary Howe, Tony Kandah | Stars: Michael Bergin, Amy Weber, Vernon Wells, Andy Garrison
Votes: 400
Late to the game Star Wars rip; look under "user reviews" for insights.
32. Nightbeast (1982)
R | 81 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A creature from outer space crash lands in a small town and starts killing people.
Directors: Don Dohler, Dave Geatty | Stars: Tom Griffith, Jamie Zemarel, Karin Kardian, George Stover
Votes: 2,266
33. The Dark Side of the Moon (1990)
R | 87 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
In 2022, a repair crew is sent to fix an orbital weapon but their spaceship malfunctions and ends up heading towards the dark side of the moon. There, in a mysterious, seemingly abandoned space shuttle, a sinister force lies in wait.
Director: D.J. Webster | Stars: Robert Sampson, Will Bledsoe, Joe Turkel, Camilla More
Votes: 2,925
34. Star Crystal (1986)
R | 91 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Crew members aboard a space ship encounter an alien life form intent on killing them.
Director: Lance Lindsay | Stars: C. Juston Campbell, Faye Bolt, John W. Smith, Taylor Kingsley
Votes: 1,242
35. Within the Rock (1996 TV Movie)
R | 85 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A team of space miners sent to stop a moon's collision course with the earth discover a hibernating creature that soon revives and starts slaughtering them.
Director: Gary J. Tunnicliffe | Stars: Xander Berkeley, Caroline Barclay, Bradford Tatum, Brian Krause
Votes: 734
36. 12 to the Moon (1960)
74 min | Sci-Fi
An international team embarks on an expedition to the moon in an uncommonly spacious rocketship. There they encounter a faceless alien intelligence who conclude that the human race is too immature and dangerous and must be destroyed.
Director: David Bradley | Stars: Ken Clark, Michi Kobi, Tom Conway, Anthony Dexter
Votes: 1,392
37. Star Pilot (1966)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A spaceship from Hydra crashes on Sardinia. Aliens take a scientist, his daughter, technicians and spies hostage to fix their ship. After repairs, aliens abduct the humans but they rebel, sending the ship into deep space.
Director: Pietro Francisci | Stars: Leonora Ruffo, Mario Novelli, Roland Lesaffre, Kirk Morris
Votes: 616
AKA 2+5 Mission Hydra.
38. Alien Intruder (1993 Video)
R | 120 min | Sci-Fi
Space traveling convicts become the victims of their own fantasies when virtual reality is made to go wrong.
Director: Ricardo Jacques Gale | Stars: Maxwell Caulfield, Tracy Scoggins, Billy Dee Williams, Gary Roberts
Votes: 740
39. The Apocalypse (1997)
R | 96 min | Action, Sci-Fi
A salvage pilot and a bartender go up against a crazed computer programmer and the head of a criminal gang who have equipped a spaceship with nuclear warheads and plan to crash it into Earth.
Director: Hubert de La Bouillerie | Stars: Sandra Bernhard, Cameron Dye, Frank Zagarino, Michelle Anne Johnson
Votes: 537
40. Beyond the Rising Moon (1987)
PG | 84 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
An alien spaceship is being sought by various factions on Earth. A female cyborg and a rogue trader team up to stop evil forces from taking over the ship.
Director: Philip J. Cook | Stars: Tracy Davis, Hans Bachmann, Michael Mack, Ron Ikejiri
Votes: 486
41. Collision Earth (2020 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 84 min | Sci-Fi
A large meteor shower unexpectedly bombards planet Earth. Scientists rush to the scene of the first impact and the race is on to find a solution to save humanity.
Director: Matthew Boda | Stars: Kate Watson, Joseph Michael Harris, Daniel O'Reilly, Becca Buckalew
Votes: 645
42. Convict 762 (1997)
Not Rated | 97 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A spacecraft with an all-female crew is forced to jettison fuel due to engine problems, and makes an emergency landing on a planet being used as a penal colony.
Director: Luca Bercovici | Stars: Shannon Sturges, Michole Briana White, Charlie Spradling, Shae D'lyn
Votes: 472
43. Dark Planet (1997)
R | 99 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two sides, one known as the Alphas and the other the Rebels, struggle in a brutal war on Earth and in outer space. When a habitable planet is discovered in orbit around a star that is on ... See full summary »
Director: Albert Magnoli | Stars: Paul Mercurio, Harley Jane Kozak, Michael York, Maria Ford
Votes: 811
44. Death in Space (1974 TV Movie)
73 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi
The commander of a spaceship orbiting 250 miles above Earth disappears through the airlock and is ejected into space. Although at first it appears to have been an accident, some of the crew... See full summary »
Director: Charles S. Dubin | Stars: George Maharis, Cameron Mitchell, Margaret O'Brien, William Bryant
Votes: 25
45. Earth II (1971 TV Movie)
G | 100 min | Sci-Fi
When Earth II, an orbiting research space station, is menaced by a Red Chinese nuclear weapon, its 2,000 inhabitants take action to disarm and dispose of the missile without resorting to violence.
Director: Tom Gries | Stars: Gary Lockwood, Scott Hylands, Hari Rhodes, Anthony Franciosa
Votes: 388
46. Flight to Mars (1951)
Passed | 72 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Five astronauts successfully fly to Mars where they encounter seemingly friendly and advanced inhabitants who harbor covert plans to use their ship to invade Earth.
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: Marguerite Chapman, Cameron Mitchell, Arthur Franz, Virginia Huston
Votes: 1,342
47. Fugitive Alien (1986 TV Movie)
102 min | Action, Sci-Fi
An alien is pursued as a traitor by his own race because he refuses to kill humans.
Directors: Minoru Kanaya, Kiyosumi Kuzakawa | Stars: Tatsuya Azuma, Miyuki Tanigawa, Jô Shishido, Chôei Takahashi
Votes: 873
48. Hyper Space (1989)
R | 81 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
In the 21st Century, the "Corporation" sends a spaceship to dispose of earth's severe nuclear waste to a distant region in the cosmos. The astronauts awaken from their "cryo-sleep" to truly... See full summary »
Director: David Huey | Stars: Richard Norton, Don Stroud, Lynn-Holly Johnson, James Van Patten
Votes: 119
49. Inhumanoid (1996 TV Movie)
R | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A family of three is travelling in space, when they encounter a stranded spaceship. They manage to pull out one survivor (Grieco) who's in shock. However, when the father goes on to ... See full summary »
Director: Victoria Muspratt | Stars: Richard Grieco, Lara Harris, Corbin Bernsen, Edie McClurg
Votes: 228
AKA Inhumanoid.
50. Lifepod (2020)
90 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
The first interplanetary cruise ship malfunctions halfway to Jupiter, forcing most of the crew and passengers to abandon ship. A handful of people are trapped onboard.
Director: Bruce Bryant | Stars: Joe Penny, Kristine DeBell, Carl Lumbly, Sandy Kenyon
Votes: 328
51. Lifepod (1993 TV Movie)
89 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Lifepod chronicles the trip of eight passengers after the ship on which they were traveling blew up on Christmas Eve 2168. Immediately people start dying. The passengers begin to investigate why the ship blew up and how it relates to them.
Director: Ron Silver | Stars: Robert Loggia, Jessica Tuck, Stan Shaw, Adam Storke
Votes: 1,231
52. Mission Mars (1968)
G | 95 min | Sci-Fi
Three American astronauts who land on Mars discover the body of a frozen Russian cosmonaut and a mysterious talking orb.
Director: Nicholas Webster | Stars: Darren McGavin, Nick Adams, George De Vries, Heather Hewitt
Votes: 363
53. Mission Stardust (1967)
PG | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A team of astronauts is sent to the moon to rescue an alien who is seeking help to save her dying race. They are attacked by a force of bandit robots and discover that enemy spies are out to kill the alien.
Director: Primo Zeglio | Stars: Lang Jeffries, Essy Persson, Luis Dávila, Pinkas Braun
Votes: 879
54. Mutiny in Outer Space (1965)
82 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A creeping fungus starts killing off astronauts on a trip back from the moon.
Directors: Hugo Grimaldi, Arthur C. Pierce | Stars: William Leslie, Dolores Faith, Pamela Curran, Richard Garland
Votes: 555
55. Plymouth (1991 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 101 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
The residents of a town displaced by an industrial accident agree to take over a failing mining base on the Moon as their new place to live and work. Their first big test comes in the form of a wave of radiation from a massive solar flare.
Director: Lee David Zlotoff | Stars: Cindy Pickett, Richard Hamilton, Perrey Reeves, Matt Brown
Votes: 148
Look under "User Reviews"; a two-fer review with Earth II, above.
56. Primal Scream (1986)
R | 85 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
In the future, a private detective tries to stop a large corporation from mining an element whose side effects include igniting human flesh and destroying internal body parts.
Director: William J. Murray | Stars: Kenneth McGregor, Sharon Mason, Julie Miller, Joseph White
Votes: 211
57. Project Moon Base (1953)
Approved | 63 min | Sci-Fi
A saboteur posing as a scientist strives to destroy the world's first space station.
Director: Richard Talmadge | Stars: Donna Martell, Hayden Rorke, Ross Ford, Larry Johns
Votes: 1,384
58. Space Chase (1990 Video)
85 min | Sci-Fi
To rule the galaxy an evil dictator kidnaps a scientist together with his invention which will provide limitless energy for his robots.
Director: Nick Kimaz | Stars: Gary Bergman, Bryan Clark, Michael Gaglio, Matt Harrison
Votes: 58
An fun SOV take on the genre.
59. Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 115 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
On the maiden flight of the first hypersonic commercial plane which can make the flight from New York City to London in four hours, a minor disaster occurs resulting in the plane actually ... See full summary »
Director: Jerry Jameson | Stars: Lee Majors, Hal Linden, Lauren Hutton, Ray Milland
Votes: 1,296
AKA Starflight One.
60. Star Crystal (1986)
R | 91 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Crew members aboard a space ship encounter an alien life form intent on killing them.
Director: Lance Lindsay | Stars: C. Juston Campbell, Faye Bolt, John W. Smith, Taylor Kingsley
Votes: 1,242
61. Starship Troopers (1997)
R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Humans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey
Votes: 321,495 | Gross: $54.81M
62. Timelock (1996)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Sci-Fi
It's the 23rd century, and the world's most dangerous criminal has taken over the maximum security prison on asterod Alpha 4. Caught in the middle are a petty thief and a prison transport pilot.
Director: Robert Munic | Stars: Maryam d'Abo, Arye Gross, Jeffrey Meek, Ricco Ross
Votes: 528
63. UFO: Target Earth (1974)
G | 80 min | Sci-Fi
An electronics expert searching for evidence of aliens picks up signals that he believes are from an alien spacecraft--and they are coming from a lake near town.
Director: Alessandro De Gaetano | Stars: Nick Plakias, Cynthia Cline, LaVerne Light, Tom Arcuragi
Votes: 469
64. Within the Rock (1996 TV Movie)
R | 85 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A team of space miners sent to stop a moon's collision course with the earth discover a hibernating creature that soon revives and starts slaughtering them.
Director: Gary J. Tunnicliffe | Stars: Xander Berkeley, Caroline Barclay, Bradford Tatum, Brian Krause
Votes: 734
65. Aelita, the Queen of Mars (1924)
Not Rated | 111 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Engineer Mstislav Sergeyevich Los travels to Mars where he leads a popular uprising against the ruling group of Elders with the support of Queen Aelita who has fallen in love with him after watching him through a telescope.
Director: Yakov Protazanov | Stars: Yuliya Solntseva, Igor Ilyinsky, Nikolai Tsereteli, Nikolay Batalov
Votes: 2,892
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
66. Loss of Feeling (1935)
85 min | Fantasy, Sci-Fi
In an unnamed English-speaking capitalist land, a young engineer invents inexhaustible giant robots to replace the fragile human workers on high-volume assembly-lines, and soon finds his ... See full summary »
Director: Aleksandr Andriyevsky | Stars: Sergei Vecheslov, Vladimir Gardin, Mariya Volgina, Anna Chekulaeva
Votes: 182
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
67. Cosmic Journey (1936)
70 min | Sci-Fi
In 1946, the Soviet space program is undergoing turmoil. Professor Sedikh, who is planning to lead the first manned exploration to the moon, is denounced by his rival Professor Karin as ... See full summary »
Director: Vasily Zhuravlyov | Stars: Sergey Komarov, Ksenia Moskalenko, Vassili Gaponenko, Nikolay Feoktistov
Votes: 504
Kosmicheskiy Reys; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
68. Sadko (1953)
79 min | Adventure, Fantasy
Arriving home to find his native land under the yoke of corrupt merchants, an adventurer named Sadko sets sail in search of a mythical bird of happiness.
Director: Aleksandr Ptushko | Stars: Sergey Stolyarov, Alla Larionova, Ninel Myshkova, B. Surovtsev
Votes: 1,228
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
69. Doroga k zvezdam (1957)
52 min | Biography, Sci-Fi
A groundbreaking popular science fiction film about the past and future of astronautics, from the first experiments by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky to the manned spaceflight and colonization of the Moon.
Director: Pavel Klushantsev | Stars: Georgi Solovyov, Leonid Khmara, Georgi Kulbush
Votes: 364
Road to the Stars; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
70. The Angry Red Planet (1959)
Not Rated | 83 min | Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi
One of only two survivors from a Martian expedition is so traumatized she doesn't remember the circumstances of the trip.
Director: Ib Melchior | Stars: Gerald Mohr, Nora Hayden, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen
Votes: 3,723
71. Battle Beyond the Sun (1959)
77 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
Two countries race to have the first successful landing on Mars.
Directors: Mikhail Karyukov, Aleksandr Kozyr, Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Ivan Pereverzev, Aleksandr Shvorin, Konstantin Bartashevich, Gurgen Tonunts
Votes: 1,102
Nebo Zovyot; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
72. First Spaceship on Venus (1960)
Unrated | 79 min | Sci-Fi
When an alien artifact discovered on Earth is found to have come from Venus, an international team of astronauts embarks to investigate its origins.
Director: Kurt Maetzig | Stars: Yôko Tani, Oldrich Lukes, Ignacy Machowski, Julius Ongewe
Votes: 3,147
Milczaca Gwiadza, aka Der Schweignde Stern, aka The Slient Star; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
73. Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962)
Approved | 77 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Earth sends a five-man team to explore the frozen planet Uranus, only to find a temperate forest and sultry women from their past on it, courtesy of an alien brain with evil designs.
Director: Sidney W. Pink | Stars: John Agar, Carl Ottosen, Ove Sprogøe, Louis Miehe-Renard
Votes: 1,875
74. Planeta bur (1962)
78 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
Cosmonauts land on the planet Venus. However, they find themselves in danger from the voracious monsters they find on it.
Director: Pavel Klushantsev | Stars: Vladimir Emelyanov, Georgi Zhzhyonov, Gennadi Vernov, Yuriy Sarantsev
Votes: 1,477
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
75. Mechte navstrechu (1963)
64 min | Sci-Fi
A rocket from a distant planet approaching Earth must land on Mars due to a technical defect, thus the inhabitants of the Earth rush to their help.
Directors: Mikhail Karyukov, Otar Koberidze | Stars: Larisa Gordeychik, Boris Borisyonok, Otar Koberidze, Peeter Kard
Votes: 283
AKA A Dream Come True, repurposed as Queen of Blood. Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
76. Voyage to the End of the Universe (1963)
81 min | Sci-Fi
The year is 2163. Starship Ikarie XB 1 embarks on a long journey across the universe to search for life on the planets of Alpha Centauri.
Director: Jindrich Polák | Stars: Zdenek Stepánek, Frantisek Smolík, Dana Medrická, Irena Kacírková
Votes: 2,967
AKA Oblok Magellana (Magellanic Cloud). Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
77. Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)
Not Rated | 110 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
Stranded on Mars with only a monkey as a companion, an astronaut must figure out how to find oxygen, water, and food on the lifeless planet.
Director: Byron Haskin | Stars: Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin, Adam West, The Woolly Monkey
Votes: 7,164
78. Planet of the Vampires (1965)
Not Rated | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
After landing on a mysterious planet, a team of astronauts begin to turn on each other, swayed by the uncertain influence of the planet and its strange inhabitants.
Director: Mario Bava | Stars: Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell, Ángel Aranda, Evi Marandi
Votes: 7,009 | Gross: $0.25M
AKA, Terrore nello Spazio. Influential Italy inspiration.
79. Tumannost Andromedy (1967)
77 min | Romance, Sci-Fi
A spaceship from Earth is trapped on the unknown planet. Based on book "Tumannost Andromedy" by Ivan Efremov.
Director: Evgeniy Sherstobitov | Stars: Vija Artmane, Sergey Stolyarov, Nikolai Kryukov, Tatyana Voloshina
Votes: 346
AKA Tumannost Andromedy; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
80. Signale - Ein Weltraumabenteuer (1970)
90 min | Sci-Fi
In the middle of the 21th century, a spaceship loses its bearings, and the commander of another space crew, seemingly on a routine check flight, decides to investigate.
Director: Gottfried Kolditz | Stars: Piotr Pawlowski, Evgeniy Zharikov, Gojko Mitic, Alfred Müller
Votes: 239
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
81. Eolomea (1972)
82 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Eight space cargo-ships disappear without a trace within three days. And the orbit station "Margot" has suddenly fallen silent. The space council is faced with a mystery and the scientist ... See full summary »
Director: Herrmann Zschoche | Stars: Cox Habbema, Ivan Andonov, Rolf Hoppe, Vsevolod Sanaev
Votes: 635
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
82. Silent Running (1972)
G | 89 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.
Director: Douglas Trumbull | Stars: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint
Votes: 31,486 | Gross: $0.69M
83. Solaris (1972)
PG | 167 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet, Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy
Votes: 98,336
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
84. Moscow: Cassiopea (1974)
85 min | Family, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Several children go to a lifelong space mission to Cassiopeia because they don't want to go to school.
Director: Richard Viktorov | Stars: Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Vasiliy Merkurev, Lev Durov, Yuriy Medvedev
Votes: 911
Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
85. In the Dust of the Stars (1976)
95 min | Sci-Fi
After a six year journey, the Spaceship Cyrno lands on the planet TEM 4 from where they had received a call for help. Strangely enough, the Temers deny having sent this message. As ... See full summary »
Director: Gottfried Kolditz | Stars: Jana Brejchová, Alfred Struwe, Ekkehard Schall, Milan Beli
Votes: 424
AKA Im Staub der Sterne; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
86. Pilot Pirx's Inquest (1979)
95 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Humanlike robots replace humans on space missions. Test flight with robots and human crew, including commander Pirx unaware of robots' identities, evaluates robot performance/interactions. UN organizes mission to assess robot capabilities.
Director: Marek Piestrak | Stars: Sergei Desnitsky, Boleslaw Abart, Vladimir Ivashov, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy
Votes: 1,033
AKA Doznanie pilota Pirksa; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
87. Petlya Oriona (1981)
85 min | Sci-Fi
A strange phenomenon has been noticed on the outskirts of our Solar system that quickly approaches the Earth. It's called "Orion's Loop." A spaceship with a crew of people and androids ... See full summary »
Director: Vasili Levin | Stars: Leonid Bakshtaev, Gennadi Shkuratov, Vitali Doroshenko, Anatoliy Mateshko
Votes: 201
AKA Petlya Oriona; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
88. The Star Inspector (1980)
81 min | Sci-Fi
A commander of the Russian space police begins looking for the capitalist space pirates who have been wreaking intergalactic havoc upon the surrounding planets.
Directors: Mark Kovalyov, Vladimir Polin | Stars: Vladimir Ivashov, Yuri Gusev, Timofey Spivak, Valentina Titova
Votes: 81
AKA Zvyozdny inspektor; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
89. To the Stars by Hard Ways (1981)
148 min | Sci-Fi
A female creature created in space tries to live on earth and has special (and sometimes dangerous) powers.
Directors: Richard Viktorov, Nikolay Viktorov | Stars: Yelena Metyolkina, Nadezhda Sementsova, Vadim Ledogorov, Uldis Lieldidzs
Votes: 1,479
AKA Per Aspera Ad Astra; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
90. Moon Rainbow (1983)
88 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After a strange incident, a group of russian space commandos starts developing supernatural powers. But how did they acquire such abilities and what is their intentions?
Director: Andrei Yermash | Stars: Vladimir Gostyukhin, Vasiliy Livanov, Yuriy Solomin, Igor Starygin
Votes: 222
AKA Lunnaya raduga; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
91. Return from Orbit (1984)
89 min | Sci-Fi
An accident occurs on an orbital space station, as a result of which the ship's commander is seriously injured. He must be urgently delivered to Earth and testing must be continued. It can only be done by the crew of Kuznetsov-Mukhin.
Director: Aleksandr Surin | Stars: Juozas Budraitis, Vitali Solomin, Aleksandr Porokhovshchikov, Tamara Akulova
Votes: 72
AKA Vozrashchenie s orbity; Russian antecedent of the space opera genre.
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