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I grew up with a firm grounding in what I’ve always called ‘pulp culture.’  A local, backwater, AM radio station played old-time radio dramas in its overnight rotation, so – as a listener – I stayed awake with a blanket over my head listening to The Shadow, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers.  Mind you, in those days it wasn’t as easy to explore fandom the way you can today (what with the click of a mouse), so it took some time to acquire a collection of records, tapes, and (eventually) books with which to grow even more familiar with the subject matter.

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Certainly, I wasn’t alone in my appreciation as the B-Movie culture of the 1970’s and 1980’s fueled an assortment of similar storytelling, with an entry occasionally breaking through even to mainstream theatres.  These releases caught fire in the home video market of that era when it was learned that consumers were perfectly happy renting something they were a bit too embarrassed to sit through on the silver screen but was acceptable Saturday-Night-With-A-Sixpack viewing.  Still, most of these films pushed more toward splatter and gore, leaving the Science Fiction and Fantasy elements mostly the stomping ground for syndicated television programs.

Folks like Roger Corman and Lloyd Kaufman did what they could to satiate audiences hungry for more cinematic fare … and it’s largely in that tradition that a flick like STAR RAIDERS: THE ADVENTURES OF SABER RAINE earns its street cred.  Granted, it may not be as flashy or garish as some of what came before, but it’s got more heart and chutzpah than much of what’s come since.

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(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)

From the publicity materials:
“Rocket ships, Rayguns, and Robots abound in this heart-pounding tale where the stellar adventurer Saber Raine is hired to guide three elite soldiers on a rescue mission to a mysterious planet on the outer rim of the galaxy …”

Now, let me be perfectly clear: I like pulp.  Always have.  Always will.

Pulp sensibilities have long-fueled a seemingly endless array of B-Movie pictures, a class of film that today’s younger viewers rarely understand or appreciate.  For that reason, you may find this review is a bit more forgiving than the next with respect to enjoying what STAR RAIDERS: THE ADVENTURES OF SABER RAINE had to offer.  In short, I “got” it.  I don’t think most of today’s YouTube-obsessed, ADD-stricken media will, though they’ll say they did and maybe even suggest that you can find better.  (Helpful tip: you can always find better.)  Sure, when it comes to pulp there are varying gradations of quality, but it’s the sense of wonder, fantasy, and adventure that matter most, and – in those measurables – RAIDERS performs affably though a bit inefficiently if not downright clumsily at times.
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Saber Raine – as played by STARSHIP TROOPERS’ Casper Van Dien – is a SciFi archetype: he’s meant to be the dashing space hero who’ll rush in where angels fear to tread.  One part Captain James T. Kirk mixed with two parts of Buck Rogers, he’ll face the odds and invariably emerge as the victor mostly because that’s entirely how he’s written, not necessarily played.  Van Dien certainly looks the mold, though he’s got a bit more mileage under his belt here than he did in TROOPERS.  However, he and his strong chin and chiseled good looks represent the best this type of cinema has to offer: even when fallen on hard times, he’ll stick to his guns when a lesser lead would’ve hightailed it for distant shores.

And – like Flash Gordon – Raine is destined to meet an assortment of characters along the way who’ll start as adversaries but end up as allies.  Fade (the lovely Brit Laree) hires Raine to lead her through these ‘Badlands,’ and she’ll slowly turn from ‘unimpressed employer’ to romantically interested.  Her companions – Commander Voss (Andy Hankins) and Ryll (Will Beckingham) – are soldiers who initially cringe at Raine’s casualness but eventually embrace his derring-do.  Of course, there’s always an “old friend” wrapped up in the mix – one who begrudgingly allows Raine his unconventional ways – and that role is handily filled by Crotalus (Holly Westwood), an alien who’s tied to her friend’s past professional disgrace.

Where STAR RAIDERS’ fails to live up to its potential as pulp is in the creation of its villains: Sinjin (James Lew) totes a galaxy-size grudge against the Aerisian people due to the theft of ancient secrets, something he needs to recover if he’s going to make good on his conquest of known space.  To achieve his ends, he’s kidnapped the royal heirs from Ares – Tyr (Tyler Weaver Jr.) and Caliope (Sara N. Salazar) – and tortures them … though it remains a bit unclear what he hopes to extort.  (There’s a later hint at power and technology, but nothing of a real threat materializes until the film promises a sequel when Caliope joins Sinjin in a last reel reveal.)  To complicate matters, Sinjin’s brought along a cadre of conspirators, none of whom is all that ‘evil’ except for looking decidedly inhuman.
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See, evil must have a goal.  Ming The Merciless was hell bent on destroying Earth.  Star Wars’ Emperor Palpatine wanted every planet to answer to his bidding.  The Nazis wanted God on their side, with only Indiana Jones to stand in their way.  By contrast, RAIDERS’ Sinjin has an axe to grind over what amounts to ancient stolen technology, but the audience is never really shocked or awed by his promise as the big baddie.  Sure, he can apparently reanimate the dead, but these days that’s quite passé as a good virus accomplishes that in every B-picture.  The bigger the badassery, the more convinced I would’ve been by Caliope’s turn to this universe’s “dark side,” but instead I was only treated to the threat of future violence, and that just didn’t convince.

So while I was completely smitten with RAIDERS’ embrace of its obvious pulp roots, I found the second half a bit floundering, much of it owed to the fact that I had little idea of what its evil really wanted to accomplish.  It’s never enough to merely want power unless that wish is backed with what’s truly at stake; and that’s sorely missing here.  Also, at times its players seemed to forget the fact that this was a pulp feature, occasionally not performing “big enough” to sell me on their characters’ convictions: Van Dien never quite established his tongue in his cheek, Salazar never quite understood she needed to emerge as the focus of evil, and even Laree never quite swooned deeply enough as the love interest.

The galaxy is a big canvas, and I’d welcome Saber Raine’s return, if nothing else for a chance to truly get it right, play bigger than life, and save the day against all odds.  Some audiences still cheer (and always will) for the good guy, even when the budget’s a bargain, the aliens are obviously talent under a mask, and effects are on-the-cheap.  In fact, that’s part of the charm!
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STAR RAIDERS: THE ADVENTURES OF SABER RAINE is produced by Uptown G Productions, Fusion Factory Films, and Don’t Pose Productions.  DVD distribution is being handled by the respectable Gravitas Ventures.  As for the technical merits?  The sights and sounds are overall pretty solid – the CG footage in the opening reels is TV-grade but some of the laser bolts and explosions later in the flick are occasionally overboard in their ‘camp.’  Sadly, there are no special features (always a miss as this viewer loves them).

RECOMMENDED.  STAR RAIDERS – as imperfect as it may be – represents a form of cinematic storytelling that these days is far too often considered substandard for all the wrong reasons, usually being outright dismissed by highbrow critics because it was fan-funded, direct-to-DVD released, or conceived and produced outside of a more traditional studio system.  However, that’s part of what makes these efforts endearing: they’re greater labors of love, meant to tickle the fancies of those who appreciate a bit of shlock in their entertainment diets and maybe a little more “swash in their buckle.”  Fans of 80’s cinema or even mid-1970’s Science Fiction still eat these things alive; and I, for one, would welcome the promised sequel of the last reel, though I fear it’ll never see the light of day.

In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Gravitas Ventures provided me with an online means to view STAR RAIDERS: THE ADVENTURES OF SABER RAINE by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
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Happy Friday, faithful SciFiHistory.Net readers!

​Nothing much to report today ... except that we've reached another highwater mark for today's date as April 7th now has 50 individual SciFi-related citations on its Daily Page (which you can access right here).  Those who've followed closely know that my expressed goal is to eventually have 100 citations for every day, and it's nice to know that we're well on our way!

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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Greetings and Happy Thursday to all of our regular (and irregular) readers!

​After posting yesterday's announcement about USA Network's Colony being renewed for its third season, I spent a few moments going through the related Daily Citations and (finally) have all of the show's first season listings up'n'running.  As is the case, you'll see them mentioned only on those Day Pages, and I'm also still working on a Season Two "review" (of sorts) that'll be coming once I get everything viewed.  (I believe I'm current and just waiting for the Season Two finale which I think is this week; if so, then I'll probably have something posted early next week, depending upon my workload and life challenges.)

​In any event, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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Just the other day, I received an email inquiry from a reader about SciFiHistory.Net which basically asked -- in a nutshell -- "What IS SciFiHistory.Net?"  After putting a little bit of thought into it, I thought it appropriate to respond in these pages for the sake of posterity.

​Essentially, I started SciFiHistory.Net as a means to daily celebrate what I term 'All Things SciFi.'  Looking around the web, I saw that several of the major SciFi and/or Fantasy franchises had their own 'portals' (if you will) to highlight to significant events (births, movies, TV episode airings, etc.) of their respective properties.  Star Trek has a huge Wiki presence, as does Stargate and Battlestar Galactica (old and new).  Doctor Who has several that I've been able to find.  There's even an online registry (of sorts) for writers, authors, and screenwriters I'll occasionally consult.  Also, IMDB.com clearly is an exhaustive accounting of all things related to the entertainment industry.  But what I didn't see was one place dedicated to (as I said) 'All Things SciFi,' so I figured that might be the means to best make an imprint, establish a brand, and go from there.

​Basically, I'm a one-man-shop (but, hey, don't let that stop you from asking to get involved, folks!) with a desire to bring anyone and everyone aboard who celebrates SciFi from whatever perspective.  This sites Daily Pages will highlight the significant achievements I've been able to fully research and account for (again, I'm updating the information a little bit each day), and this -- what I call the 'MainPage' area -- is for other little niceties: ShoutOuts to others, film and book reviews, announcements, trivia ... the sky's the limit.  Heck, I even thought it appropriate to include this brief article explaining who I am, what I do, and what you can find here.

​So YES SciFiHistory.Net is always willing to receive any submissions any interested party wants to make to this space or even the spaces inside.  For example, I recently received a request from a celebrity's lawyer asking me to remove a specific photograph used to highlight that actor's resume; I swapped it out with a different one, and no trouble was had.  Also, I recently received a request from an actor asking to be cited on his birthday; he even went so far as to provide me with information he wished to have included in his citation.  Furthermore, I've received film reviews from others on the web, and I'm always happy to include them so long as (A) the content relates to SciFi and/or Fantasy and (B) the content can be edited (if needed) by yours truly.

​That said, this is the kind of site I'd personally like to see grow and change as it needs.  I think there really are no limitations needing to be imposed when it comes to celebrating fandom, and, sure, if anyone is interested in having their content linked from here I'm happy to consider.  Again, please realize that occasionally I have time and space limitations (as do we all), but I've found that New Media works best when it knows no end to including all potential takers, movers, and shakers.

​If you'd have anything you'd like to submit, then feel free to contact me directly at editor@scifihistory.net.
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Coming in today from our "Friends Of SciFiHistory.Net" Department is Jessica Osborne's latest blob post in which she reviews Andy Weir's The Martian which everyone knows was subsequently turned into a blockbuster with Matt Damon.  From what I understand, it's a very solid read (I've personally never read it, though it's one of those tomes I've picked up while browsing in the corner bookstore from time to time yet still not purchased), and I encourage everyone to check out what Jess has to say on the subject.

You can access her review right here.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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Yesterday's Deadline made the announcement that USA Network greenlight Carlton Cuse's SciFi/Drama Colony for a third season but not without a kinda/sorta big change: production will be moving from the expensive California locations to Vancouver.

​Meh.  I read that article with honestly a bit of surprise.  This isn't to say that I'm disappointed with the program as I'm not; it's just that Cuse (as a producer) really should've taken the lessons learned from his long stint with ABC TV's Lost and applied them to this show's storytelling.  I've been tinkering with a collective review of Season 2, and I'll get it up once the show's season finale airs.  Keep your eyes peeled at this space.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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I don't know what you did this morning, but I stopped by the local WalMart and picked up my household copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that came out on home video this morning.  I suspect that Star Wars purists will definitely be following suit.

​I realize that there was a group of diehard fans who picked practically everything apart about this Original Trilogy prequel, but I'm already on record as saying I had a lot of fun with the feature.  Sure, I had a quibble here and a quibble there, but -- all in all -- it was most decidedly grand to be back in that OT era where the Empire was crushing systems and Rebels were always on-the-run.  Plus, I think the film had vastly more interesting characters than the JJ Abrams' fan-fiction release that was Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (with a few minor exceptions), and this really only added to the tense undercurrent of this fantastic space war picture.

​After seeing Rogue One in theatres, I didn't pen any in-depth critique of it, but I did sound off on what I thought were the key elements, so -- for the sake of posterity -- I'll post a link to my review right here for anyone who wants to look back at it.  Otherwise, I just encourage you to be a good consumer, a committed fan to All Things SciFi, pick up a copy, slap it in the DVD player, and run it on a loop all day.  You'll be glad you did.

​Plus, as I've mentioned twice now in the past week, it's never too late to start getting your thoughts together for May, 2017, as the Star Wars franchise is turning forty years young!  If you'd like to sound off on that, then I'd most definitely love to hear from you.  Drop me any submissions at editor@scifihistory.net.

​In the meantime, thanks for reading ... and May the Force be with you!
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Sorry, folks, but I am really behind on my SciFi viewing these days.  As a huge fan of AMC's Humans first season outing, I'm almost ashamed to admit that I haven't had the time to get to a single hour of its second season ... and now I've seen via Deadline.com that the network has greenlight a third season, which is naturally good news for those of us worshipping at the altar of All Things SciFi.

​Still, I did recently mention in blurbs that I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the first season of Real Humans, the Swedish series that spawned AMC's incarnation; and while I did find it very, very good I can say that it was a different show in many ways.  I'm still tinkering with what I might have to say on the original, so I'll leave it at that for now.

​However, I'll always encourage fans to jump aboard a good franchise, and Humans is definitely solid.  It's never too late to hop on, and I promise I'll get something further up on Season 2 when I have the chance, even if it's a compilation-style review.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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Smilers, I announced last week (right here) that as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope was turning forty years young next month (May, 2017) that I wanted to hear from you ... and hear from several of you I have, which prompts me to do another post as a kinda/sorta follow-up to my original thoughts.

​As I said then, I'm saying now: if you have something you'd want to say about that franchise from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, then SciFiHistory.Net would like to hear from you.  Chiefly, what I'm looking for is column-style submissions -- a thoughtful piece wherein you, the writer, get to sound off on any aspect of the property.  This can be your favorite moment or your favorite film.  It can be a reflection on what you like most in the big mythology that continues to inspire.  It can be your favorite character -- human, alien, or droid.  It can be about the books or the comics or the TV shows.  Quite literally, it can be about ANYTHING.  As an editor, sure, I'll possibly have to clean it up a bit for posterity's sake, but this is an open casting call to any takers -- the sky(walker)'s the limit so far as I'm concerned, as I'd like to make this as much as event for SciFiHistory.Net and its readers as humanly possible.

​I, myself, have put together some Star Wars' trivia slides, one for each day of the month in May; and I'll most likely put together an opinion-style piece or two (or more) as time permits ... but this shouldn't detract any of you who may have something you'd like to say about the entertainment juggernaut.  If you'd like to share, then I'd like to hear from you.

​Any interested participants can reach out to me via my usual locale -- editor@scifihistory.net -- and I'll be happy to correspond!

​As always, thanks for reading ... live long and prosper ... and may the Force be with you!
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Sadly, I've never been "bitten" nor "smitten" with the gaming bug.  This isn't to say that I'm completely unaware of the gaming community at large; I have basic awareness of it, but that's honestly the extent of my knowledge of it.  In all honesty, I've just never been any good at games and the like, so I've ignored most of the properties, though I've had the chance to review several "based on" properties, be they books, graphic novels, or films.

​Still, I have nothing but respect for folks who continue to fan the flames of fandom at every opportunity, and this morning I discovered Shane Plays via Krypton Radio (which I'm listening to right now).  Geeks, nerds, gamers, and general fans are encouraged to check it out (link right here) as it definitely falls within the realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and -- so far as what I've listened to -- the quality is decidedly high.  Major, major kudos to all involved.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

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