Review of unknown Battlestar Galactica movie - Space Mutiny

[ernie90125]

Hi all,

I found this movie noted on a website for having used large amounts of stock footage from Battlestar Galactica. I managed to track down a copy on VHS, and have watched it. It is called SPACE MUTINY from 1989.

What's really surprising is that, whilst some of the space battle sequences are stock footage from Battlestar Galactica, the sound and lasers has been re-done, and I don't recognise some of the FX shots....they may be alternate FX not used in the series ?

Whilst watching the video I wrote this review of the story, with notes of interest at the bottom. I would descibe this as one of those slightly painful low budget B movie productions....that probably sunk at the time, and is unlikely to ever re-surface !

----

Action International Pictures Presents REB BROWN, JOHN PHILIP LAW, JAMES RYAN and CAMERON MITCHELL. In A DAVID WINTERS Film SPACY MUTINY with CISSY CAMERON. "There is nowhere to hide from the enemy within!" Certificate 15.

The Southern Sun(*1) is part way through its 10 year voyage to a new planet for colonisation. However, we are introduced to a concern that some of the crew may have become impatient. One of them, a senior officer, plants a charge on an engineering installation. A shuttle(*2) carrying Bolerian woman lands successfully, however as a groups of vipers(*3) comes into land they are attacked by pirates(*3) who destroy all but one viper. This viper is carrying a passenger, Professor Spooner, who is also a love interest of the commander's daughter. As the viper comes into land, it is switched to landing control.....but power is cut when the explosives explode. The viper crashes and the pilot is able to teleport out, but the professor is killed.

The Commander's daughter(Lea) is distraught and blames the pilot(David Rider) for the death of the Professor, but after a very short time they fall in love. The mutiny leader is responsible for the death of several loyal crew members and is almost caught in a high speed chase and fire fight David and Lea are identified as the main characters and 'good guys'. They are in turn persued, and escape to a room which is a morgue of traitors where they find out that all the Enforcers are corrupted.

Another chase follows are the couple escape the Enforcers. Scenes of the Bolerians taking part in a ritual and sending telepathic messages are seen throughout. They present a telepathic warning to the commander and warns him of the mutiny and the name of the traitor, Kalgan, which he believes without question. The senior officers, including one called Macphearson hold a meeting, and appoint a new commander and an announcement is made of what they have found out, and who is betraying them. Macphearson will not condemn Kalgan, and walks out.

Later on the cast are socialising at a party, when David is told where Lea is, and we cut to a scene of them making love. Bare breasts are seen. Meanwhile male crew members sneak in on a Bolerian ritual and are found passed out by their duty manager later, where are taken to the morgue area. The men are beaten and frozen for their mistakes, under the orders of head mutineer Commander Kalgan.

A pirate fleet(*4) attacks the Southern Sun, as they plan to assist Kalgan in taking the Southern Sun. However the Southern Sun defeats the pirate ships with missiles. As the crew cheer the victory announcement, David announces they will not allow the internal problems to win out. Lea is taken from the garden area by Kalgan and he sets an ultimatum that the commander has 12 hours to release the bridge or his daughter will be frozen in space. David sneaks through the corridors to rescue Lea and is involved in a fist right or two. He takes a uniform and we see Lea is having her teeth tortured, but they are interrupted by a co-conspirator Macphearson and the torture is paused.

Lea uses her feminine ways and kisses a guard to convince him to release her. David arrives just as she kicks over the guard who had his trousers round his ankles. They escape dressed in guard's uniforms but continue to fight with various guards. They think to take masks from other guards later on, but are still challenged for ID and continue to get into fights. Kalgan's orders his disciples to continue search for them. They make it back to the bridge and inform them Macphearson is now a traitor, and Lea and the commander are re-united.

David asks to continue to be allowed to "do his job" and continues as a one man army, shooting numerous Enforcers whilst avoiding all laser fire himself. Macphearson sneaks round the ship killing loyal crew members, as David continues to survive being heavily outnumbered, and Kalgan is seemingly killed. David falls back to the engine room, as the Enforcers are unable to pursue due to a fire he has started. Lea joins David and is able to defeat Macphearson by setting him on fire as predicted by the Bolerian women.

David and Kalgan engage in another high speed chase and ramming session in Enforcer vehicles. Lea is knocked over and Kalgan is killed in a crash. David runs back to Lea who has survived….

Later on we see them kissing and talking about marrying. A sequel door is opened with a shot of Kalgan still alive. Credits roll.

Notes :

(*1)The Southern Sun is the Battlestar Galactica. Alternate views of the model not seen in the series are included.

(*2)The shuttle is the same model as the Galactica models, even featuring the GAL lettering on the side. Stock Footage, but with new sound effects.

(*3)In the first space battle, the fighters are Vipers and the pirates are Cylon Raider. This is a mixture of stock FX footage and alternate FX footage and editing. All sound effects are new, and the Viper and Raider lasers have been re-done.

(*4) Sometimes the pirate fleet is made up of base stars, in other shots it is a new unrecognisable model. This battle is taken from ‘The Hand of God’ stock FX footage.

Throughout the movie we see 'line' drawings of Vipers, Raiders and the Landing Bay and line simulations of them landing/crashing.


Most of the female cast wear uniforms consisting of a swimsuit, sometimes with accessories, sometimes not.

The landing bay and engineering were filmed in a warehouse...they did not block up the windows.

Characters that are killed can later be seen alive again in various scenes. I'm sure there are numerous other continuity errors.

[JLHurley]

Sounds like you're to be commended for actually sitting through this thing!

I hate it when other movies/TV shows use BG footage like this. I would think the blame falls on Universal's shoulders. Grrr...

[Fragmentary]

I'm not going to lie. In a curious sort of way, I almost want to see this movie.

[ernie90125]

This movie is errr......not that good, but then again to be fair I think there is a lot worse.....

What's really interesting is the previously unseen alternate FX from the classic series....those are quite interesting to see, although not as good as what was used in the series....

[WarMachine]

Originally Posted by Fragmentary

I'm not going to lie. In a curious sort of way, I almost want to see this movie.

I sympathize....it's that "train wrck effect".....Hmmmmmm....Cameron Mitchell? You know, I think I may have a dim memory of this thing, like it was on TV literally a decade or more ago....Wow - this is quickly becoming one of those movies I have to see, no matter how bad it is(and trust, you haven't see B.A.D. until you've seen "America: 9000AD")......

[3DMaster]

Ah! I think I once wanted to see this movie, airing at about 2 am on a saturday night. I was going to be gone and set the vcr. Sadly it was the night of the winter time exchange; and since the damn movie was right at the edge, and programmed the vcr wrong and only got the last 3 or so minutes. The girls are in pink, and wearing some kind of micro mini-skirt right? I've always been looking for it since; if alone for the girl in the skirts.

[Centurion Draco]

Hmm, alternate fx shots?
There has to be some scope for using them in a fan film?

[ernie90125]

I hve just watched a bit of this tape again downstairs on mt TV+video. I had watched previously on my video link to my TV card in my computer. The video downstairs had a lot of problems with the tracking, it really struggled.

I'm not sure how much is alternate. Certainly the lasers and sound effects have been re-done...and not as well. I suspect some of the alternate shots of ships flying is down to editing. They've tried to make some shots bit different.

My copy is not the greatest quality as I think this is an ex-rental VHS tape.

[WarMachine]

For the actual IMDB entry:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096149/

[ernie90125]

Originally Posted by WarMachine

For the actual IMDB entry:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096149/

See ! It does exist ! I wasn't making it up.......I could never make up something so bad !!!!

Oh....and please believe me I only got this because of the BSG content !!!

[Fragmentary]

Originally Posted by ernie90125

See ! It does exist ! I wasn't making it up.......I could never make up something so bad !!!!

Oh....and please believe me I only got this because of the BSG content !!!

It's okay man. Your film fetish is a secret that's safe with us.

[Pegasus4]

I saw this movie years ago on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Season 8. They make fun of this movie but never mention BSG.

[ernie90125]

VHS covers, showing some very familiar ships!

[ernie90125]

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 video has been uploaded to youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa42pxJyq64&noredirect=1

[David Kerin]

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is the only way I am able to sit through this. Back in college I worked at Suncoast Video, and grabbed a copy of this because I had high hopes that a low budget movie could pull off something cool if they didn't have to spend money on FX... instead just "borrow" them. Boy was I wrong. So bad. BAAAADDDDDDD!!!!!

[Senmut]

Saw this ages ago. A friend and I found it at the local K-Mart. SO BAD it was actually good. Couldn't stop laughing in places.
man...Cameron Mitchell must have really needed the rent money!

[Senmut]

Originally Posted by Fragmentary

I'm not going to lie. In a curious sort of way, I almost want to see this movie.

Yeah. So bad, it's good!

[ernie90125]

Space Mutiny was later remade as an audio drama (licensed from David Winters who wrote the movie under the name Maria Dante) starring the original BSG cast to bring this story into the BSG family so to speak :

https://www.colonialfleets.com/forums...ad.php?t=18881

[Eric Paddon]

And your version is the only one worth checking out! I've enjoyed listening to it and the other episodes over and over (even augmented my copies with Phillips music cues at various points).