Disappointment for a huge fan!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Sure it's just Mad Max meets Star Wars with a main character that is obviously trying to be Han Solo, but it's got some cool ideas mashed up in the familiar packaging. The effects are decent and the action moves along at a good clip even though you've probably seen most of this stuff before. Worth checking out anyway because it has an old school charm lacking in today's CGI fests.

Rugged intergalactic bounty hunter Wolff (a fine and engaging performance by Peter Strauss) ventures into the dangerous forbidden zone in order to rescue three lovely young ladies from the vile clutches of the evil Overdog (robustly played with lip-smacking wicked relish by Michael Ironside). Scrappy teenage orphan Niki (a winningly perky portrayal by Molly Ringwald in her pre-fame Brat Back days) helps Wolff out with his desperate mission.Director Lamont Johnson keeps the entertaining story moving along at a zippy pace, brings a pleasingly straightforward and unpretentious mean'n'lean Grade B sensibility to the familiar, yet still enjoyable and engrossing material, makes nice use of the dingy'n'desolate desert locations, and stages the exciting action set pieces with considerable skill and flair (run-ins with grotesque subhuman blobs and a tribe of Amazonian warrior women rate as the definite thrilling highlights). Strauss and Ringwald display a highly sharp and snappy natural chemistry, Ernie Hudson lends sturdy support as Wolff's two-fisted rival Washington, Andrea Marcovicci shines in her regrettably small role as spunky (and sexy) android Chalmers, and Deborah Pratt, Aleisa Shirley, and Cali Trimmins make for extremely fetching damsels in distress. The lavish sets, grimy costumes, and gnarly old school practical effects are quite impressive. Frank Tidy's crisp cinematography provides a funky stylish look. Elmer Bernstein's spirited score hits the stirring spot. A total blast.

i'm a big fan of portions of this film - primarily the Peter Strauss/Molly Ringwald portions - despite their 21 year age difference - their incessant battling brought out the duo's chemistry just as if this were a romantic comedy - and Molly's valley-girl-in-space remains one of my favorite scifi characters ever.with their charisma - and a talented supporting cast including Ernie Hudson, Andrea Marcovicci, and Michael Ironside - along with some imaginative set design - and great dialog for Molly - this is more than a gimmicky scifi yarn - too bad the rest of the movie isn't up to that standard.

For a movie I never heard of before, I was shocked to discover how much fun I had watching it. I have seen a lot of forgotten and B rated movies, but I never saw one I enjoyed so much.The cast, I believe, is fantastic. Seeing an 80s movie star like Molly Ringwald in a pretty cool and imaginative movie like this was very refreshing. Peter Strauss plays the typical space dog, aloof in what many of us would think is a cool day job, kicks-ass and looks cool doing it as he rescues three beauties from an evil tyrant after they crash land on a very cool, Mad Max themed planet.Michael Ironside plays the villain, with his usual flair for the dramatic and adds to the all-round coolness of the film. One of the best scenes, that isn't one of the great action scenes, is Strauss's character Wolff, forcing Molly Ringwald to take a bath. Truly pleasant to see Ernie Hudson in anything, and it was great to see him in this.I recommend this movie to anyone who is still young at heart and needs to see a fun sci fi adventure.