Starship Invasions
Encyclopedia
Starship Invasions is a 1977 Canadian
science fiction film
produced by Ed Hunt and filmed in Toronto
, Ontario
.
, thus prompting the film to be retitled Starship Invasions for release. Hal Roach Studios
producers Earl A. Glick and Norman Glick bankrolled the production with $1 million.
The music soundtrack was composed by Gil Mellé
(Andromeda Strain).
Starship Invasions was released in VHS
format by Warner Home Video
. It was also released in 1987 on video in the United Kingdom by Krypton Force under the title Project Genocide.
Its French-language title was L'invasion des soucoupes volantes.
(Christopher Lee
) who wish to invade Earth with their fleet of flying saucers before life on their own planet becomes untenable because their sun is about to go supernova
.
They plan to kill all humans on Earth through the use of an orbiting transmitter whose signals prompt people to commit suicide
. Opposing this plan is the Intergalactic League of Races, another highly advanced group of bald, big-headed aliens based in a golden pyramid
deep beneath Earth's ocean.
Due to acts of assassination
and sabotage
that leaves their robots destroyed, their forces depleted and their base in enemy hands, the League of Races seeks help from UFO expert Professor Allan Duncan (Robert Vaughn
) to save the Earth. Their efforts culminate in a battle between the League and Rameses' saucers deep in space.
reviewer Robert Martin panned Starship Invasions, likening the film to "those dubbed Japanese movies usually seen on Saturday afternoon television".
in to simulate telepathy
.
Many elements of the film, including the design of the robots and the winged serpent emblem the black-clad villains wear, are taken from actual UFO accounts.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
produced by Ed Hunt and filmed in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Production and release
The film began production under the title Alien Encounters, and a previous working title was War of the Aliens. However, that title closely resembled the 1977 blockbuster Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
, thus prompting the film to be retitled Starship Invasions for release. Hal Roach Studios
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
producers Earl A. Glick and Norman Glick bankrolled the production with $1 million.
The music soundtrack was composed by Gil Mellé
Gil Melle
Gil Mellé was an American artist, jazz musician and film composer.In the 1950s, Mellé's paintings and sculptures were shown in New York galleries and he created the cover art for albums by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins...
(Andromeda Strain).
Starship Invasions was released in VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
format by Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
. It was also released in 1987 on video in the United Kingdom by Krypton Force under the title Project Genocide.
Its French-language title was L'invasion des soucoupes volantes.
Synopsis
The plot concerns the Legion of the Winged Serpent, a rogue group of human-like aliens led by Captain RamesesRamesses
Ramesses is the name conventionally given in English transliteration to 11 Egyptian pharaohs of the later New Kingdom period. The name essentially translates as "Born of the sun-god Ra"....
(Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
) who wish to invade Earth with their fleet of flying saucers before life on their own planet becomes untenable because their sun is about to go supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
.
They plan to kill all humans on Earth through the use of an orbiting transmitter whose signals prompt people to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Opposing this plan is the Intergalactic League of Races, another highly advanced group of bald, big-headed aliens based in a golden pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
deep beneath Earth's ocean.
Due to acts of assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
and sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
that leaves their robots destroyed, their forces depleted and their base in enemy hands, the League of Races seeks help from UFO expert Professor Allan Duncan (Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
) to save the Earth. Their efforts culminate in a battle between the League and Rameses' saucers deep in space.
Critical reception
Toronto Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reviewer Robert Martin panned Starship Invasions, likening the film to "those dubbed Japanese movies usually seen on Saturday afternoon television".
Trivia
None of the aliens in this film are shown speaking, rather their voices are dubbedDubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
in to simulate telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
.
Many elements of the film, including the design of the robots and the winged serpent emblem the black-clad villains wear, are taken from actual UFO accounts.
Cast
- Robert VaughnRobert VaughnRobert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
as Professor Allan Duncan - Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
as Captain Rameses - Daniel PilonDaniel PilonDaniel Pilon is a Canadian-born actor, known for his role in Dallas as Naldo Marchetta. He has also appeared in daytime soap operas such as Ryan's Hope, Guiding Light and Days of our Lives....
as Anaxi - Tiiu Leek as Phi
- Helen ShaverHelen ShaverHelen Shaver is a Canadian actress and film and television director.-Early life:Shaver was born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, a small city located near London, Ontario, with five sisters...
as Betty Duncan - Henry Ramer as Malcolm
- Victoria Johnson as Gazeth
- Doreen Lipson as Dorothy
- Kate Parr as Diane Duncan
- Sherri Ross as Sagnac
- Linda Rennhofer as Joan
- Richard Fitzpatrick as Joe
- Ted Turner as Zhender
- Sean McCannSean McCann (actor)Sean McCann is one of Canada's most successful character actors and has been in the business for over 40 years. Winner of the prestigious Earle Grey Award for his lifetime achievement in television, Sean McCann has appeared in over 150 movies, television shows and plays.- Notable roles and awards...
as Carl - Bob Warner as an Air Force General