The Silliest Star Wars Knockoff is a Must-Watch for All Sci-Fi Fans (and It's Free on Tubi)

Summary

• In the late 70's and early 80's, many filmmakers tried to replicate the success of Star Wars.
• Under these circumstances, a ridiculous but enjoyable Italian-American space opera was released in 1978.
• The movie is now available for free streaming on Tubi and other services.

George Lucas' magnum opus, the original Star Wars, created a true sensation in world cinema, forever changing the perception of the sci-fi genre in the mass consciousness and influencing the creation of epic space operas for many years to come. Not surprisingly, in the years that followed, many people tried to replicate the movie's success by creating their own more or less original stories. Mostly less original, though, as many filmmakers produced almost literal rip-offs that partially or completely plagiarized the Star Wars narrative and visual style. As a result, we've gotten a plethora of both now-forgotten and cult films and TV series, from Turkish, Indian, Brazilian, and Japanese Star Wars adaptations to a slew of Hollywood B-movies and even the Battlestar Galactica TV series.

The most interesting of these, however, is a remarkable Italian-American space opera. Critics and audiences were less than complimentary at the time of its release in 1978, but it is an excellent example of the evolution of film history. After all, it shows exactly which aspects of Lucas' original film are most embedded in our cultural memory.

It's also an incredibly fun movie to watch, if you don't have inflated expectations. Why not check it out, especially since you can stream it for free on Tubi?

What Is This Italian Star Wars Knockoff About?

1978. Global cinema had yet to catch up to the sci-fi greatness of Hollywood, which had wowed audiences with films and series such as Forbidden Planet, Star Trek and, of course, 2001: A Space Odyssey. In addition, Ridley Scott 's Alien would be released a year later and David Lynch's Dune 5 years after that. However, it was Star Wars that made the biggest impact on the masses, thanks to its vivid visual style, never-boring adventure story, and excellent young actors. So it comes as no surprise that our Italian-American movie also tried to cash in on the success of Star Wars.

The movie in question is Starcrash, directed and co-written by Dario Argento's collaborator on many projects, Luigi Cozzi. In turn, it features quite a bunch of the popular stars, including David Hasselhoff, Caroline Munro, Joe Spinell, Christopher Plummer, Judd Hamilton, Nadia Cassini and Robert Tessier.

Not much can be said about the plot: the Galactic Emperor hires a young smuggler and a mysterious man with magical powers and a lightsaber to confront the militarized Count and rescue the Emperor's son. They are also aided in their adventure by a highly conscious robot named Elle.

Sounds almost Star Wars, doesn't it? Although Cozzi later claimed that the idea had been conceived long before that, the visual aesthetic was literally copied from Lucas' film, and even the orchestral music (composed by the legendary John Barry, by the way) sounds like it was written specifically for the '77 space opera.

But despite all this, the story is still an interesting Italian interpretation of Star Wars, and the great actors make it even more entertaining.

Where and How to Watch This Movie, Including Tubi?

If you're not put off by the idea of watching an Italian movie that capitalizes on the massive popularity of Star Wars and the space opera genre in the 1970s, there are several ways to do so, including the aforementioned free streaming on Tubi.

Ad-supported platforms

The following services allow you to watch a movie for free, with the occasional commercial break.

• Tubi
• Crackle
• Pluto TV
• Amazon Freevee
• The Roku Channel
• Fandango at Home

Ad-free platforms

There is also the option of ad-free streaming.

• Plex
• Shout! TV