Galaxina Reviews

Original Galaxina Reviews

Galaxina loaded with adult humor

By Joseph Bensoua .

"Galaxina" is definitely worth 80 minutes of your time. The R-rated space romp by Crown International Pictures is fast-paced fun and loaded with adult humor. It's a pleasant surprise in the sense the film is as witty and disarmingly silly as it is. But it's disappointing if you expect Galaxina (the late Dorothy R. Stratten) to have a more involved role as the gorgeous robot who acquires "women's urges." And if you expect the former Playboy Playmate of the Year to appear nude or even semi-nude you'll really be disappointed. Sex and nudity are down-played although there is a bit of hanky-panky going on primarily for laughs. Writer/director William Sachs chose the right playful tone to make "Galaxina" entertaining — injecting all out humor rather than the tongue-In-cheek stuff. First, he inserts Avery Schreiber as the bumbling Capt. Cornelius Butt, head of the police cruiser Infinity which is sent on a 54-year mission to a far-away planet to retrieve bits of the "blue star." Nothing has to make sense, and little of it does in this frivolous escapade that's a dandy excuse to have some fun. Schreiber is at his silliest here, tormenting a furry, rock-eating prisoner aboard his ship with bad jokes. (And you can excuse some of Shreiber's lines, like when he's telling an even more bumbling James David Hinton: "You know something kid, you got a bad habit ... you breathe"). Stephen Macht leaves drama behind for a comedy role as Sgt. Thor, the anti-hero who falls for Galaxina and usually tries to keep a straight face through the proceedings. Add to the on-board personnel a hip black batman and an opium-smoking Chinaman who spouts insane proverbs and you'll find it hard to resist laughing through the entire picture. Then there's Galaxina, a luscious creature who runs the ship, serves dinner and generally just looks good. Anybody who smacks her on the bottom is in for a rude shock until she decides to reprogram herself into a kissable siren for Sgt. Thor. Stratten is good in her debut and could have been given more to do besides looking good and getting caught by a motorcycle gang on a distant planet. The movie is based on a sexy robot becoming a sexy woman, but Sachs strangely enough, never really takes advantage of this. But he does take advantage of an obvious soft spot for old space shows. He 'uses a plethora of old sights and sounds to perk up the eyes and ears. He throws in the familiar red alert siren on the Enterprise from "Star Trek" and when starting up, the ship's engines sound like the Martian cannons which blasted Earth in "War of the Worlds." You'll also notice that when the alien adversary (who sounds like Darth Vader) takes command of the ship he watches a movie of Claude Rains in what appears to be "Battle of the Worlds." Once on land, we run into a hilarious mix of aliens who love to eat humans for lunch. Behind the counter is a bartender dressed like "Star Trek's" Mr. Spock, only his ears were deliberately put on sloppily and pointing downwards. "Galaxina," which is playing in area theaters, really deserves a sequel. Should there be one, it's genuinely too bad Stratten won't be around for it. If you'll remember, she was the gal shotgunned to death by a jealous husband who then killed himself.

GALAXINA

Starring Dorothy R. Stratten, Avery Schreiber, Stephen Macht, James David Hinton, Lionel Smith and Tad Horino. Written and directed by William Sachs. Produced by Marilyn J. Tenser A Crown International Pictures release, rated R.. Space satire. Running time: 95 minutes.

There is only one serious note struck by the arrival of Crown's "Galaxina." Its star, 20-year-old Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, was slain by her jealous husband a few months before this film, her screen debut, hit the theatres.
This tragedy is compounded when it becomes apparent that the beautiful starlet had a bright future if her work in this amusing satire is any evidence. Although not given much to say, she displays a sly and magnetic charm plus a knack for comedy. "Galaxina" is a deft, though often sophomoric, lampoon of the recent glut of science fiction films. It follows the adventures of the police space cruiser Infinity and its motley crew. Captain Butt (Avery Schreiber) is the weary leader of men and robots on their way back from a seven-year patrol in space. His deputies, Sergeant Thor (Stephen Macht) and Private Buzz (James David Hinton), and the ship's maintenance personnel, black batman Maurice (Lionel Smith) and proverb-spouting Sam Wo (Tad Horino), are pretty bored, with only the sight of the Infinity's shapely robot navigator, Galaxina (Stratten), to cheer them up. Bad news in the form of a new 27-year mission to retrieve the stolen "blue star" (which holds the secrets of the universe) comes down from police central. Reminded that they can make a fortune in overtime wages, the crew freezes themselves for the long journey. Galaxina, who fancies Thor, takes advantage of the flight time to program some humanity into herself. When she thaws Thor at the end of the trip, they are able to fall in love.
The crew then battles aliens and space age motorcycle hoods for the blue star, emerging victorious only to have the Infinity's rock-eating jail prisoner gobble up the prize stone. The Infinity, ever the underdog, loses again. William Sachs, who had only the low-budget "Van Nuys Blvd." under his belt before he wrote and directed this space spoof, has concocted a clever and almost cute homage to the overblown space epics of recent years. Although his humor is often little more than futuristic slapstick the endearing characters and imaginative sets rescue much of the picture from mediocrity. Macht and Schreiber make the most of their comical misadventures, obviously enjoying the absurd storyline which is played for laughs. Special make-up effects have been masterfully created by Christopher J. Walas, lending the film a touch of technical class. Since a few four letter words and adult situations place Galaxina over the kiddies heads, the young adult crowd will find this film an enjoyable parody of the space genre. ---David Linck

For the past several years, Hollywood has been foisting comic books on us disguised as movies. By technically perfecting the special effects, STAR WARS, ALIEN, SUPERMAN and STAR TREK somehow whizzed by our frontal lobes and made us believe that those ridiculous things could actually be happening. In pretending to be better than comics, they have been subtly putting down the genre from which they sprang. Reading THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in its presently available comic book form makes you realize how dependent your enjoyment of the film was upon special effects. As a comic book it's pretty dull. Well GALAXINA is the exact opposite. It's a great comic book... Like AIRPLANE, GALAXINA zips from gag to gag with nary a thought, making it everything that BARBARELLA was trying to be. This, combined with the bizarre Hollywood Babylon-type murder of its star, Dorothy Stratten, making this her only picture, seems to indicate that we may have another cult classic on our hands... If you read National Lampoon and miss the old Mad magazine, if you've got a secret box of old Vampirellas and Howard the Ducks stashed away in your mother's garage, if you have every issue of Heavy Metal and are anxiously waiting for their premiere film, then GALAXINA may be just the appetizer for you. Michael Dare, L.A.Weekly

The girl's so attractive that her fellow voyagers would like to make a pass but unfortunately she's so charged electrically that it's hazardous. For that matter, so is the picture itself which contains monsters, villainous enemies, and galactic disasters. . . .Certainly the monsters outdo STAR WARS. Other observers accept certain ethnic dialogues with shouts of recognition. One thing is certain. GALAXINA does possess the damnedest variety, from spaceship to motorcycle worshipping gang - they chant to Harley-Davidson - and on to an avocado like egg which when swallowed gives birth to a lizard. I mean, this picture is wild. It evokes a response comparable to that of a strong hallucinogen. Archer Winsten, NewYork Post

…Visually the embodiment of a Frank Frazetta fantasy illustration…
David Ehrenstein
Los Angeles Herald Examiner

…A clever and almost cute homage to the overblown space epics of recent years... endearing characters and imaginative sets... a touch of technical class… an enjoyable parody of the space genre. David Linck
Box-office

A nuts and bolts science fiction film satire, GALAXINA dishes up a healthy dose of cosmic cheesecake. Ed Naha
Future Life magazine

Sachs has directed this wild and 'wooly picture with aplomb.
Charles Ryweck
The Hollywood reporter

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	Original Galaxina Reviews
	Galaxina loaded with adult humor By Joseph Bensoua . "Galaxina" is definitely worth 80 minutes of your time. The R-rated space romp by Crown International Pictures is fast-paced fun and loaded with adult humor. It's a pleasant surprise in the sense the film is as witty and disarmingly silly as it is. But it's disappointing if you expect Galaxina (the late Dorothy R. Stratten) to have a more involved role as the gorgeous robot who acquires "women's urges." And if you expect the former Playboy Playmate of the Year to appear nude or even semi-nude you'll really be disappointed. Sex and nudity are down-played although there is a bit of hanky-panky going on primarily for laughs. Writer/director William Sachs chose the right playful tone to make "Galaxina" entertaining — injecting all out humor rather than the tongue-In-cheek stuff. First, he inserts Avery Schreiber as the bumbling Capt. Cornelius Butt, head of the police cruiser Infinity which is sent on a 54-year mission to a far-away planet to retrieve bits of the "blue star." Nothing has to make sense, and little of it does in this frivolous escapade that's a dandy excuse to have some fun. Schreiber is at his silliest here, tormenting a furry, rock-eating prisoner aboard his ship with bad jokes. (And you can excuse some of Shreiber's lines, like when he's telling an even more bumbling James David Hinton: "You know something kid, you got a bad habit ... you breathe"). Stephen Macht leaves drama behind for a comedy role as Sgt. Thor, the anti-hero who falls for Galaxina and usually tries to keep a straight face through the proceedings. Add to the on-board personnel a hip black batman and an opium-smoking Chinaman who spouts insane proverbs and you'll find it hard to resist laughing through the entire picture. Then there's Galaxina, a luscious creature who runs the ship, serves dinner and generally just looks good. Anybody who smacks her on the bottom is in for a rude shock until she decides to reprogram herself into a kissable siren for Sgt. Thor. Stratten is good in her debut and could have been given more to do besides looking good and getting caught by a motorcycle gang on a distant planet. The movie is based on a sexy robot becoming a sexy woman, but Sachs strangely enough, never really takes advantage of this. But he does take advantage of an obvious soft spot for old space shows. He 'uses a plethora of old sights and sounds to perk up the eyes and ears. He throws in the familiar red alert siren on the Enterprise from "Star Trek" and when starting up, the ship's engines sound like the Martian cannons which blasted Earth in "War of the Worlds." You'll also notice that when the alien adversary (who sounds like Darth Vader) takes command of the ship he watches a movie of Claude Rains in what appears to be "Battle of the Worlds." Once on land, we run into a hilarious mix of aliens who love to eat humans for lunch. Behind the counter is a bartender dressed like "Star Trek's" Mr. Spock, only his ears were deliberately put on sloppily and pointing downwards. "Galaxina," which is playing in area theaters, really deserves a sequel. Should there be one, it's genuinely too bad Stratten won't be around for it. If you'll remember, she was the gal shotgunned to death by a jealous husband who then killed himself.
	GALAXINA Starring Dorothy R. Stratten, Avery Schreiber, Stephen Macht, James David Hinton, Lionel Smith and Tad Horino. Written and directed by William Sachs. Produced by Marilyn J. Tenser A Crown International Pictures release, rated R.. Space satire. Running time: 95 minutes. There is only one serious note struck by the arrival of Crown's "Galaxina." Its star, 20-year-old Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, was slain by her jealous husband a few months before this film, her screen debut, hit the theatres. This tragedy is compounded when it becomes apparent that the beautiful starlet had a bright future if her work in this amusing satire is any evidence. Although not given much to say, she displays a sly and magnetic charm plus a knack for comedy. "Galaxina" is a deft, though often sophomoric, lampoon of the recent glut of science fiction films. It follows the adventures of the police space cruiser Infinity and its motley crew. Captain Butt (Avery Schreiber) is the weary leader of men and robots on their way back from a seven-year patrol in space. His deputies, Sergeant Thor (Stephen Macht) and Private Buzz (James David Hinton), and the ship's maintenance personnel, black batman Maurice (Lionel Smith) and proverb-spouting Sam Wo (Tad Horino), are pretty bored, with only the sight of the Infinity's shapely robot navigator, Galaxina (Stratten), to cheer them up. Bad news in the form of a new 27-year mission to retrieve the stolen "blue star" (which holds the secrets of the universe) comes down from police central. Reminded that they can make a fortune in overtime wages, the crew freezes themselves for the long journey. Galaxina, who fancies Thor, takes advantage of the flight time to program some humanity into herself. When she thaws Thor at the end of the trip, they are able to fall in love. The crew then battles aliens and space age motorcycle hoods for the blue star, emerging victorious only to have the Infinity's rock-eating jail prisoner gobble up the prize stone. The Infinity, ever the underdog, loses again. William Sachs, who had only the low-budget "Van Nuys Blvd." under his belt before he wrote and directed this space spoof, has concocted a clever and almost cute homage to the overblown space epics of recent years. Although his humor is often little more than futuristic slapstick the endearing characters and imaginative sets rescue much of the picture from mediocrity. Macht and Schreiber make the most of their comical misadventures, obviously enjoying the absurd storyline which is played for laughs. Special make-up effects have been masterfully created by Christopher J. Walas, lending the film a touch of technical class. Since a few four letter words and adult situations place Galaxina over the kiddies heads, the young adult crowd will find this film an enjoyable parody of the space genre. ---David Linck
	For the past several years, Hollywood has been foisting comic books on us disguised as movies. By technically perfecting the special effects, STAR WARS, ALIEN, SUPERMAN and STAR TREK somehow whizzed by our frontal lobes and made us believe that those ridiculous things could actually be happening. In pretending to be better than comics, they have been subtly putting down the genre from which they sprang. Reading THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in its presently available comic book form makes you realize how dependent your enjoyment of the film was upon special effects. As a comic book it's pretty dull. Well GALAXINA is the exact opposite. It's a great comic book... Like AIRPLANE, GALAXINA zips from gag to gag with nary a thought, making it everything that BARBARELLA was trying to be. This, combined with the bizarre Hollywood Babylon-type murder of its star, Dorothy Stratten, making this her only picture, seems to indicate that we may have another cult classic on our hands... If you read National Lampoon and miss the old Mad magazine, if you've got a secret box of old Vampirellas and Howard the Ducks stashed away in your mother's garage, if you have every issue of Heavy Metal and are anxiously waiting for their premiere film, then GALAXINA may be just the appetizer for you. Michael Dare, L.A.Weekly
	The girl's so attractive that her fellow voyagers would like to make a pass but unfortunately she's so charged electrically that it's hazardous. For that matter, so is the picture itself which contains monsters, villainous enemies, and galactic disasters. . . .Certainly the monsters outdo STAR WARS. Other observers accept certain ethnic dialogues with shouts of recognition. One thing is certain. GALAXINA does possess the damnedest variety, from spaceship to motorcycle worshipping gang - they chant to Harley-Davidson - and on to an avocado like egg which when swallowed gives birth to a lizard. I mean, this picture is wild. It evokes a response comparable to that of a strong hallucinogen. Archer Winsten, NewYork Post
	…Visually the embodiment of a Frank Frazetta fantasy illustration… David Ehrenstein Los Angeles Herald Examiner
	…A clever and almost cute homage to the overblown space epics of recent years... endearing characters and imaginative sets... a touch of technical class… an enjoyable parody of the space genre. David Linck Box-office
	A nuts and bolts science fiction film satire, GALAXINA dishes up a healthy dose of cosmic cheesecake. Ed Naha Future Life magazine
	Sachs has directed this wild and 'wooly picture with aplomb. Charles Ryweck The Hollywood reporter
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