The Ice Pirates
| The Ice Pirates | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Stewart Raffill |
| Produced by | John Foreman |
| Written by | Stewart Raffill Stanford Sherman |
| Starring | Robert Urich Mary Crosby Michael D. Roberts Anjelica Huston Ron Perlman Bruce Vilanch John Carradine John Matuszak |
| Music by | Bruce Broughton |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Editing by | Tom Walls |
| Studio | JF Productions |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $14,255,801[1] |
The Ice Pirates is a 1984 science fiction comedy film directed by Stewart Raffill, who co-wrote the screenplay with Krull author Stanford Sherman. The film stars Robert Urich, Mary Crosby and Michael D. Roberts; other notable featured actors are Anjelica Huston, Ron Perlman, Bruce Vilanch, John Carradine, and former football player John Matuszak.
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Plot [edit]
The film takes place in a future where water is an immensely valuable substance, both as a commodity and as a currency. Princess Karina is a spoiled princess who purchases captured space pirates Jason and Roscoe. They then proceed to locate a "lost" planet that contains massive amounts of water. The planet must be approached on a specific course or the ship will be suspended in time forever. The course apparently contains some sort of real or illusory time distortion (resulting in both the heroes and the villains reaching old age during the climactic battle).
Cast [edit]
- Robert Urich as Jason
- Mary Crosby as Princess Karina
- Michael D. Roberts as Roscoe
- Anjelica Huston as Maida
- Ron Perlman as Zeno
- Bruce Vilanch as Wendon
- John Carradine as Supreme Commander
- John Matuszak as Killjoy
- Ian Abercrombie as Hymie
- Alan Caillou as Count Paisley
- Space Herpes as Space Herpes
Reception [edit]
The film is somewhat tongue-in-cheek and often compared to Star Wars. Upon its release, the New York Times described it as a "busy, bewildering, exceedingly jokey science-fiction film that looks like a Star Wars spin-off made in an underdeveloped galaxy."[2]
The film is also note-worthy for its cheeky, obviously cut-rate production values, mid-eighties "color-blind casting", sexual frankness, and near-deliberately slack "sitcom" direction. The climactic "time-warp" battle is a rare example of the classic science-fiction temporal paradox done in a "real-time" context. It currently holds an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes;[3] despite this, it proved to be a moderate box office success, grossing a domestic total of $14,255,801[1] on a $9 million budget.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b The Ice Pirates at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "'Ice Pirates' in Space", Vincent Canby, The New York Times, March 16, 1984
- ^ The Ice Pirates at Rotten Tomatoes
External links [edit]
- The Ice Pirates at the Internet Movie Database
- The Ice Pirates at AllRovi
- The Ice Pirates at Box Office Mojo
- The Ice Pirates at Rotten Tomatoes
- Badmovies.org reader review
- Sound samples of the film score
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- 1984 films
- English-language films
- 1980s comedy films
- 1980s science fiction films
- American films
- American comedy science fiction films
- American satirical films
- Films directed by Stewart Raffill
- Films shot in California
- Films shot in Los Angeles, California
- Space adventure films
- Space pirates
- Space Westerns
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
