Rent Saturn 3 (1980)

Saturn 3: A Definite Space Oddity - Saturn 3 review by RunDeckardRun

This is something of a strange and very uneven sci-fi film that is reasonably entertaining but ultimately baffling and frustrating. I was expecting a Star Wars rip-off, especially given the release date of 1980 (height of the original Star Wars trilogy interest) and certainly the opening shot of a huge spaceship cruising overhead is a blatant copy of the famous Episode IV opening. However, the style and mood of the film then becomes more quiet and, even, arty - more along the lines of other sci-fi movies of this era like Silent Running. The visuals are often stylish with neatly composed shots of some genuinely impressive sets. However, some of the outer space SFX is patchy and ill judged. With almost no exploration or justification for character motivation, the film suddenly becomes another killer-robot-on-the-loose story, reminiscent of something like Demon Seed.

Ultimately, Saturn 3 is all over the place and doesn't seem to know what sort of movie it is. It feels like the script was churned out very quickly (one can imagine ITC's Lew Grade ordering 'one Star Wars-like script and fast!') with little regard given to the depth of the story. No doubt, having Farah Fawcett agree to star was a big draw at the time and a significant reason why this movie was ever made and released.