STAR SLAMMER (1986)

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *comedy*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *sociological*


My main reason for writing about this outer space WIP flick is to continue asking the unmusical question, "how goofy does a film have to get, before it becomes a de facto comedy?"

The entire "so bad it's good" meme arises from the perception that many flicks, even if their creators crafted them with thoroughly serious intent, are inadvertently funny because of incompetent handling, silly ideas, and the like. In some though not all of my reviews, I tend to privilege intent over results. For example, even though it was a really dopey idea for some Italian producer to put non-actor Neil Connery in the role of a superspy for OPERATION KID BROTHER, the basic intent of the production still seemed to carry the vibe of "adventure."

Most films directed by Fred Olen Ray are full of similarly  cheesy concepts, not to mention tons of cheesecake. Yet, I still rated a goofball flick like DINOSAUR ISLAND as "adventure" as well, despite its conflation of Cretaceous critters and a cult of hot Amazons. STAR SLAMMER, though, seems to be sending up both of the subgenres it fuses, both that of space opera and the WIP film. The opening scene starts on some alien planet, accompanied by very wonky music, as a curious old fellow named "Zog" comes into contact with Taura, the movie's heroine. Before knowing that Zog's a friendly, Taura addresses the staff-wielding old fellow with a line worthy of THE BIG DOLL HOUSE:

"One more step and your rod's history-- I mean, your staff."

In no time at all, Taura butts heads with Bantor, an enforcer of the local planetary tyranny, and their conflict costs Bantor one of his hands. He gets Taura condemned to a prison ship for women, the "Star Slammer" of the title, where the heroine is menaced by her fellow cons, by a warden in a sadomasochistic outfit, and eventually, by the aggrieved Bantor, who eventually decides to take direct revenge on Taura.

Some reviews have said that STAR SLAMMER is slow, but compared to a lot of Ray works, this one has a fair amount of visual liveliness, even if one never forgets what a cheap production it is. The female prisoners are all impossibly glamorous and the flick, while hardly a satire, keeps using over-the-top lines like "there are demons all around us, and they take the form of women!" I particularly found comical the character of "the rat," an inmate named Squeaker, who constantly complains that the others beat her up all the time-- which, of course, inspires them to beat her up some more.