Richard Thomas
Shad
A young farmer assembles a band of diverse mercenaries to defend his peaceful planet from an evil tyrant.
Release Date | 1980-09-08 |
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Runtime | 1h 44m |
Directors | Jimmy T. Murakami, Daniel Lacambre, James Sbardellati, Don Keith Opper |
Producers | Roger Corman, Mary Ann Fisher, Ed Carlin |
Writers | Anne Dyer, John Sayles, John Sayles |
This looks every inch the low budget affair it actually was - but it almost comes off as a fairly engaging sci-fi rip off of the "Magnificent Seven" - complete, even, with Robert Vaughn! "John-Boy" himself, Richard Thomas ("Shad") lives on one of those simple, peaceful, planets threatened by a megalomanic with a big laser cannon (John Saxon) who demands their harvest. "Shad" decides to try and rustle together some mercenaries to defend their home from this evil conqueror and so recruits a disparate band including George Peppard ("Cowboy") and a collection of inter-galactic misfits to help with their cause. Probably most notable for James Horner's score, this is an enjoyable enough sci-fi action adventure with plenty going on and not too much tedious philosophising; the special effects do their job fine, too.
— CinemaSerf