During the mid 80's and 1990, produces used what was developed from the Star Wars movies to create fun, simple, action/fantasy movies. "Ice Pirates" is one of these movies that has simple special effects but is story and character driven.

"Ice Pirates" takes place in a time when all of the galaxies water supplies have dried up except for one planet. Jason, a pirate, played by Robert Ulrich (Magnum Force,) captures a princess while trying to highjack a cargo ship full of ice. The pirates get captured but Jason and his first mate are set free by Princess Karina, played by Mary Crosby, who hires them to take them to the Pirate planet so she can find her father. Her father is missing since he went on a mission to find the fabled seventh planet of water that wasn't destroyed in the galactic wars. Jason and the rest of his crew help Karina find her father and find the fabled seventh planet.

The story is entertaining if somewhat unoriginal. Since the seventh planet is Earth, the story is similar to that of "Battlestar Galactica" and the like. But it is still a well written story that keeps you watching from beginning to end. Writers Stewart Raffill (Writer-Passenger 57) and Stanford Sherman (writer-Krull) were able to add humor into the story without it seeming to be out of place. The space herpes was quite entertaining.

The actors were well known for the 1980's. Ulrich, who passed away in April 2002 of cancer, had his own TV show in the 1980's, Spencer: For Hire, Mary Crosby is the daughter of film legend Bing Crosby. Also making appearances are Ron Pearlman (Hellboy,) Anjelica Houston (Life Aquatic,) Hollywood Square regular Bruce Vilanch, Michael Roberts (Hostage,) and the late John Matuszak. All of the actors fit their part well and were fun to watch. Unfortunately we lost two actors from this film to cancer and the rest, with the exception of Pearlman and Houston, are nothing more than bit players on TV shows or movies.

The action in the movie is very tame, especially for the 1980's body count action movies of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. The robots in the movie are fun and the stunts are entertaining. However, most of the space action uses stop action photography and filmed in front of a blue screen, ala Star Wars, without the Star Wars budget. But it shouldn't distract you from enjoying the film.

This is a classic 80's science fiction adventure movie that is not named Star Wars or Star Trek. It is along the same lines as "The Last Starfighter," "Enemy Mine" and "Dreamscape." If you are looking for an entertaining movie that has none of the bulls**t political messages that had taken over these kinds of movies in the 1990's, and if you can find it, I highly recommend you renting it.

Brian - the Naked Gun