Harry Trent (Matt Mitler) steals a spaceship. While he is in outer space, he witnesses the conquering of the earth by a giant fleet of aliens who have a certain resemblance with warthogs and also grunt a lot. Because his ship is damaged, Trent needs 5 years before he can land on earth. Almost everything was destroyed by the invaders, but Trent is greeted by the survivors as a hero, because it is said he owns the weapon to fight the aliens. He has no idea what they are talking about, though? Science fiction trash with ridiculous special effects. You wouldn't believe my description if you haven't actually watched it... It's Trent's sarcasm and the obvious self-irony of its makers that makes the movie easy to sit through. Be prepared for something silly, and if you are in the right mood, "Galaxy Destroyer" might become a small gem in your trash collection.
20 Reviews
An interesting Sci-Fi mix.
13Funbags30 April 2020
This movie combines Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Mad Max and Ray Harryhausen stop motion monsters. There's even a Sylvester Stallone look-a-like and a girl from Virginia with an Australian accent. While that all sounds very unoriginal, it worked out better than you would think. It's not as good as any of the movies it steals from but it's worth watching.
What goes around finds its way back again
michaelRokeefe8 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Super low budget and a bit tongue-in-cheek, this action adventure does hold some interest. A scoundrel space pilot, Harry Trent (Matt Mitler), manages to steal a space shuttle with malfunctioning controls while watching alien battleships with a dead-on course for planet Earth. There is nothing he can really do because of the wreck he has swiped. It takes about five years before Trent can return to earth and he discovers the planet is heavily devastated by thermo-nuclear warfare and under control of the invading aliens. Trent, now a glorified hero, somehow finds enough survivors to fight for Earth's freedom. Some silly situations and lackluster special effects help salvage this movie also known as BATTLE for the LOST PLANET and also GALAXY DESTROYER.
Brett Piper writes and directs. Other cast members : Joe Gentissi, Denise Coward, Bill MacGaughlin, Helen Michele Martin, Kimberly Warren and Robin Lovett.
Brett Piper writes and directs. Other cast members : Joe Gentissi, Denise Coward, Bill MacGaughlin, Helen Michele Martin, Kimberly Warren and Robin Lovett.
Wildly low-budget Star Wars/Mad Max hybrid is endearingly dumb
a_chinn22 October 2018
Super low-budget sci-fi film looks as cheap at the original "Evil Dead," but lacks the inventiveness of that film (although comparisons to Sam Raimi for inventiveness is probably not all that fair). A starship pilot returns to earth to find it under alien control. Don't expect any futuristic cities or big sets. This is a bunch of dudes in the forest fighting aliens in bad make-up. I did enjoy the spaceship special effects for the space sequences, the but earthbound scenes are pretty weak. Still, as badly written, directed (by Brett Piper), and acted by it's cast of no-name actors, the film has a charm to it and it does have an exuberant fun feel of a bunch of friends who got together to make a goofy movie. Taken on that level, you might enjoy this piece of bad cinema, but don't go into this film expecting anything actually good (not even at "Hell Comes to Frogtown" levels of competent filmmaking).
Micro budget sci fi
Leofwine_draca21 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
BATTLE FOR THE LOST PLANET is a micro-budget science fiction indie that reminded me a little of Steve Barkett's masterpiece, THE AFTERMATH, except lacking the same kind of gravitas. A space pilot arrives back to Earth just in time to see it being invaded by aliens, so he heads off for five years (!) to repair his ship. When he comes back to Earth he finds it under the sway of a merciless alien race, so he gears up to fight back. This is a very cheap film with a shot-in-the-woods vibe. There's a lot of cheesy action and many special effects, most of which aren't so special at all. Still, the amateur cast play it out with a tongue-in-cheek approach which almost works, and there's a real sense of goofiness to the production that makes it hard to dislike too much. A better sequel, MUTANT WAR, followed.
Fans of no budget, creative film making will enjoy.
ChrisInMiami13 September 2022
This no-budget genre rollercoaster starts out as a futuristic heist movie, then turns into a space opera, then becomes an isolated man survival story and finally resolves into a post apocalyptic road movie. And there's stop motion aliens.
Wow.
The first half was a tough watch.. it feels like a student film that they are taking way too seriously and yet simultaneously don't realize it's not as funny as they think it is. Only the Hero character seems to have ANY acting experience.
In the second half they seem to finally find the tone of their 'so bad it's good' movie and we get incredible dialogue such as: 'prison... it's not the character building experience they advertise' and my favorite: 'Oscar Wilde... for a fag he had some good ideas.'
Along the way we meet a Zach Galafianakis style stoner woodsman and a Tom Savini biker lookalike.
Recommended for only fans of creative film making with NO budget, ala Miami Connection or Dark Star.
Wow.
The first half was a tough watch.. it feels like a student film that they are taking way too seriously and yet simultaneously don't realize it's not as funny as they think it is. Only the Hero character seems to have ANY acting experience.
In the second half they seem to finally find the tone of their 'so bad it's good' movie and we get incredible dialogue such as: 'prison... it's not the character building experience they advertise' and my favorite: 'Oscar Wilde... for a fag he had some good ideas.'
Along the way we meet a Zach Galafianakis style stoner woodsman and a Tom Savini biker lookalike.
Recommended for only fans of creative film making with NO budget, ala Miami Connection or Dark Star.
An insane mash up of various movies.
Aaron137530 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This film combines the elements from various science fiction movies such as Star Wars, Mad Max, Planet of the Apes and many others with an obviously very small budget to create a very strange and pretty bad film. A lot of the reason it is bad is that the plot makes no sense, the main hero is annoying and the aliens at times disappear and are almost forgotten. Still, as bad as it is, it is also a rather fun watch as it does kind of just go from one place to the other quickly!
The story has a guy stealing government secrets who launches a space shuttle into space to escape. While in orbit he witnesses the arrival of several ships that promptly blast Earth and take over the planet in every quick fashion. The guy is stuck in space for five years, but is then able to return where he is attacked by mutant people and rescued by a girl. Seems the guy in orbit is famous as the thing he stole my hold information on a weapon capable of defeating the strange pig aliens, who despite what looked to be hundreds of ships seems to only have a very light force left on Earth. They go on a quest to get to the place the weapon may be and find hippy survivors and a Mad Max type guy who looks a lot like Sylvester Stallone but isn't!
The film does not really give any good reason why the aliens attacked earth nor do they give any good reason why they would stay around. There is also a scene where the hero and girl are attacked by a strange stop motion monster and you wonder where it came from. There is no reason for the aliens at the beginning to ignore the hero's ship when they were blasting earth as it showed them blowing up several planes and such, so why not his ship? Also, destroying the weapon that defeated the aliens seems stupid as they could just send another fleet in to enslave earth once again!
So what we get is a very unlikable hero who humps pillows and who in the future becomes a Jewish old man (through the movie an old man recounts the adventure to 'save' earth). We also get a female with an Australian accent who looks really good in the Mad Max garb rather than the ill fitting sheep vest. We get a Sylvester Stallone look-a-like who rules his kingdom, but yields almost immediately in a fight and we sometimes get pig aliens with very bad prosthetic on their face that they apparently took no time to blend in. So what do we have? A bad, but fun movie! Seriously though, considering the state of the world during the old man scenes it looks like they have accomplished absolutely nothing after defeating the aliens...
The story has a guy stealing government secrets who launches a space shuttle into space to escape. While in orbit he witnesses the arrival of several ships that promptly blast Earth and take over the planet in every quick fashion. The guy is stuck in space for five years, but is then able to return where he is attacked by mutant people and rescued by a girl. Seems the guy in orbit is famous as the thing he stole my hold information on a weapon capable of defeating the strange pig aliens, who despite what looked to be hundreds of ships seems to only have a very light force left on Earth. They go on a quest to get to the place the weapon may be and find hippy survivors and a Mad Max type guy who looks a lot like Sylvester Stallone but isn't!
The film does not really give any good reason why the aliens attacked earth nor do they give any good reason why they would stay around. There is also a scene where the hero and girl are attacked by a strange stop motion monster and you wonder where it came from. There is no reason for the aliens at the beginning to ignore the hero's ship when they were blasting earth as it showed them blowing up several planes and such, so why not his ship? Also, destroying the weapon that defeated the aliens seems stupid as they could just send another fleet in to enslave earth once again!
So what we get is a very unlikable hero who humps pillows and who in the future becomes a Jewish old man (through the movie an old man recounts the adventure to 'save' earth). We also get a female with an Australian accent who looks really good in the Mad Max garb rather than the ill fitting sheep vest. We get a Sylvester Stallone look-a-like who rules his kingdom, but yields almost immediately in a fight and we sometimes get pig aliens with very bad prosthetic on their face that they apparently took no time to blend in. So what do we have? A bad, but fun movie! Seriously though, considering the state of the world during the old man scenes it looks like they have accomplished absolutely nothing after defeating the aliens...
A teenage boy's fantasy
chazzarb14 June 2019
The plot of the film seems like the late-night fantasies of a teenage boy. It is a fairly generic by-the-books sci-fi action film, navigated by a hero who never fails in any task. Elements of the production (particularly the special effects and costume design) are rather charming in how cheaply they appear to have been done.
So bad it's good
auntlise13 February 2022
Uh, yeah... hard no.
HorrorFilmHellion8 January 2022
Sorry but there is no excuse I can dream up to give this movie any kind of credit. Its horrible. Not just because of the impossibly no-budget sets and effects and wonky acting, but because there is no redeeming film making on any level. No sleaze, no so bad its good, no story, no effects, wrist-slashing soundtrack.... Net zero on this one, unless you need a sleep aid. Way way better 80s trash sci fi to be had out there.
Adnirable ambition on a threadbare budget
Woodyanders28 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Rogue master thief Harry Trent (a solid and likeable portrayal by Matt Mitler) finds himself stranded in space for five years after an attempt to steal military secrets goes awry. When Trent returns to Earth he discovers that the planet has gone to hell in the wake of being invaded by nasty pig-like aliens.
Writer/director Brett Piper keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a zippy pace, brings an engaging earnest sensibility along with a sharp sense of self-mocking sarcastic humor to the fun proceedings, stages the exciting action set pieces with considerable gusto, and tosses in everything from a predatory mutants to a rowdy biker gang to a few funky stop-motion animation monsters for groovy good measure. The rinky-dink (not so) special effects possess have an endearingly cut-rate charm to them. Moreover, the gorgeous Denise Coward contributes a lively turn as the feisty Dana, Joe Gentissi has a ball as blithely scrappy tyrant Mad Dog Kelly, and Helene Michele Martin impresses as two-fisted motorcycle mama Toni. Both the spirited score by Zon Vern Pyles and the thrashin' hard rock soundtrack hit the stirring spot. The scenes with Trent struggling not to go insane while isolated by himself in space are pure loopy gold. An immensely entertaining little B-flick blast.
Writer/director Brett Piper keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a zippy pace, brings an engaging earnest sensibility along with a sharp sense of self-mocking sarcastic humor to the fun proceedings, stages the exciting action set pieces with considerable gusto, and tosses in everything from a predatory mutants to a rowdy biker gang to a few funky stop-motion animation monsters for groovy good measure. The rinky-dink (not so) special effects possess have an endearingly cut-rate charm to them. Moreover, the gorgeous Denise Coward contributes a lively turn as the feisty Dana, Joe Gentissi has a ball as blithely scrappy tyrant Mad Dog Kelly, and Helene Michele Martin impresses as two-fisted motorcycle mama Toni. Both the spirited score by Zon Vern Pyles and the thrashin' hard rock soundtrack hit the stirring spot. The scenes with Trent struggling not to go insane while isolated by himself in space are pure loopy gold. An immensely entertaining little B-flick blast.
Battle for the Lost Planet (1986)
jonahstewartvaughan27 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Vinegar Syndrome Cuts #32
Battle for the Lost Planet (1986)
(7/10): Otherwise known as Galaxy Destroyer, Battle for the Lost Planet is a low budget shot on video sci-fi film that is a simple, hero saves the world from alien invaders story.
It is told from the perspective of an elderly version of our protagonist who is writing in his memoir about how he saved the world and the rest of the film is told through one large flashback. He was a criminal who stole an important tape and was on the run from the authorities, in order to escape he stole a spacecraft and flew out into space, damaging the ship in the process. He witnesses aliens as they attack earth and then proceed to take over and he is struck in the shuttle until his current trajectory brings him back around to earth in five years.
He makes it back to earth and then finds out that the remaining humans are either feral monsters or are in hiding, he finds out that he is also very well known around Earth as he had stolen the tape, which just so happened to be data for a DNA killer that can wipe out any creature from existence on the planet with a set DNA sample, meaning that he has the one last chance to save humanity.
It might sound silly and a bit more in depth but it's just a straightforward plot.
It has some cool costumes for the characters and aliens and also makes use of Ray Harryhausen style stop motion animation effects and they're not bad.
I feel like B-Movie fans will like this one as it's got that creative yet simple and flawed charm.
Battle for the Lost Planet (1986)
(7/10): Otherwise known as Galaxy Destroyer, Battle for the Lost Planet is a low budget shot on video sci-fi film that is a simple, hero saves the world from alien invaders story.
It is told from the perspective of an elderly version of our protagonist who is writing in his memoir about how he saved the world and the rest of the film is told through one large flashback. He was a criminal who stole an important tape and was on the run from the authorities, in order to escape he stole a spacecraft and flew out into space, damaging the ship in the process. He witnesses aliens as they attack earth and then proceed to take over and he is struck in the shuttle until his current trajectory brings him back around to earth in five years.
He makes it back to earth and then finds out that the remaining humans are either feral monsters or are in hiding, he finds out that he is also very well known around Earth as he had stolen the tape, which just so happened to be data for a DNA killer that can wipe out any creature from existence on the planet with a set DNA sample, meaning that he has the one last chance to save humanity.
It might sound silly and a bit more in depth but it's just a straightforward plot.
It has some cool costumes for the characters and aliens and also makes use of Ray Harryhausen style stop motion animation effects and they're not bad.
I feel like B-Movie fans will like this one as it's got that creative yet simple and flawed charm.
Took on a concept it couldn't handle.
Im-SoRRy-ITS-TakEN5 October 2020
Take out the horrible cgi, i mean disgustingly bad. They should never have even added that one creature, all that did was make me go, wow this is horrible 20 times. it holds onto the girl for 10 minutes , pulls her away from the torch when shes stretching to get it but guess who still managed top grab the torch even though she was suppose to be farther from than before....
The ship and tech these aliens have makes me think, mankind can go raid a planet with what we have now, the inside of the ship with the lever to steer or shoot looks like a freaking OLD ship. Only thing more advance was those crappy laser that buddy couldn't hit anything with 2 feet away.
Fight scenes weren't the worst, what i expected from it. very coincidental how everything plays out so well, riding a ship back to earth yet not being detected by these aliens. we have tech to see if anythings in our airspace so why couldn't the aliens? when he landed it was next to the few survivors left... luckily.
Crumby acting or just how the aliens acted in general, their fight scenes sucked. they look like there wearing masks. everything felt so scripted or convenient, too predictable.
That being said, wasn't a bad movie. probably a 5 if it wasn't for the pointless monster scene, all that did was make me hate it and the whole alien concept, don't make something you cant make look at least half decent, come on...
so just make this into a normal movie basically, based on end of the world and meeting people like Kelly mad dog and their adventures with harry would definitely have been better.
The ship and tech these aliens have makes me think, mankind can go raid a planet with what we have now, the inside of the ship with the lever to steer or shoot looks like a freaking OLD ship. Only thing more advance was those crappy laser that buddy couldn't hit anything with 2 feet away.
Fight scenes weren't the worst, what i expected from it. very coincidental how everything plays out so well, riding a ship back to earth yet not being detected by these aliens. we have tech to see if anythings in our airspace so why couldn't the aliens? when he landed it was next to the few survivors left... luckily.
Crumby acting or just how the aliens acted in general, their fight scenes sucked. they look like there wearing masks. everything felt so scripted or convenient, too predictable.
That being said, wasn't a bad movie. probably a 5 if it wasn't for the pointless monster scene, all that did was make me hate it and the whole alien concept, don't make something you cant make look at least half decent, come on...
so just make this into a normal movie basically, based on end of the world and meeting people like Kelly mad dog and their adventures with harry would definitely have been better.
Not enough "badness" to be enjoyed
brainpuddle28 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
While this film has some moments of great what-the-heckness, overall it just can't quite deliver the "so bad its good" vibe.
Warning: synopsis/spoilers -
(aka Galaxy & Galaxy Destroyer) A guy flees Earth in a stolen space shuttle while aliens invade. 5 years later he returns, teams up with Dana the British scientist (?), meets Mad Dog Kelly and his biker gang. The supposed good guys eventually use a machine which melts unrecognized DNA. They win...we lose.
Warning: synopsis/spoilers -
(aka Galaxy & Galaxy Destroyer) A guy flees Earth in a stolen space shuttle while aliens invade. 5 years later he returns, teams up with Dana the British scientist (?), meets Mad Dog Kelly and his biker gang. The supposed good guys eventually use a machine which melts unrecognized DNA. They win...we lose.
Dont see what the appeal is for this movie.
machrf9 June 2022
The movie nearly put me to sleep. It seemed to droll on to each next scene even though there was some consistency. One review stated the the movie centered around Harry Trent and a scantily clad woman. A fully clothed woman is not scantily clad. None of the summaries of the movie fit entirely to the actual movie so that may have had an impact on my view of the movie too. I just did not enjoy this movie.
Tacky, trashy misnamed fun
lara-milvain24 November 2020
Currently floating around as "Battle for the Planet" on Freeview streamer Tubi this is a Z-grade gem. Horrible effects, possibly the worst creature to ever grace a non-creature feature, schlock and enough double entendres to sink a battleship. And those are the highlights.
But it's fun, doesn't take itself seriously and there's enough mid-80s hair and fashion that you just can't put it out of its misery by turning it off. Grab a beer, some mates and some weed, and enjoy. This is a film from the world before social media, review aggregators and decent CGI.
Just laugh at it - it's all the movie wants from you.
But it's fun, doesn't take itself seriously and there's enough mid-80s hair and fashion that you just can't put it out of its misery by turning it off. Grab a beer, some mates and some weed, and enjoy. This is a film from the world before social media, review aggregators and decent CGI.
Just laugh at it - it's all the movie wants from you.
Nice idea, bad implementation
MarcusCyron17 March 2024
The basic idea of the film isn't that bad, after all, not every film has to be a cinematic masterpiece with a completely new plot. Especially starting with time in space is a nice idea. But everything that plays on earth has failed. Nothing about the plot seems remotely believable (even given the experience of the coronavirus pandemic and how many people have dealt with the apparent disaster, this film remains incredible). The plot is simple, naive, without any finesse. The characters are stereotypical, without any inner development. Even for the mid-1980s, the tricks are pathetic and the mask is a horror. Anyone who came up with the idea of no longer using surnames a few years after the catastrophe, of calling a middle-aged man only "Old Man" and inventing a name like "Prof. Isaac Hoffenstein" really has no ideas of their own, only copied from the cliché book for end-time movies.
Dumb, Fast Moving B Movie Trash = Fun!
Dark_Lord_Mark20 April 2019
Plot holes, crummy special effects, not a bad movie.
nebula-370293 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is the kind of sifi movie you are tempted to turn off after the first few minutes when you see how bad the special effects are, and how inane the plot seems, but it actually picks up. There is a lot of humor, and some good lines. The aliens are both ugly and stupid. Denice Coward is a tall attractive actress worth looking at, especially during an encounter was an alien creature, where her butt is fully exposed for your viewing pleasure. However, her Australian accent is out of place. The "genius scientist" is a nerd, who has worked on a solution to regain the Earth for a year, without success, until the "Mad Max" comic relief "Mad Dog" gives him a one line solution. The movie turns out to be entertaining, but they could have used a little more budget for special effects.
Prepare to be entertained.
garyoa127 March 2020
Fascinating. And brilliantly funny, IF you have a decent sense of humor and can see the double entendre's and innuendo. Acting is quite good for a simple film as well. Thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. Yes you have to take quite a bit with a grain of salt but on the other hand, the older classic treasures wouldn't live without said salt. So grab a salt shaker, sit back, relax and prepare to be entertained.
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