Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar (2022) User Reviews

A sci-fi enthusiast might get a kick out of this one...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 10 August 2023]

I have to admit that when I sat down to watch the 2022 sci-fi adventure movie "Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar", then I wasn't really harboring the biggest of expectations to the movie. First of all, the movie's title just screamed low budget, and the cast ensemble wasn't exactly top of the line either.

However, I opted to give director Garo Setian's 2022 movie the benefit of the doubt and sit down to watch it.

The storyline in the movie, as written by Joe Knetter and Garo Setian, was watchable for what it was. And that was a generic space adventure. But hang on, I will say that there was a distinct atmospheric feel of the low budget space adventure sci-fi movies of the 1970s and 1980s. So if you enjoy those corny, campy space adventures, then perhaps "Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar" will prove entertaining and enjoyable for you.

I found little to be thrilled or entertained about throughout the 90 minutes that the movie ran for, and I will not be returning to watching it a second time. Then again, I am not overly keen on sci-fi in general, so that also speaks against this movie.

The acting performances in the movie were fair enough, for the most parts. There were some toe-curling and cringeworthy acting from the actress portraying the main villain.

Visually then I will say that "Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar" was actually not bad. Sure, it wasn't impressive and in-your-face special effects that will blow you away. But in all fairness, then the CGI used in this 2022 sci-fi adventure movie was actually not bad.

My rating of "Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Geekgasm!!! Space Wars Quest for the Deep Star!

[robkix69 · 4/10 · 1 May 2023]

Had a blast watching this popcorn indie Sci Fi action adventure film. Reminded me of growing up in the 80s and renting it at a Mom and Pop Store before Blockbuster existed. Michael Pare and Sarah French had a great chemistry and how to play off each other in their roles. They play Father and Daughter adventurers looking for the Deep Star that could give them whatever they want and bringing a loved one back to life with the liquid essence of the person who passed away and transferred into a cyber human hybrid. The film score is like listening to a space opera performed by Joel Christian Goffin. You can tell Garo Setian put his labor and love into it.

We're probably low on oxygen

[moviebuff72-223-265524 · 3/10 · 13 July 2023]

This movie is not very exciting. The special effects are CGI. How I miss stop motion animation like Robocop 2. The matte paintings, models, and a decent new science fiction movie with some gratuitous nudity. I mean if you are going to make a low budget science fiction movie, write cheesy dialogue, cheaper cgi then can't you throw in something worth while like A pair of naked boobies? I mean either write Oscar worthy sentences or throw in some flesh scenes to make it worth the 90 minutes that are required To view this. Space Wars is just boring. Maybe they can make a remake of it and add in exceptional quality dialogue and an occasionall nip slip.

It's a dream I have. Skip it and watch Life-force from 1985.

Bad cheap boring sci-fi

[bertoliniadri · 2/10 · 10 August 2023]

I immediately noticed the very bad casting, all the actors lack charisma and personality and their acting is boring if not ridiculous.

The first half of the movie is just a sequence of actions with very few dialogs, so it's almost entertaining. Nothing spectacular or original. It feels like some washed out guardians of the galaxy, and we follow the heroes as they keep putting themselves in trouble. The CGI looks like a video game with some very bad green screens.

But that's where the film takes another turn for the worse, and the poor writing and acting take over the action scenes. It feels like they ran out of money and decided to focus on the character psychology. The film completely loses its pace and collapses into absolute mediocrity.

If you want some cheesy 60/70s sci-fi movies, watch Starcrash or Barbarella, they are better than this.

It's bad, but it's also nostalgically good

[siderite · 3/10 · 14 August 2023]

To me, Michael Paré brings back my childhood, the B movies that were at the same time awesome and ridiculous. It's easy to understand why the first thing that pops up when you google him is "how old is Michael Paré?". Well, he's 65 and he now plays in these independent movies that are as low budget as they come. But they are also fun.

In this one, stupidly called Space Wars because there are just a bunch of people on ships shooting at each other and nothing at the scale of a war, three parties are engaged in finding either a legendary space treasure or each other in order to enact revenge. The CGI is ludicrous, the green screen effects are obvious, the acting is almost terrible, the story is pathetic. Yet I enjoyed it. Not because of any inherent technical quality of the film, but because someone scrapped to get this done, did whatever they could to make it happen and had fun doing it.

Bottom line: a ridiculous movie, but one that fills me with nostalgia for the films of old, where the greatest achievement you could think of was getting the movie done and the rest was the pure joy of performing.

The 1970's called, they want their movie back.

[kirachloe · 3/10 · 7 August 2023]

3 stars, and only that high because of the talent that was wasted

Wow, where to begin? The acting was actually good-ish. I appeared that many of the crew actually knew wat they were doing. And nice to see the spent their CGI money well.

But the script and the scenes ... oh my. I haven't seen women dressed like that in a space movie since cassette tapes were competing against 8-tracks. And the dialogue, wow. Did you get the script from a cracker jack box?

Yeah, some of the reviewers were right, this COULD be considered a 'fun' movie in some terms. But even fun movies have good scripts. I hope none of the actors plan on using this as highlights in their resume.

There is life in volcanic lavas!🦎🦎🦎

[Democrit · 2/10 · 11 October 2023]

If you are looking for big credits with the director's name, your search ends here. However, it's important to consider the potential harm to your psyche. Is a reptile living in a red-hot volcanic mass really worth it? Surprisingly, there is life in volcanic lavas!🦎🦎🦎 As for the "cg" graphics, they are not even worth discussing. While high-quality "cg" can be quite expensive, a more inventive approach could have been taken. Michael Pare and Olivier Gruner, although not bad actors, have unfortunately been limited to low-grade films for far too long. To be honest, I've always wondered why they haven't had the opportunity to showcase their talents in better films. Perhaps they have a tarnished reputation or were bound by unfavorable contracts. However, it would be quite embarrassing for the director to exclude any mention of themselves in the opening credits. Perhaps a modest inclusion in the finale would be more appropriate. To personally highlight oneself in such a masterpiece could result in career termination, or maybe it's the opposite? Perhaps there's something I'm missing.

The Essence of Mom

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 13 July 2023]

In 2980 we have a neutrino hyper-drive to travel space. If you are rich you can extract the "essence" from a recently deceased person and place them in a cyborg replica. Kip (Michael Paré) and his daughter Taylor (Sarah French) are adventurers. Their mother died on one of their adventures. They sold everything they had to extract her essence but didn't have enough money to replicate her. They are working as space traders in order to try to raise the money. Kip is wanted dead by a number of people. They are after him as he attempts to raise funds. Eventually he teams up with a scientist (Anahit Setian) in an attempt to find the legendary treasure of the "Deep Star."

The film "borrows" from other films such as the sand creatures of Star Wars, the sand creature of Dune, the critter of Starship Troopers" and even "Attack of the Crab Monsters." The dialogue was not great and was light most of the time, but not so much as to be a comedy.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.

The '70's are calling and they'd like their style back

[mail-553-820891 · 5/10 · 12 August 2023]

Really, the title of this review says it all. In the 1970's there were a number of cheap Italian knock-off sci-fi movies that were cheap, flashy and stupid. They also had STYLE.

This is pretty much a homage to those movies but with better effects and better actors. Yes, the script is stupid and the lines are awful but incredibly the actors do actually manage to give them some weight. Not a lot of weight, it must be said, but that they managed it at all is very much to their credit. The script manages to throw in some surprises, while (sigh) still including the many predictable scenes you come to expect from low budget movies

It's a very silly movie but it's also a remarkably enjoyable one that manages to decently punch above its low budget and a lot of credit goes to everyone involved in its making. By way of disclaimer - I was NOT involved in the production in any way, nor do I know anyone who was. Nobody goes out of their way to make a bad movie. They try to make a good movie, and with the limited resources available to them they came reasonably close to it.

So, get some popcorn, turn off your brain and enjoy it for what it is. A romp.

Oh, and I just noticed that someone else called their review "The 1970's called, they want their movie back" Ah well, I clearly wasn't the only fan of cheap Italian sci-fi knock-offs.

Goofy fun

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 23 April 2023]

Directed by Garo Setian (Automation) and written by Joe Knetter (Pretty Boy), this film is may not have the budget of even one Disney+ series episode, but hey, do any of those have souls being extracted so bodies can live beyond death? And do any of them have Michael Pare in them?

Pare is Kip Corman, an adventurer who travels the universe with his daughter Taylor (Sarah French). They meet a scientist Jackie (Anahit Setia) on space station Stella Starr* and bring her aboard. But she's being tracked by Dykstra** (Olivier Gruner) and his crew of lunatics because she knows how to bring the dead back to life. Kip is also being chased by Ezekiel (Hunter Setian), the son of Elnora (Sadie Katz) that wants him dead. After all, he stole the last coin she has from her dead sister.

This has some great looking monsters, inexpensive appearing starship interiors and plenty of cheap thrills. If I saw this when I was nine, you have no idea how many Kip Corman comic books I would have drawn in my notebook. Sure, it has no real budget to speak of. Who cares? Just suit up, strap in and kick it into hyperspace.

*Starcrash reference and you can imagine how happy this made me.

**Ding! Star Wars reference.

LOVED IT! What a Fun, Entertaining Movie!

[jamieroxxartist · 9/10 · 20 April 2023]

I Loved this Movie. This was pure entertainment. This took me right back to the classic Space Adventure-type films I loved as a kid. Cool Plot / story, and told well be the cast. Here's the deal folks, done so well I cared about the characters! I wanted to see what would happen.

Also you have Monsters, Aliens AND Robots!!! Not just one of those, but All of them!

As a huge Sci-Fi Fan it was awesome seeing New True Sci-Fi. No Aliens or Androids that look just like humans. This was a Fun Space Adventure. That's what you get.

And I hope that this film inspires more like it, because a good old-fashioned Space Adventure with cool characters and a cool story is rare these days.

And this film Delivers!

Surprisingly good film

[lincolnx · 7/10 · 3 May 2023]

When checking out the preview and the average score for this movie, I had serious doubts. A low-budget Sci-Fi film with a preview that doesn't entice usually end up as poor fare.

At times the lighting was iffy, the graphics decent but not blockbuster, and the internal ship sets seemed a bit cramped; but a solid story with pretty good acting cancel out the minor flaws. Also, the pacing should be noted as excellent. At no point did my attention waver.

Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar delivers in its quest for entertainment. I recommend that all Sci-Fi fans give this movie a chance like I did.

amateur hour w/strip club actors - vaguely entertaining, though

[spasticfreakshow · 3/10 · 11 August 2023]

I don't understand the other reviewers here. The acting is objectively VERY bad, across the board, with no exceptions. The script was written either by a high school kid or by someone who works at a strip club. I genuinely believe most of the cast work at the same strip club IRL, and this 'indie flick' was their passion project. The costumes and sets are worse than I've seen in any high school or indie production, and no - there's no redeeming CGI effects. There is nothing redeeming...sadly. I adored Farscape, so the reviews here crediting the acting and the campy 70s 80s scifi vibe actually won me over - that is a BALD LIE. You're better off watching Farscape or even. Xena Warrior Princess. Unless you're personal friends with someone at the strip club that made this film, and you just want to see what they came up with. If you are this unicorn, you might be very VAGUELY entertained, but you will still wish you had that time back.

Great movie to recommend to your enemies

[SplatDcat · 1/10 · 16 September 2023]

Good gosh, could only stand 16 minutes of this travesty of celluloid. Hopeless excuses for a acting actually do a huge disservice to the great "B" movies of the 50s and 60s with this dross. I've got a penchant for fringe movies however I am really struggling to understand why investors would've given any monies to the crazyness portrayed in it.

It did have some great HD imagery though it was wasted on actors that may be good in other movies, just not this excuse.

Glad I didn't waste an entire evening with it as I'm sure that my life is all the better for a conscientious decision to free myself from it.

throwback sci-fi

[kimphoto · 5/10 · 9 November 2023]

How can you not like this film? Reminiscent of those 80, early 90's Michal Pare and Oliver Gruner flims. Good cheap entertainment. If you liked. Nemesis or The Philadelphia Experiment, you gonna like this.

Ya the storylines are weak and the CGI maybe was more expensive than the actors pay but who cares?? Just throw in an old drive in with funky speakers and that consession stand or make yourself some popcorn and pizza and just sit back and enjoy what the 80's was like.

Films like this pass the time where as you dont want to get too serious for a sci-fi series you need to binge to get to the next episode,

Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar

[CinemaSerf · 4/10 · 2 November 2023]

Know what? I reckon the eponymous "Deepstar" saw the storyboard and post-haste fled into hiding! That left space scroungers "Kip" (Michael Paré) and his feisty daughter "Taylor" (Sarah French) faced with quite a search to track it down. Along the way they realise that they are not the only seekers of this dream-fulfilling gizmo - beware "Dykstra" (Olivier Gruner) - and that the universe is really quite a perilous place! This has video game written all over it with the dangers seemingly increasing exponentially until the prize is (or isn't in their grasp). The visual effects are passable, but the rest of this is pretty sub-par(sec) stuff that is clearly a labour of love for those behind it but it's really just a labour for those of us who recall the heady days of the "Outer Limits" - from about 1963! To be fair, it moves along quickly enough but it's all rather unsahsamedly predicable gung-ho stuff you may smile at - risibly - before you immediately forget all about it.

B- movie (as in B movie totaly negative review)

[falangsabai · 3/10 · 13 August 2023]

The reviews on this ran from very bad to very good. I like scify and the synopsis appealed to me, so I gave it a try. The film falls completely at the lowest end of the rating scale. In every way it was a very poorly made film. The acting is abysmal, the special effects are even worse. Did not watch it long enough to know if there was plot. It's not even worth investing the 20 minutes that I gave this film. Now, i am not a movie snob and am relatively easy to please but this just missed every mark. Do yourself a big favor and give this a complete pass. I don't know what's happening now but most of the new movies rate with this one.

The reviews were wrong...stinker

[wbsimsjr-32405 · 3/10 · 11 August 2023]

I checked over the reviews (and reviewers..to make sure they hadn't only ever reviewed this title) and everything looked legit... So I sat down hoping for a decent lo-budget good watch.... it didn't happen... I thought I could deal with the ancient CGI that looked like it was yanked right out of a 1st gen Xbox console game... Laughed it off.. Then there were the set props and details.. in the first "cockpit" scene the set details were not even "B movie" clever. What looks like 2 aluminum water pump spacers were glued to a black board with the other "details"... Its not an uncommon thing to see auto engine parts cleverly made into prop pieces, but come'on make me look for it!

I endured the opening 'great escape' and only made it another few minutes until it just couldn't be watched any more... It might have improved but I just couldn't endure the supporting casts bad acting.. Pare deserves some good movies... but this isn't one isn't.....

Wow

[jakebunker · 1/10 · 17 December 2023]

Definitely in the list of worst movies I've ever seen. Can't say I was entirely bored or annoyed the whole way through though. But yeah pretty much everything is a disaster. Acting was bad except for the lead who was ok. Directing was pretty bad and it felt like way too many scenes were in one take. Writing was at times ok (but also generic) and other times straight up awful. Too many camera cuts that just did not feel fluid and connected. There were a few plot twists near the end that literally made me shout out loud in frustration. I desperately want to know what the budget for this movie was because I'm impressed at how bad this is. Don't think this is anything special; I mean how much more generic can you get than with a title like Space Wars? Some bad movies are like this on purpose but there were scenes where clearly there was an intent to make it serious that just fell flat on its face. With that being said I can't wait for a sequel so I can continue to laugh at how bad but somehow watchable this movie is.

Had me in tears at the end because of how bad it was

[aeronm-49922 · 2/10 · 4 December 2023]

None of it made sense there are like 20 different plot points that are never resolved, there was this one time a character was on a planet and all of a sudden he was on the spaceship (that hadn't reach said planet) bad cgi, poor acting, SO MANY PLOT HOLES

I will truly never forget this movie (but I don't actually remember what it's about) , i think about it constantly it my Roman Empire

I would explain the plot if I could remember, something about a dead mom??? And the main characters daughter is a robot??? And I think she fell in love with this guy who was manipulating her??? Also there was a hot villain lady.

A space adventure film like we grew up with!

[perryharovas · 9/10 · 25 April 2023]

When you remember your childhood, you remember the fun you had at certain movies. You remember the sense of wonder, the fun, the action. If you want a film that will bring it all back to you in a brand new film and a great story, this is the film for you! When films these days come out they are typically about the end of the world, in some sort of really grim way. They are almost always post-apocalyptic, dark and negative. Where has all the fun gone? It has gone here! Garo Setian, the films director, remembers those films and respects them. He wants to take you back there and make you glad you spent some time with these characters!

Great Fun For True Movie Fans

[ggreen-61640 · 9/10 · 15 August 2023]

Garo Setian has done a brilliant job of story telling with homage to great sci fi fun from the past. In this film you find a unique storyline spread against a backdrop of imagery reminding one of shows like Battlestar Galactica and Flash Gordon. Michael Pare and Sarah French are fantastic in the hero roles and Olivier Gruner is perfect as the villain. The film provides a wonderful action adventure ride woven through time honored human struggles relatable to all. It starts out with a an expectation to entertain and does not disappoint. It relies on creativity where many films like it spend money on CGI and forget to be creative. Looking forward to a sequel and more.

Space Wars is a fun ride through space and beyond!

[shagee7977 · 10/10 · 22 April 2023]

Director Garo Setian brings us the galactic "Space Wars: Quest For The Deepstar". It's a fun fast paced adventure through space featuring an all star cast having fun with their roles. Leading the cast is Michael Pare and joined by Sarah French, Anahit Setian, Tyler Gallant, Olivier Gruner, Rachele Brooke Smith, Sadie Katz, Jed Rowen and Elise Muller.

The movie introduces us to Kip in a fun opening with villains and monsters. Kip is being tried for crimes and threatened certain death. He is rescued by his daughter in the Nick of time. We know the fun is about to take off. His daughter Taylor smiles and says "Get ready for a good ole fashion adventure". That involves finding a very beneficial treasure that will make them a lot of money. They remind me of a sort of Chewie and Han from Star Wars playing bad ass scavengers.

We also have a side story about Kips deceased wife. He carries her around in liquid form in what is called Essence.

Villainous Elanora (Sadie Katz) is also hot on their trail trying to retrieve a coin Kip accidentally stole. He didn't know it was Elanora dead sister. She will stop at nothing to get it back. We find out Elnora used to be Kip's former hire. There meetings turn to be crazy all out battles and she is determined to stop and destory Kip at any cost. Kip tries and tries to try to make things rite but Elnora is not going to have it and doesn't stop.

Things complicate even more when a stowaway is found on Kip and Taylor ship. Turns out her name is Jackie (Anahit Setian). Jackie is a scientist who has the location of a ship called Deepstar. Deepstar has the ability to bring essence back to life. That has Kip and Taylor interested. But Dykstra (Olivier Gruner) is a ruthless mercenary determined to find out the location of the Deepstar and is seeking out Jackie. Dykstra crew consists of Nina (Rachele Brooke)Smith and Wade (Tyler Gallant). Two very colorful fun characters.

But now that Kip & Taylor are part of this race we have big problems. All this sets up a really fun galactic adventure that we haven't seen for a long time. A movie that is a simple set up but beautifully acting and directed.

What starts off at just a bunch of scavengers trying to get some money any way they can. Then turns into a pretty heartwarming story of a father and daughter racing to possibly bring their wife/mother to life. It certainly is not what I expected but actually enjoyed.

Sarah French and Michael Pare are casted perfectly as Father and Daughter. They have great chemistry and look forward to every scene with them.

Anahit Setian as Jackie the scientist was hilarious, I loved her. What a great performance and really was a part she put everything into it to make it work.

Sadie Katz and Michael Pare constant conflicts were a lil over the top but I looked forward to the craziness they are put through every time they meet.

Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar is a fun script excellently directed by Garon Setain. Casting was perfect and everyone did a great job. For a low budget sci fi movie it was well done and worth looking at more than once to enjoy everything.

Summer came early and this popcorn fun movie is perfect for those care free enjoyable nights ahead of us.

A Super Fun Corman-esque Space Adventure

[milligancharm · 10/10 · 11 May 2023]

What a fun movie! It sort of reminded me of the space adventure movies of the 70's and 80's with a hint of the Ray Harryhausen monster flicks or the voyage of Sinbad. I was reminded even of the great sci-fi flick Contamination in some scenes. It had great characters who have chemistry and are easy to root for. Pare is awesome as the heroic captain. The tone and pacing are perfect and if you go into it to have fun and get lost in an adventure it will be a blast. There's a lot of humor or tongue in cheek moments that were great. There is an episodic feel to it that makes you want to watch more of their adventures for sure. Overall a fun movie I will watch again.

A fun, entertaining, sci-fi action adventure film.

[jeff-230 · 9/10 · 27 April 2023]

I had a blast with this film. Indie sci-fi films are often limited in story, scope and VFX. But here, we're treated to a galaxy-trotting adventure that accomplishes so much on a limited budget.

An interesting set up with an interesting moral question at its core, Dead Star, is its own story and delivers the goods with humor, action and some amazing aliens.

I love my big-budget sci-fi films, but alot of them feel like they're made my soulless machine. Not this one. If you're looking for a film that harkens back to the sci-fi films of old...made on a limited budget, but brimming with imagination and a clear love of the genre, definitely give this movie a look.