Battle Beyond the Stars

When the tyrant Sador (John Saxon) arrives to conquer the peaceful Akira he gives them seven days to prepare their surrender. A young man Shad (Richard Thomas) takes the ship belonging to an old Akira hero to see if anybody will come to their aid despite them having no meaningful means to reward them.

Roger Corman goes for it and delivers one of the landmark B movies of the era. Objectively ropey it has charm and some good ideas mixed in with its famous mildly explotative Star Wars cash-in take on Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai.

Things like the Nestor clone infiltration gambit to attack Sador directly are really great. It's a scene I remember vividly from when I saw it at the cinema.

It's second tier filmmaking that had more impact/longevity than a great swathe of nominally first tier material that now languishes forgotten. Recommended 8/10 for what it represents rather than what it is.