23rd Feb2023

‘Space Wars: Quest For The Deepstar’ Review

by Alain Elliott

Stars: Michael Pare, Sarah French, Anahit Setian, Tyler Gallant, Olivier Gruner, Rachele Brooke Smith, Sadie Katz, Jed Rowen, Elise Muller | Written by Garo Setian, Joe Knetter | Directed by Garo Setian

It’s been a while since I’ve watched a low-budget sci-fi action movie that wants to be a big-budget sci-fi movie but that’s exactly what you get with Space Wars: Quest For The Deepstar. The filmmakers did not let a lack of funds get in the way of lots of CGI, huge monsters, spacecraft and futuristic weaponry!

In Space Wars: Quest For The Deepstar we see various groups of people crossing paths across the galaxy all linked basically in wanting to kill each other. Of course, we do get the ‘good guys’, the father and daughter duo of Kip (Michael Pare) and Taylor (Sarah French). They soon get chased by a group of outlaws when they pick up Jackie (Anahit Setian) who is on the run from them. But Kip has a past with another group too, so the family duo seem to be always on the run. There’s also part of the story that involves the mother, who is technically dead. But you see in the alternate, futuristic universe, when you die you can ‘save’ your soul into some kind of blue liquid. You then keep it in a capsule ready to release into some sort of cyber human. The movie does a better job of explaining that part but doesn’t make it sound any less ridiculous.

Speaking of ridiculous, the opening of Space Wars: Quest For The Deepstar really sets the tone for the rest of the movie. There is a group of four – one man, two women, and some sort of creature – they are together to announce to people what ‘crime’ they have committed and their punishment. The punishment seems to be dropping into a pool of lava while inside the capsule they are currently inside of. The group look straight out of Flash Gordon. The two women wearing outfits that show a lot of skin, the guy wearing a very camp black outfit and the creature just looking strange. It turns out the ‘criminals’ don’t actually fall into the lava because they are swallowed but by a dragon-like monster that leaps out of the pool before they hit it.

Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t quite live up to the ridiculous but fun start. There are quite a few other giant beasts but they don’t get anywhere near enough screen time (I assume budget restraints). There are plenty of fight scenes though and they range from pretty damn awful to actually realistic and hard-hitting. They do all seem a little too choreographed at times, with the ‘you hit one move, I hit one move’ style but the actors mostly do a good job of looking like they are being hit and hitting the other person.

Like almost every sci-fi movie ever, the spacecraft scenes, involving shooting and flying across space, are all very Star Wars influenced, and while the CGI looks low budget, it does its job perfectly well and suits the tone of the film.

I’m not sure if the movie wanted to be taken seriously or wanted to be tongue-in-cheek. Or even both?! One scene summed this up brilliantly as the character Wade (Tyler Gallant) you had kind of warmed to and thought could be trusted, does a complete U-turn in the most hilarious fashion. It got a giggle from me at least.

Space Wars: Quest For The Deepstar is far from a good film if we’re being honest but that’s not to say there isn’t plenty here to enjoy. It’s about 85 minutes long and runs along at a decent pace. You’ll never be bored. Those looking for low budget sci-fi fun could do much worse than this movie.

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