Attack From Space (1964)

I have written about Starman before, but never reviewed an actual movie.  there are four, and I plan on doing a review of all of them.  I wish I had seen all of them while I was growing up, though.  I would have just loved them, though wondered why DC Comics hadn't gone after them, since they already had a "Starman" from the 40s.

this one is a good one (well, they are all pretty fun).  the Sapphireans are out to destroy the Earth while conquering the galaxy.  the men of the Emerald Planet send Starman out to stop them.  this DVD set is really great, and highly recommended.  August Ragone has some really informative notes which make it a must for any fan of the genre.
it's not as weird as Invaders from Space and it's more coherent than Evil Brain from Outer Space, but it's not quite as fun as those either.  still, there's something to be said for seeing a space superhero beating the snot out of tons of sharply dressed villains.  the Sapphireans are very much in the vein of Nazis, not a big surprise.

what is a surprise is the relatively glee that Starman disposes of his foes.  he beats them and even guns them down.  he'd almost be perfect in the grim-dark comics and movies these days.  too bad he smiles.

the original Death Star makes an appearance in this movie as well.  that Lucas stole names from everywhere.