The Best Laser Battle Films and Games

Don't knock it until you try it. Ishiro Honda was a bold pioneer in cinematic science fiction, responsible for the original Rodan, Mothra, Ghidorah, and some genuine Godzilla classics (including King Kong vs Godzilla, Big G vs Monster Zero, Destroy All Monsters, Terror of MechaGodzilla, and the original that started them all!

He didn't let a lack of budget or technology stop him from making EPIC sci-fi adventures either, and more than 50 years later, his films are still highly entertaining. Yes, they're cheap and goofy as hell, but boy are they ambitious! And late at night, when you're in the mood for an epic you haven't seen, Honda's films can't be worse than some of the genuine dreck out there.

In The Mysterians, alien invaders threaten the Earth and demand we hand over our women! Its the combined armies of the world facing off against the UFOs in a battle for our very existence! Features the giant machine Mogera in his first appearance.

Asteroids impact famous landmarks, UFOs enter Earth's atmosphere and attack, and an international team assembles to fight the invaders. Amazingly, this is NOT a Roland Emmerich film. Ishiro Honda beat him to the punch by 30 or 40 years, and the fact of the matter is that Battle in Outer Space offers just as much eye-candy and visual popcorn as ID4 (and the plot points make about as much sense, too). Its one of those films that if you play it in the background at a party, it will inevitably draw attention due to its EPIC scale and explosive awesomeness. Like Emmerich's body of work, its hard to call it "good" per se, but it is highly entertaining.

I grew up watching Star Blazers, with Derek Wildstar and Captain Avatar leading the crew of the Argo to Iscandar, fighting the evil Gamilons all the way.

I later learned that the Argo was actually the Yamato, that Avatar was Captain Okita, that Wildstar was Susumu Kodai, the Gamilons were Gamilas, and Iscandar was... well, still Iscandar. Star Blazers is one of the few English-dubbed anime series that wasn't heavily edited (like Macross becoming Robotech), and as such remains a fan-favorite for its coherent story, but the original, uncut Japanese version is unquestionably superior.

It's one of my all-time favorite space operas, and the 2012 remake (Yamato 2199) with modernized animation was nothing short of AWESOME. Still, its fun to compare the differences, and despite looking old now, this one's still got it.

This series is directly responsible for the anime boom that swept through the world in the 1980's and continues on to this very day. The American dub is not the travesty that was Robotech (especially Robotech's later seasons); it changes the character's names, edits out some violence, and tweaks a few things here and there, but is largely the same show that was broadcast in Japan.

It was hugely popular among kids when I was younger, primarily because it wasn't "dumbed down" deliberately, and had mature themes like war, death, greed, honor, and what it takes to grow up and lead; it was also an epic romance. Unlike western animation series (like G.I. Joe), characters could and did get hurt, or even killed, and there wasn't just an insinuation of attraction, but actual LOVE fulfilled! Plus it had JAW-DROPPINGLY HUGE battles in space and on the ground. They look quaint today, but at the time - wow. Heady stuff for a young sci-fi fan hungry for more.

Space Battleship Yamato was so popular in 1974-75 Japan that it earned this theatrical "compilation" film in 1977 with a few new scenes added at the beginning and end. At 135 minutes, it does its best to cram 26 episodes (about 9.5 hours) into one big, 2-hour adventure, but it really helps if you've seen the series. On the other hand, its worth it just for the World War 2 intro and the alternate ending, and it might just whet your appetite for the whole series, since these 135 minutes are literally just the tip of an immense and beautiful iceburg that would go on for two more seasons and four or five movies. Love it or hate it, the feature-length version of S.B.Yamato outperformed STAR WARS at the Japanese box office in 1977.

Because the feature film Yamato was so popular, it earned a feature-film send-off in the form of a whole new adventure. This time, Kodai (Wildstar) leads the Yamato against the Comet Empire. It's bittersweet ending shocked audiences however, who demanded another season of the popular TV series.

The ending of Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato ticked people off, so the producers wisely retconned the events and expanded the story into 26 episodes, adding new subplots, new character developments, and a more up-beat ending. In America its called Star Blazers: The Comet Empire, and many regard it as the best season of the Star Blazers/ Yamato series. Like The Godfather Part II, this second season is equal (if not slightly superior) to the original.

This 95 minute, made-for-TV movie continues the adventures of the crew of the Yamato a month after defeating the Comet Empire. A new empire has arisen from the Dark Nebula and threatens Iscandar and Earth once again.

This third Yamato theatrical film is actually the second part of The New Journey TV movie, and is a juggernaut at 145 minutes. Nevertheless, it completes the story of the Dark Nebula Empire and its war with Earth.

With the Gamilon homeworld destroyed, Leader Deslar (Desslok) searches out the Gamilas ancestral planet, only to find it enslaved by the grey-skinned Bolars. Liberating his ancestors sets off an intergalactic conflict, into which the Earth is also thrown. A stray WMD hits the sun, and the crew of the Yamato (Argo) has only one year to save their home. It covers some familiar territory, and as such may be the weakest of the three seasons, but it's territory that fans love all the same.

In answer to the criticisms of the popular series' third season, the producers made this epic, 2 hour 40 minute send-off that brought Captain Okita (Avatar) back from the dead, and saw the Yamato (Argo) squaring off against the Dinguil race and the water planet Aquarius. Its an emotional farewell, but one that ultimately satisfied the long-time fans.

The first LIVE-ACTION adaptation of the original Quest for Iscandar story cost between $12 and $24 million dollars and has a look eerily reminiscent of the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Its a fun, fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi movie.

Sadly, the film fails in trying to condense 9.5 hours worth of character development into a single, 2 hour viewing experience, and the drama is - at best - overwrought. The budget limitations also haunt the last act, when the story morphs into something akin to a Starship Troopers sequel.

Don't get me wrong, it's exciting to see some of these classic characters brought to life, but it suffers in putting action over character development, and in trying to appeal to western audiences with a lot of needless shaky-cam in outer space. Still, a fun homage to the original that delivers enough entertainment value to put it alongside the Lost in Space adaptation at the very least.

I didn't know what to expect with this modern "reboot" of the classic series, but it DAZZLED me with its incredible animation and the way it honored what worked in the original. Where a lot of western reboots utterly insult what came before or render it virtually unrecognizable, this is an extremely faithful and loving homage, updated to include more female characters, and a few slight modifications to the overall story just to keep audiences guessing. But then, like magic, it delivers solidly upon your nostalgic expectations and does so in a beautifully rendered way.

The ONLY criticism I have is that I can't buy the whole series, but am forced to envy those who can afford the overly expensive "volumes" that offer 1-4 episodes at a time. I can't help but wonder if they're going to do this for The Comet Empire and The Bolar Wars as well, because if so... I'm in.

At a time when the Star Wars prequels weren't what people were expecting, BioWare developed this prequel to the prequels that took place four thousand years before the Skywalker clan, and it satisfied on virtually every level. It even felt like the original trilogy - there was a Wookie, a Jedi mentor, a charming rogue, a pair of droids (one tall, one short), a young hero, and precursors to Ahsoka Tano and Rey in Mission Vao and Bastilla Shan; there was even a shocking twist to rival "I am your father" about half-way through the game.

Although old now, it was and remains a great Star Wars adventure. I saw a 3 hour 15 min "movie" version on YouTube that did an admirable job of cutting down 20-30 hours of gameplay into a mostly coherent story.

Considering that this video game sequel was developed by a different company than BioWare (which won Game of the Year for the first KOTOR), and that they had less time to develop it, its amazing how much they get right.

That said, the story doesn't entirely gel with the first game - mostly different characters; the fate of your previous character left unresolved - and it definitely leaves you hanging at the end. In that sense, it's the Empire Strikes Back of the series, but if you enjoyed the richness and depth of the first one, this is difficult not to recommend.

Three hundred years after Knights of the Old Republic and Sith Lords, in the aftermath of a 28-year war, a fragile peace holds the Republic together. The Sith Empire has returned to its homeworld, Korriban, and the Jedi Order is based on Tython, attempting to keep the core systems from seceding despite their tarnished reputation as protectors. You get to play different classes and different sides of the light-dark spectrum, in a series of adventures.

The Fate of Revan and The Exile from the previous two games is eventually explored (however briefly), but like a Greek tragedy, the first two games represent the high points for those characters, and in this one, through the eyes of yet another hero, we learn of their ultimately tragic fates. My recommendation, keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs. Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.

Although like many, I was ultimately let down by the decision to make Annakin a toddler, I was nevertheless on the edge of my seat when I saw two Jedi battling Droids and Droid Dekkas, but to this day, I still love the supremely old-fashioned title! No, I didn't love Jar Jar, and yes, the film was too far from perfect to justify a 20 year wait, but for the foreseeable future, Star Wars is, was, and always will be the one-stop shop for all things having to do with epic, sci-fi action and futuristic laser battles, and as a pure, sugar-coated candy for the eyes and ears, The Phantom Menace still rocks.

Flaws and all, I offer a big THANK YOU for bringing back Star Wars to the big screen, George!

Obi-Wan vs. Boba Fett was a fight I never knew I wanted to see until I saw it. Absolutely awesome. Of course it was Jango Fett, not Boba, but whatever, it was something my inner 10 year-old had been subconsciously craving for decades, apparently.

And then the Battle of Geonosis... now THAT was worth a 20-year wait. The droid army easily surpassed my childhood dreams, as did the use of the clones. Never knew I wanted to see Jango vs. Sam Jackson either, but its one of the highlights of the film. From the arena battle to the 3-round tag team against Dooku, this finale is one of the best of the series.

The romance was painfully awkward, but the laser battles made up for it in a HUGE way. Get over the fact that the writing just cripples the actors in some scenes, and the set-pieces alone sell the picture. It was a big step up from Phantom Menace in my opinion.

For 20 years, my friends and I imagined that Annakin and Obi-Wan's friendship would be the first prequel, Annakin's apparent DEATH would be the big "twist" or revelation of the second, and the third would be the new Sith Lord Vader hunting the Jedi and fighting Obi-Wan in costume. We thought we could imagine George's world just as well as George. We were wrong. We clung to the point of view that "The Clone Wars" should encompass the prequel trilogy the same way "The Death Star Wars" made up the originals.

That is why this animated series was the closest thing to having 20 years worth of dreams come true. For those of us who felt kind of disappointed by George's (mostly understandable) decisions, at a time when perhaps we were adjusting to his actual "vision" (to only show the first and last battles of the war), this pair of animated homages flesh out the war story in a manner more in tune with our dreams.

Annakin's fight with Asajj Ventress, the revelation that "the Sith rule of two" wasn't violated by training a host of Dark Side acolytes, and the character depth underscoring both Annakin's romance and his hidden rage were all revelatory, with homages to some of the earliest Ralph McQuarrie art in the Ventress battle. It felt like a missing chapter, held me over until Revenge of the Sith, and actually made the whole prequel saga that much better. My sincerest thanks to Genndy Tartakovsky, George Lucas, and all involved.

Cad Bane, Ziro the Hutt, the return of the under-used Darth Maul, and fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano as Annakin's apprentice, were just some of the highlights of this incredible series. Most incredible of all perhaps, is the fact that it wasn't watered down very much for children. This was WAR, and it got grittier and more costly as it went along.

General Grievous and the Starship Malevolence, the Second Battle for Geonosis, Ventress, Maul, and Savage Opress, plus Order 66's effect on the clones, the Crystal Caves, and the hubris of the Jedi during the Battle of Umbara... all great. It wasn't without weak episodes (the continuity with the Tartakovsky cartoons was flawed), and the jumping around in time was occasionally confusing, but overall, it was a Star Wars fan's dream come true. Laser guns and Laser Swords and Laser battles in space. Good stuff!

From the opening space battle to the climactic duel, Revenge of the Sith was THE FILM that fans like me had been eagerly awaiting for 20 years. By this point, weaknesses in the character motivations and dialogue were just a part and parcel of the new series, but visually, and in terms of sheer technical wizardy, it didn't get any better than this. Even after Force Awakens, it's still the best-looking Star Wars film since Empire. I didn't even know the Clone Troopers were 100% CG until I read about it in an article, and had to see it again just to be sure. Eye-popping good stuff.

Yes the character drama suffered in this trilogy, but overall, the good outweighed the bad, and the end result was a film that felt VERY CLOSE to the originals. It satisfied the dramatic expectations, and I thought Haden Christensen, Natalie Portman, and Ewan MacGregor did fantastic jobs. Say what you will about saving James Earl Jones til the final reel, and giving him only two lines... I thought it was the best of the prequels, and my inner 10 year-old craving ray guns and lightsabers was actually satisfied. I regret that it'll be a while before we see another duel this intense.

The animation is a step down from Clone Wars (in my opinion), but the story-telling is top-notch, and it does capture the flavor of the original trilogy. Season 2 brings in a few characters from both The Clone Wars series and A New Hope, and it looks like it will only get better as time goes on. Still waiting for a Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie show though. Don't tell me they didn't have some awesome adventures between A New Hope and Empire!

Before Disney bought Lucasfilm and rejected all the Extended Universe stuff (games, novels, comics, etc) to bring us Rogue One, Kyle Katarn was the character who recovered the plans to the Death Star for the Rebellion.

This game covers that mission, plus his missions after A New Hope, specifically rescuing General Madine, and trying to stop a Dark Trooper program from taking shape.

It was one of the earliest first person shooters, and sold about a million copies; its characters actually getting action figures and featuring in comic books and novels. Katarn was a total Han Solo mercenary-with-a-heart-of-gold type in this game, and it worked. But wanting to do this story on film AND a young Han Solo story wouldn't have, so we got Rogue One instead. I understand, but Kyle Katarn kept the franchise alive during the Dark Times - the 20 years without any Star Wars movies - and probably deserved better for it.