Do Any of You Remember a Crazy 1984 Sci-Fi Film with Ron Perlman Called THE ICE PIRATES?
When I was growing up in the 80s, I was introduced to a crazy sci-fi adventure film called The Ice Pirates. This is a movie that I used to watch all the time as a kid. I have fond memories of this film, but I haven’t seen it in years!
This is one of those movies that I’m afraid to watch again because I want to preserve the fond memories that I have of it. I was curious to know if any of you might remember this ridiculously fun and over-the-top movie.
The film is set in the distant future where water is the most valuable substance. It follows two space pirates who are captured, sold to a princess, and recruited to help her find her father who disappeared when he found information dangerous to the rulers.
This was a swashbuckling space opera that was filled with sword fights, fighting robots, monsters, and also played with time warps. At the same time, as you will see in the original trailer for the film below, the movie is filled with silly comedy.
The movie was directed by Stewart Raffill and upon watching the trailer, I realized that one of the stars of the movie is Ron Perlman (Hellboy)! The movie also stars Robert Urich, Mary Crosby, Michael D. Roberts, John Carradine, Max von Sydow, and Anjelica Huston!
What’s funny is that the film was originally intended to be a serious sci-fi film with a $20 million budget. MGM ended up slashing the budget down to $8 million and had the script rewritten as a comedy. Kevin Costner also turned down the lead role for the film.
I wonder how this movie would have turned out if the studio had followed through with the original plan. In the end, they delivered a film that entertained the hell out of me when I was a kid and I never forgot about it.