BraveStarr: The Legend

My review was written in September 1988 after a Times Square screening.

"Bravestarr" is a disappointing animated feature applying the Western format directly to an Outer Space saga. Pretty backgrounds and explosions do not adequately cover for lackluster characters, given limited animation movements.

Title character (on screen it reads Bravestarr the Legend", but "Bravestarr the Movie" in ads) is an indistinctive-looking American Indian-styled cowboy destined to save the planet of New Texas from variou monster meanies, led by Stampede (a huge dragon-like steer) and Ted Hex (a reanimated, skeletal cowboy). The ancient Shaman gives Bravestarr his orders and magical power, largely calling upon the strength of the Bear constellation (a repetitious device).

Though its occasional attempts at comic relief fall flat, film plays off foolishly with its one-joke premise of a planet with modern technology but styled after all the corny cliches of a Western movie. Critters are robots, except for the Prairie People, cutesy little burrowing humanoids forced to work as slaves in mining operations.

Opposite the bland Bravestarr, heroine J. B., who's the local judge, is nondescript, as is her mustachioed dad McBride, given a Scottish brogue right out of James Doohan in "Star Trek".

Much running time is given to introducing each of Tex Hex' henchmen, but they have nothing to do or say in the film, wasting at least one unusual creation, the exotic Vipra, villainess riding a vast serpent.

Characters mainly pose, with very mechanical movement of the limited sort familiar from tv. Toddlers may overlook this thanks to okay action scenes involving flying vehicles and well-executed battle explosions.

Frank Becker's tinny musical score is a big letdown when it attempts to ape Western motifs on synthesized keyboards.