Attack of the "Clones"
When Star Wars hit theaters in 1977, it didn’t just change Hollywood—it rewired pop culture. Suddenly, every studio (and every country) wanted their own galaxy far, far away. In 1979, Italy delivered The Humanoid—a shameless copy so weird, so earnest, and so campy that it became a cult classic.
The Era Of Space Rip-Offs
After Star Wars became a massive hit, the world (yes, the world) was flooded with imitators trying to cash in on George Lucas’ creation. Battlestar Galactica hit TV, Turkey gave us the infamous Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (aka Turkish Star Wars), and Italy wasn’t about to miss out. Enter producer Giorgio Venturini with a simple mission: make a cheap blockbuster—fast.
Sky TV, Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Aldo Lado Takes The Helm
To direct, they hired Aldo Lado—famous for moody thrillers, not space operas. On the credits he even hid under the name George B. Lewis. He later admitted: “The producers wanted Star Wars. I wanted a fairytale. What we got was… something in between.” That “in between” is exactly what gives The Humanoid its oddball charm.
Aldo Lado on LAST STOP ON THE NIGHT TRAIN | Rare Director Interview, REVOK
The Plot You’ve Definitely Heard Before
Evil empire? Check. Desert planet? Check. A chosen kid with mystical powers? Triple check. The Humanoid basically raided Lucas’s playbook. The difference? It stitched the tropes together with duct tape and disco glitter.
The Twist: Mind Control Gone Wrong
Instead of Darth Vader’s redemptive struggle, The Humanoid offered a different spin: a peaceful man transformed into a mindless destroyer by a substance called “humanoid.” It’s melodramatic, a little clunky, but undeniably memorable—setting up the film’s biggest character arc.
Casting A Giant: Richard Kiel
Enter Richard Kiel—Bond’s unforgettable steel-toothed henchman Jaws—cast as the unfortunate man transformed by the humanoid drug. At 7’2”, Kiel finally stepped into a starring role, towering over everyone else both literally and figuratively.
Barbara Bach Joins The Party
Another Bond alum, Barbara Bach, signed on as Lady Agatha, a glamorous villainess plotting galactic domination. Contemporary reviewers noted her “ludicrous futuristic hairstyles,” but cult fans now celebrate her icy stares and camp delivery.
Corinne Cléry Adds More Glam
Cléry, known for The Story of O and later Moonraker, rounded out the cast. Between Kiel, Bach, and Cléry, the film felt like a Bond-meets-space mashup. If nothing else, The Humanoid had recognizable faces to sell those posters.
Morricone Levels Up The Movie
Here’s the shocker: the score was by Ennio Morricone. Yes, the genius behind The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. His sweeping, otherworldly score—recently reissued for the film’s 45th anniversary—adds a grandeur the visuals can’t match.
Sets On A Shoestring Budget
Forget ILM magic. The Humanoid’s sets looked like a nightclub clearance sale: chrome hallways, spray-painted consoles, and robots that seemed ready to topple over. Cheap? Absolutely. But that disco-sci-fi look is exactly why cult fans love it now.
Robots, But Goofier
R2-D2 and C-3PO were sleek. The Humanoid gave us droids that looked like washing machines with legs. Critics rolled their eyes in 1979. Today, audiences laugh, cheer, and call them “beautiful trash.”
Enter Tom Tom, The “Chosen” Kid
The Force knock-off came in the form of Tom Tom, a mystical child who saves the day. His performance was so earnest it became unintentional comedy gold. In cult screenings, he always gets giggles.
Barbara Bach’s Camp Glow
Bach herself never championed the film, but her Lady Agatha has become a cult icon—sequinned gowns, imperious glares, and all. Fans now embrace her as the movie’s camp queen.
Critics Had A Field Day
Reviews were unkind. Retrospectives call it “a blatant Star Wars knock-off” and point to the “unintended laughter” baked into its most serious moments. Still, curiosity at the box office gave it a modest run.
VHS Kept It Alive
Like many cult flicks, The Humanoid found new life on VHS. Rental shelves often placed it next to Star Wars, tricking some fans and amusing others. That’s when its so-bad-it’s-good reputation really started to spread.
The Rise Of Midnight Screenings
By the ’90s, midnight movie audiences had discovered The Humanoid. Fans jeered the bad effects, cheered Richard Kiel’s sincerity, and treated it like a campy sci-fi party. Suddenly, the flop had a second life.
Morricone’s Music Gets Its Due
Film buffs rediscovered the soundtrack too. Some argue the score elevates the entire movie. As one fan put it: “I came for the Star Wars rip-off. I stayed for the Morricone.”
Kiel’s Honest Take
Richard Kiel never pretended The Humanoid was a masterpiece. He later said, “It wasn’t Shakespeare, but I got to be the hero for once. That was fun.” That honesty only deepened fan affection.
A Knock-Off Among Knock-Offs
Italy didn’t stop here—Starcrash, with Caroline Munro and Christopher Plummer, was another wild space copycat. But The Humanoid’s Bond connections and Morricone’s score made it stand out among the crowd of Star Wars wannabes.
New World Pictures, Starcrash (1978)
Lady Agatha’s Cult Legacy
Today, Barbara Bach’s villainess enjoys a camp glow-up. Fans cosplay her at festivals, and her sequinned outfits get almost as much attention as Vader’s helmet.
The Child Hero Trope, Italian Style
Tom Tom’s “chosen one” role now gets laughs, but it also shows how international filmmakers interpreted Lucas’s myth-making. Italy made it cuter, cheesier, and way weirder.
The Audience Reaction Today
Modern fans don’t watch The Humanoid for thrills—they watch it for laughs, nostalgia, and sheer audacity. One reviewer nailed it: “Like watching Star Wars through a funhouse mirror.”
From Trash To Treasure
It’s easy to dismiss The Humanoid as just another knock-off. But its campy mix of Bond stars, disco sets, and Morricone’s soaring music transformed it into something uniquely memorable.
Why We Still Talk About It
What makes The Humanoid last isn’t quality—it’s guts. It aimed for the stars, landed in a thrift store, and somehow blasted into cult immortality.
The Legacy Lives On
Today, The Humanoid isn’t remembered as a rival to Star Wars. Instead, it’s celebrated as one of the boldest, weirdest knock-offs ever made—a true cult treasure that proves failure can sometimes be its own kind of success.
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