Movies that inspired, informed, or otherwise reflect the tone and ideals of the webcomic RECKSTAR. reckstarcomic.com
List by Joey
The RECKSTAR Watchlist
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The Fifth Element 1997
A colorful future sci-fi adventure that contains equal parts humor, emotion, and action. Probably the biggest inspiration for RECKSTAR.
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Star Wars 1977
RECKSTAR has worn its Star Wars influences proudly on its sleeve from inception. Part of the fun is subverting archetypes from the movie while shamelessly referencing them.
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Big Trouble in Little China 1986
As much as I love this movie, I NEVER considered it an influence on Reckstar... until I heard an interview with John Carpenter in which he describes the movie's protagonist as, "Kurt Russell thinking he's a hero and not realizing he's a sidekick." That's almost my entire pitch for Reckstar... so, I guess Big Trouble is an influence!
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John Carter 2012
Part of the RECKSTAR mission statement was to pull influence from every form of space or planetary adventure, and this is the grandaddy of them all. It's no coincidence Finn brings a sword to his laser gun fight.
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Shaun of the Dead 2004
From the very beginning, I wanted RECKSTAR to juggle different tones as deftly as Shaun of the Dead. To transition naturally between comedy and drama without compromising either.
Really, all Edgar Wright movies belong on this list, but this was the one I had in mind while creating the comic.
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Serenity 2005
Another pitch-perfect juggling act of humor, drama, and action. Firefly/Serenity's biggest influence on RECKSTAR is probably the spaceship, Daisy.
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Cowboy Bebop: The Movie 2001
Like Firefly/Serenity, Bebop's influence is mostly about the crew dynamics, and how two scoundrels manage to build a family around them. Also, one of the planets Finn & Thade visit later in the story was inspired by something from Bebop. See if you can figure out which.
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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children 2005
Final Fantasy's techno-fantasy hodgepodge and epic sense of discovery and adventure are a big part of RECKSTAR's DNA. Plus, Finn's sword is huge because Buster Sword.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 2005
My first exposure to space comedy, the influences from this story run so deep I'm probably not aware of most of them. (Ironically, it had nothing to do with our decision to make Daisy sentient.)
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Galaxy Quest 1999
A perfect example of referential comedy that also happens to be a sci-fi adventure.
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Guardians of the Galaxy 2014
I felt like I was in a race to get RECKSTAR going before this movie was released. Considering it's about a group of misfits (including a couple green aliens and their immature, blond-haired leader) on a music-infused comedy-adventure through a melting pot galaxy... you can probably guess why.
Great flick, though. You can read my review of it here: reckstarcomic.com/2014/08/22/guardians-of-the-galaxy-a-very-long-review/