Overview: Fluke Starbucker (Scott Mathews) must learn to master the power of “The Farce” with help from Artie Deco, 4-Q-2 (Frank Robertson), Princess Anne-Droid (Cindy Furgatch), Ham Salad (Bob Knickerbocker), and the rest of the Red Eye Knights.

In 1978 writer / director Ernie Fosselius (former member of “The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo”) created the very first “Star Wars” parody, HARDWARE WARS. Complete with cardboard sets and visible wires (holding up ships which were various household appliances), the film was shot over four days with a budget of just four figures!

Now, nearly 50 years later, the original version of this classic short that George Lucas called his “favorite Star Wars parody” (in a 1999 interview on the UK’s The Big Breakfast TV show) has been restored in High Definition for a whole new generation of cult movie fans to discover!

Blu-ray Verdict: In my opinion, this is fourteen of the funniest minutes on celluloid! This short parody is at least as much a part of the Star Wars saga as Phantom Menace, and yet FAR more entertaining, if you ask me!

Hardware Wars was the first in a long line of SW spoofs which form their own subgenre these days. I hate to describe it too much, but it’s a short whose premise is, well, just about the whole SW thing!

Anyway, suffice it to say that many of the most popular and familiar aspects of Star Wars have fun poked at them. Household appliances such as toasters and vacuum cleaners portray spaceships and robots, the Princess Anne-Droid character wears actual bread rolls on her head instead of the famous coils of braided hair, and Fluke Starbucker is even more of a dork than his original, if that’s even possible!

In closing, Ernie Fosselius is one crazy son-of-a-buck and he is also the source of Porklips Now, the Apocalypse Now spoof; so check that out!

FYI: This is regarded as the most profitable short of all time. It was made on a budget of $8,000, and has grossed over $1 million. [U.A.]

Collector’s Edition Special Features:
Brand new 2K HD transfer from the only known surviving element, a 16mm Reversal Release print presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio
LPCM 2.0 Stereo Audio
Original Mono Audio
Optional English Subtitles
Audio Commentary with Writer / Director Ernie Fosselius
“Hardware Wars” 2012 HD Master, approved by director Ernie Fosselius
“Hardware Wars” Directors Cut (10:15, SD)
“Hardware Wars” Prequel featurette (05:23, SD)
“Hardware Wars” Foreign Version (11:19, SD)
1978 Creature Features Interview with Writer / Director Ernie Fosselius (12:12, SD)
“Hardware Wars Saves Christmas" featurette (06:09, SD)
“Hardware Wars” Trailer (SD)
Awards Reel (01:08, SD)
“Porklips Now” (21:38, SD) 1980 parody of “Apocalypse Now” from director Ernie Fosselius
“Plan 9.1 From Outer Space” (20:46, SD) 2009 parody remake of “Plan 9 From Outer Space” with puppets from director Ernie Fosselius
Reversible Artwork
Collectible Mini-Poster