A Strange Variety of Film Reviews by CosmicRunaway

Despite starring a couple of cult-favourite actors, Spacehunter is a film that seems to have been largely overlooked. Part of the reason may be because it was originally released just days before Return of the Jedi, so to say it was overshadowed at the box office would be an understatement. Being an incredibly cheesy 80s sci-fi adventure flick with a healthy dose of Mad Max aesthetics, it does have a number of supporters, but nowhere near enough to call this film a cult sensation.

Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone follows salvage ship captain and occasional bounty hunter Wolff, played by Peter Strauss, as he ventures to the wasteland planet Terra XI in search of three women who crash landed there and have since be taken prisoner by the native population. Strauss has some occasional roguish charm whenever he managed to channel Harrison Ford with his line delivery, however Molly Ringwald's shrill, whiny screams sucked a lot of enjoyment out of the film for me, and gave me flashbacks of Kate Capshaw in Temple of Doom.


What initially drew me to Spacehunter was its visual style, and it is in that area where this film actually excels. The set design is great, with interesting Mad Max-styled vehicles and general landscape aesthetic, as well as a great use of practical effects. While the weird fat suits on some of the deformed creatures were horrible and rubbery looking, Michael Ironside's make-up and mechanical parts were really well done. Many of the shots and lighting were also visually appealing, but some awkward editing choices unfortunately detract from them more often than not.

As a whole, Spacehunter really is a mixed bag. The story and characters are not even remotely original, but their familiarity is oddly comforting. The dialogue is incredibly hammy at times but still mildly entertaining, and while the visuals are great, they are also rather derivative of other films. It was clearly never going to compete with the likes of Return of the Jedi, but it might put a smile on your face if you normally enjoy watching these type of B-grade films and know what you're getting yourself into.

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Hey, ya just reviewed one of my all time favorite B sci fi movies and panned it....Which is OK, cause we all like different things!

For me, the biggest pay off was Molly Ringwald, I found her fun and endearing. She's a feisty little waif and I though she had pretty good chemistry with Peter Strauss, sort of like father and daughter who care about each other, but don't know it.

But I do have to agree with your overall estimate of the movie. It's not much of a sci fi story and if someone doesn't like Molly, I'd say skip it. Good review And I hope you'll do more of them. I'll keep an eye on your thread

Thanks! I love watching 80s sci-fi and fantasy films (good and bad), so there are definitely a number of similar films I can review in the future if you like to read about them.

I gave Spacehunter a rather low rating, but I like to try and score things objectively instead of being based solely on how much I personally enjoyed it. I did rather like Spacehunter (minus Ringwald of course but she did grow on me towards the end), but it is incredibly schlocky so I rated it as such. My definition of 1.5 in the first post is "Fairly derivative, but has its moments", which I think fits the film well.

I saw this and came to comment on me and CR's mutual love for the film. So glad to see him here already.

I think my love for the film is 50% based on the vehicle .

Hey, we have something in common I love 80s sci fi too, even the bad ones...often they're the funnest! I did the subscribe thing to your thread so yeah I will definitely check out your other reviews. Oh yeah good call, Spacehunter is schlocky for sure! I mean were else can you see Molly Ringwald escape giant cutting blades-o-death by doing back flips It's wacky alright.

I actually seen a 80s cheesy fun sci fi last night. Real Genius (1985) with a young Val Kilmer. It was fun, nothing to write home about but.

Love that land cruiser

Any time vehicles or clothing remind me of Mad Max, I'm on board haha. I liked Wolff's vehicle too, but the design of that train ship was definitely the best.

Agreed! Sometimes the worse they are as a film, the better they are as a piece of entertainment haha.

I actually rewatched Spacehunter because I'm still trying to figure out my list for the Sci-Fi Countdown, and I'm considering putting it on there (near the bottom). I don't think it's a good movie (at least not compared to the films already on my list for sure), but it's definitely a lot of fun and is entertaining if you like those sorts of things.

Yeah, I just saw your review on that before heading here . I've heard of it, and have definitely seen some clips, but I'm certain I haven't seen the entire thing.

Thanks for the subscription! I'm not actually subscribed to any threads on the forum, but I keep creeping on the same ones (yours included), so it's almost like I'm subscribed to them .

I haven't seen Spacehunter in several years. Back before I got to enjoy HBO on a regular basis, I'd see this playing on my neighbor's tv, and always had a soft spot for it. Love the colors and effects. I know it just got released on blu ray from Mill Creek (with no 3D) so it might be an OK buy just to watch again and because the price is so low.