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Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone -
Produced by Ivan Reitman? Score by Elmer Bernstein? Ernie Hudson in a supporting role? Is this Ghostbusters? Nope, Chuck Testa...just kidding, it's Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, one of the many sci-fi movies of its era that took cues from Star Wars and The Road Warrior. Our hero, Wolff (Peter Strauss), is very much cut from Han Solo's cloth, i.e., a bounty hunter who only takes orders from one guy: himself. His latest job is to rescue three lovely ladies who crash landed on a planet not far removed from post-apocalyptic Australia and who become captives of Overdog (Michael Ironside), a former "Earther," as the movie calls them, who pulled a Colonel Kurtz. Assisting Wolff - whether he wants her to or not - is local tracker Nikki (Molly Ringwald), who might as well be Chewbacca for how unintelligible her "space speak" is half the time.
The most distinguishing feature of the Road Warrior aesthetic is to have a bunch of rusty techno-junk lying around, which this movie goes all in on in an impressive way. Besides making the planet seem like an even more hellish Tatooine, and except for the odd matte background here and there - all of which aren't half bad - it gives the movie a pleasantly tactile quality. Is Peter Strauss' Wolff on par with Ford's Solo? No (but who is), but I approve of how he winks at the camera each time he delivers one of his surly one-liners. Hudson and Ringwald are also welcome sights, especially because it's interesting to see what kind of work they did before they became icons. While Nikki is annoying at times, especially when she overdoes on the "space speak," the way she plays off Strauss's tough guy makes it easier to swallow. The MVP, though, is Ironside, whose over-the-top getup - think lovechild of a Spacing Guild member in David Lynch's Dune and a toy crane arcade game - and what he wants to do with his new prisoners makes him loathsome and hilarious in equal measure. As for the action, it's surprisingly decent, the highlight being Overdog's "games," which are what would happen if Thunderdome hosted American Ninja Warrior.
Despite what I like about this movie, the end result reminds me of something Mike says in Better Call Saul: "I was hired to do a job. I did it. That's as far as it goes." In other words, it pretty much does what it sets out to do: no more, no less. With that said, it does have tasty food for thought about characters like Wolff, Han Solo, etc. and how in spite of their pride, they need others - especially ones they don't see eye to eye with like Nikki - to get their jobs done. With that said, The '80s have their fair share of movies inspired by the work of guys named George from Lucas to Miller, and understandably so since they changed the face of entertainment. While this one is not the best, you could do much worse, and it’s ideal to watch with pals since there’s plenty of opportunities for riffing.
My rating: 3 oversized hand claws out of 5
My guy (or gal): Washington (Ernie Hudson), who gives Wolff a helping hand in his mission despite their history and not particularly liking him.
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone -
Produced by Ivan Reitman? Score by Elmer Bernstein? Ernie Hudson in a supporting role? Is this Ghostbusters? Nope, Chuck Testa...just kidding, it's Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, one of the many sci-fi movies of its era that took cues from Star Wars and The Road Warrior. Our hero, Wolff (Peter Strauss), is very much cut from Han Solo's cloth, i.e., a bounty hunter who only takes orders from one guy: himself. His latest job is to rescue three lovely ladies who crash landed on a planet not far removed from post-apocalyptic Australia and who become captives of Overdog (Michael Ironside), a former "Earther," as the movie calls them, who pulled a Colonel Kurtz. Assisting Wolff - whether he wants her to or not - is local tracker Nikki (Molly Ringwald), who might as well be Chewbacca for how unintelligible her "space speak" is half the time.
The most distinguishing feature of the Road Warrior aesthetic is to have a bunch of rusty techno-junk lying around, which this movie goes all in on in an impressive way. Besides making the planet seem like an even more hellish Tatooine, and except for the odd matte background here and there - all of which aren't half bad - it gives the movie a pleasantly tactile quality. Is Peter Strauss' Wolff on par with Ford's Solo? No (but who is), but I approve of how he winks at the camera each time he delivers one of his surly one-liners. Hudson and Ringwald are also welcome sights, especially because it's interesting to see what kind of work they did before they became icons. While Nikki is annoying at times, especially when she overdoes on the "space speak," the way she plays off Strauss's tough guy makes it easier to swallow. The MVP, though, is Ironside, whose over-the-top getup - think lovechild of a Spacing Guild member in David Lynch's Dune and a toy crane arcade game - and what he wants to do with his new prisoners makes him loathsome and hilarious in equal measure. As for the action, it's surprisingly decent, the highlight being Overdog's "games," which are what would happen if Thunderdome hosted American Ninja Warrior.
Despite what I like about this movie, the end result reminds me of something Mike says in Better Call Saul: "I was hired to do a job. I did it. That's as far as it goes." In other words, it pretty much does what it sets out to do: no more, no less. With that said, it does have tasty food for thought about characters like Wolff, Han Solo, etc. and how in spite of their pride, they need others - especially ones they don't see eye to eye with like Nikki - to get their jobs done. With that said, The '80s have their fair share of movies inspired by the work of guys named George from Lucas to Miller, and understandably so since they changed the face of entertainment. While this one is not the best, you could do much worse, and it’s ideal to watch with pals since there’s plenty of opportunities for riffing.
My rating: 3 oversized hand claws out of 5
My guy (or gal): Washington (Ernie Hudson), who gives Wolff a helping hand in his mission despite their history and not particularly liking him.