Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) Reviews

• Brain-free fun

  sam662001-08-27

  Oh boy do I ever enjoy this movie. For some reason I've managed to see it at least once a year since it was released and I never get sick of it and I really have no idea why. Mental disorder, perhaps. This movie redefines camp for post-apocalyptic scifi quest adventure 3-D crap. Peter Strauss and Molly Ringwald are both great in their stock roles--Strauss is refreshingly down-to-earth, so unlike the usual all-knowing megalomaniac space ranger with a girl in every port (his girl is a purchased robot companion, which says things about a guy); Ringwald's whine would give God a headache, but she's got the right proportion of bravado and vulnerability to create a believable, occasionally endearing space orphan. I like the random nature of their search, designed to place them in situations where the production can use up a set or two that might have been intended for some other movie. Plenty of rubbery creatures abound. And the Thunderdome-esque stuff is actually pretty cool--I'm reminded of Leela's test in that Doctor Who episode (something people who like Spacehunter are a plausible demographic to remember). All in all this is a happily-brainless-yet-somehow-lovable piece of space junk and I'm crazy about it. Or just crazy.

• Might be dated, but should be celebrated!

  Paul Shrimpton2006-12-27

  Been waiting for this for a long time - as cult classics go it's one of my more memorable adolescent reminiscences. I remember seeing this on the big screen when it was first released. Loved it then, for several reasons: Strauss was capable but cool as the hero Wolf, Molly Ringwald was feisty, mouthy and cheeky as the elfin Nikki, and Michael Ironsides was virtually unrecognisable under his make-up, but still gave Overdog a sinister air of menace and cruelty. Now, 20 years later, I get to see it again, and there are flaws that time has exposed. The effects and the music are very dated. The dialogue is weak in places, and the acting from the minor characters leaves something to be desired. However, it still has a sense of excitement and adventure that many other sci-fi flicks of the 80s now lack. The action is fast-paced, the interaction between the leads is good, and the scenery is suitably dark and barren. 7/10 - it's well worth overlooking the more dated elements in order to uncover the gem underneath.

• Forgotten Gem

  Sam_Ricketts2004-12-03

  Spacehunter is a film I saw as a child, which has remained at the back of my mind for years. Around the same time, I was watching things like Ghostbusters and Star Trek (The Wrath of Khan), and knew nothing about special effects, budgets or story lines. All I knew was that I liked these films. Having recently obtained a copy of Spacehunter, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it holds up, compared to other classics. Yes, a lot of it is hokey nonsense, but in a GOOD way. Strauss makes a likable rogue, obviously straight from the Han Solo mold, and Molly Ringwald is her usual early eighties cutie. The special effects are fair for the time (though the title sequence leaves something to be desired), and the futuristic 'Mad Max' style vehicles could easily be from a more recent movie. Michael Ironside is almost unrecogniseable underneath prosthetics, but offers a great performance, hampered only by his lack of mobility in costume. I was especially surprised to recognise Ernie Hudson as a supporting character, playing Strauss' ex-buddy. In all, a great film with a few minor flaws. I'm amazed this got no further than it did at the time. One of the few post-Star Wars movies that deserves a sequel (which i'm tempted to have a bash at myself).

• Like Gold To A 12-Year-Old

  Kage-32001-05-07

  Back when I was 12, renting this movie was like popping in the end-all be-all of science fiction, especially since I didn't get to see it at the theater! The credits were funky, the heroic Elmer Bernstein score was sweeping, the dialogue was amusing and the plot was something every 12-year-old boy only wishes he could take part in. After all, what could be more fun than taking your android companion on a simple mission to retrieve 3 female survivors from a destroyed outer space pleasure cruise ship who land on a planet nobody is supposed to go anywhere near? I was game! As Wolfe, the man motivated to rescue the three maidens for some big time "megacredits", Peter Strauss is fantastically watchable. I don't know what it is about him as an actor, but he does try to bring some sense and sensibility to a pretty generic role. Joining this little adventure is Niki, played by a very young Molly Ringwald. Sure, she's annoying and a pain-in-Wolfe's rear end, but who else could you see playing her from that time period? One of the cast members of "The Facts Of Life"? Also included in the cast is Andrea Marcovicci (too bad her part wasn't a bit longer), Ernie Hudson (who always manages to bring some intensity to his roles whether in a good or "not so good" film) and Michael Ironside as Overdog (the opposite of "Underdog"?), the baddie. Yes, the film consists of a whole lotta cheese; the dialogue borders on laughable (especially by the dwellers on the planet), the special effects don't quite live up to expectations and the plot revolves around a bunch of set pieces that don't seem to make for a consistent story. Still, you know what? This movie holds a very special place in my heart. Let's face it, folks, they don't make them like this anymore. There's no fart jokes, no nudity, no sex and very little language. What's more, Peter Strauss gets some very funny moments! Upon finally rescuing the three screaming women from Overdog, a frustrated Wolfe shouts at them "Will you PLEASE shut up? I'm trying to rescue you!" Haven't we all had a moment when we've wanted to say this very same thing? 8 out of 10

• Fun 80's B-movie

  raider_ben2006-04-18

  This is one of those movies I caught on cable TV quite a few years ago. It's not too big on brainpower but it's fun to watch. Here's the story: A space liner cruises too close to a nebula and is destroyed. Three very beautiful (but not very smart)women escape and crash land on a barren planet and are captured by a group of nomads. Meanwhile a bounty hunter named Wolff intercepts a message and sets out to rescue the women,who've been taken to OverDog, the tyrant who rules the wastelands of the planet. Along the way Wolff meets up with a young girl named Nikki and his ex-partner who happens to be on the same mission. This movie has some well known character actors, Peter Strauss as Wolff, Molly Ringwald as Nicky, Ernie Hudson as Wolff's ex-partner,and Michael Ironside as OverDog.