Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone

It's campy. It's fun. Don't think too hard and just want some classic, cheesy scifi action. I mean you've got hot space chicks in bondage gear, mutants and a gun battles. What more can you ask for? OK so its not exactly meant for deep thinkers but neither is star wars (frankly I think people are reading way too much into what the force is). This would actually be a great movie to be on MST 3K. Why can't they bring that show back? But back to the movie at hand, there's not even that much to write about. It's not like we're talking about something with real deep meaning or subtext that needs to be closely examined. I usually tune into this movie about half way in so maybe I'm not the best person to comment on it. But the parts I saw I remember enjoying. I like shooting and stuff. It's sort of like the a scifi version of the A-Team and I think we can all agree how much fun that was.

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.

This was made during the whole 3D craze of the early 80's. To me it is actually one of the better ones as well. Is it great, no, but it is fun and never boring (well to me anyway). Notice though that in these 3D movies they are either sequels (Jaws 3D, Amityville 3D) or they have the largest titles ever conceived? Why not just call this one "Spacehunter" why add the last part? There is another one called "MetalStorm: The destruction of Jared Syn" and one called "Treasure of the Four Crowns". The only one I can think of that didn't fall into either of these two categories is "Parasite". This one focuses on this guy who has to track down these women who have landed on this planet full of a lot of weird stuff. They get captured by this sadistic weird looking machine guy. During his hunt for the women he runs into this gal who helps him a bit and they run into all these strange creatures and other rival hunters. This movie was rather entertaining and rather stood on its own. It was good without the 3D to me and is interesting to check out.

Sure it's just Mad Max meets Star Wars with a main character that is obviously trying to be Han Solo, but it's got some cool ideas mashed up in the familiar packaging. The effects are decent and the action moves along at a good clip even though you've probably seen most of this stuff before. Worth checking out anyway because it has an old school charm lacking in today's CGI fests.

I make a point to catch Spacehunter every time it airs (usually after 1 a.m.). It's classic cheese, and I submit there's a place in our moral-cinematic universe for such films.

What films? Oh, having Michael Ironside as the villain is a good clue. If I had to define them...films so goofy (yet riddled with neat ideas that only the low-budget creative intellect can conjure) that we harken back to adolescence and think how cool these films would have been/were when we saw them with our junior high pals.

Yes, this is MST3K material, but lovingly so, nostalgically so. An ugly duckling that never becomes a swan--never even really gives such a transformation a shot--but one we can groove on precisely because it's so dorky.