A B-movie hybrid of sci-fi and Western. It feels like the latest of all '80s movies, and it could have played nicely on USA Up All Night. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be one of the better movies to play on that program. It has a couple of things going for it, but mostly it's lame. It has no story and no energy, and after about a half an hour, it starts to feel interminable. The leads are mostly unknowns, and are fairly uninteresting. It has a few recognizable supporting actors, like George Takei, Julie Newmar and Isaac Hayes. Takei and Newmar are just there to deliver awful jokes in the form of Star Trek and Batman references. Thankfully, Hayes spares us from any Shaft references. The humor is generally awful. Whenever it tries to be funny, it flops to the ground. I did enjoy the costume and character design. The bad guy in particular looks great. Okay, very cheesy, but the film does know what it is. And I loved the undertaker, named Gaunt (Carel Struycken), who is basically a reference to The Seventh Seal. And, while not a good actress, Musetta Vander is gorgeous as the villain's henchwoman/girlfriend. They made a sequel to this film which is a bit higher rated on IMDb. I won't be seeking it out, though.
Oblivion
(1994)
I went in really hoping to like this B sci-fi, but it's just not very good
4 September 2011