Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)

Director:

Lamont Johnson

Writers:

Stewart Harding (story) and
Jean LaFleur (story) ...

Release Date:

20 May 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Journey with Wolff and Niki, an interstellar adventurer and young rebel. On a mission to rescue three stranded women from a planet no one has warned them about. Because no one has ever returned.

Plot:

Three women made an emergency landing on a planet plagued with a fatal disease, but are captured by dictator Overdog...

Plot Keywords:

Dictator | Explosion | Lie | 3 Dimensional | Forbidden Zone

Cast

Peter Strauss	...	Wolff
Molly Ringwald	...	Niki
Ernie Hudson	...	Washington
Andrea Marcovicci	...	Chalmers
Michael Ironside	...	Overdog
Beeson Carroll	...	Grandman Patterson
Hrant Alianak	...	Chemist
Deborah Pratt	...	Meagan
Aleisa Shirley	...	Reena
Cali Timmins	...	Nova
Paul Boretski	...	Jarrett
Patrick Rowe	...	Duster
Reggie Bennett	...	Barracuda Leader

Also Known As:

Adventures in the Creep Zone
Road Gangs
Spacehunter (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG (#27017) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) (uncut) | UK:PG (original rating) (cut) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Moab, Utah, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The "tape machines" were on loan from Brainstorm (1983), which was being filmed on an adjacent set.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final battle between Wolff and Overdog, Wolff has one rocket left in the chamber. He fires it and when we switch back he has 2; seconds later only one again. (This occurs at 1:20:55-1:21:18)

Quotes:

[to Chalmers, after she's ceased functioning]
Wolff: You were the best model they ever put out.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Step Brothers (2008)

Might be dated, but should be celebrated!

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.