Solarbabies (1986)

Director:

Alan Johnson

Writers:

Walon Green (screenplay) and
D.A. Metrov (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Who will rule the future?

Plot:

In a future in which most water has disappeared from the Earth, we find a group of children, mostly teenagers...

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Children | Utopia Quest | Teen | Roller Skating

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Richard Jordan	...	Grock
Jami Gertz	...	Terra
Jason Patric	...	Jason
Lukas Haas	...	Daniel
James LeGros	...	Metron (as James Le Gros)
Claude Brooks	...	Rabbit
Peter DeLuise	...	Tug
Peter Kowanko	...	Gavial (as Pete Kowanko)
Adrian Pasdar	...	Darstar
Sarah Douglas	...	Shandray
Charles Durning	...	The Warden
Frank Converse	...	Greentree
Terrence Mann	...	Ivor
Alexei Sayle	...	Malice
Bruce Payne	...	Dogger

Also Known As:

Solar Warriors

Runtime:

UK:94 min | USA:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Brooksfilms

Trivia:

The movie was filmed on location in Spain, a country selected for its abundant desert landscape. Ironically, production was held up for several weeks due to...rain!

Goofs:

Plot holes: Why does "Gavial" just vanish from the movie, following the RED ALERT/EVACUATE signal at the Aqua Bunker? The picture seems to suggest that he escapes, but this is never substantiated; Gavial simply flees the control room and never reappears.

Quotes:

Jason: [alone with Bodhi] ... Hi. Do you get bored just sitting in this box?... I can't believe that I'm standing here talking to a BALL. No offense.
[the other Solarbabies come in]
Metron: So, this "Bodhi"... We still haven't figured out what it is.
Daniel: He's a WHO, not an IT.
Terra: Well, then WHO is it?

Movie Connections:

References Dune (1984)

Soundtrack:

Love Will Set You Free

cheap production, good enough for a spare evening

This movie has most obviously been made on a very tight budget. It becomes obvious by the fact that the big bad government's military is represented by a surprisingly small number of units including two tanks and eight soldiers only. Thus, it needs a little imagination to believe the story of a few kids fighting a huge Nazi-like system. Furthermore, most costumes seem to be recycled from other movies. Uniforms quite similar to those used by the bad guys have been seen in "Dune" and "Battlestar Galactica" before. So, I felt it to be a little hard to get myself into the right mood for letting my mind go.

Nonetheless, the film has a message to tell, and even though that message has been around quite a few times, I found it worthwhile watching.