This is a Charles Band production. We’ve been finding Charles Band has a lot to do with our journey through beer and B-Movies. Michael saw this film at a drive-in theater when he was a kid, and it was one of the coolest things he’d seen up to that time. 3D and a “Mad Max” rip off? You know it.
For this episode we sip Bell’s Hopsoulution Double IPA. Bell’s is based in Michigan. Everything they do is top notch, and whatever style you’re into, they likely do it, and do it well. Very drinkable double IPA. Check out their website.
Dogen, our hero, is a Ranger Finder Class. Doesn’t do a ton of finding. We question how good he is at this finding, actually. And the actor, Jeffrey Byron, was hired for his looks, rather than acting skill, we’re pretty sure. Dogen wears a motorcycle helmet while in his car. But only when he’s alone. When someone else is with him, they sit uncomfortably close and Dogen wears no helmet. He also has some really odd stares.
This film has Tim Thomerson. Tim Thomerson rules, and we really mean that. He’s awesome. He plays the roguish, smart mouthed, found-in-a-bar-drunk (because of course) Rhodes, who Dogen gets to help him on his quest. It should be noted Dogen’s quest was to find Jared Syn, but he does a whole lot of stuff other than that for the better part of the film.
The cyborg character Baal, was the real attraction to this film. In the trailers he pointed a mechanical half arm at the camera, then the arm would expand, and a green acid would shoot out. In 3D this was supposed to be awesome, and it was. It doesn’t hold up. Also, Jayson and Michael both remembered the acid being like the alien blood from “Alien,” melting through stuff. But, it’s a hallucinogenic that sends you into a dream world, where Baal’s father, Jared Syn, steals your soul and traps it in a ‘storage cell for life force.’ Yes, that’s what they called it.
We tried to suss out the plot, we really did. Jared Syn’s stirring up trouble among the nomads, one eyes and cyclopean people. We think the one eyes differ from the cyclops folk in that they once had two eyes, but now have one. Jayson name drops Richard Moll, who plays Hurok, a leader of the one eyes who goes from adversary to ally.
We believe they wanted this film to be first in a franchise. From the title to the ending, to the mysterious Sand Wars Rhodes was apparently in, point to this. Not sure what happened, though. We really wanted a film following Tim Thomerson through the Sand Wars. That would have been awesome.
So many cheap 3D moments in this. From Baal’s arm, to the ‘Electric Monster’ Jared Syn conjures, to the final skybike chase, where Jared Syn escapes through an ‘energy tunnel’ (yep, that’s the name they gave it).Kelly Preston’s character was almost needlessly inserted in this film.
We realized women were woefully underrepresented and Michael thinks they weren’t interested in writing for women, and may have been forced to insert her character by Charles Band.
We’re both fans of this one, and recommend it highly. Especially if you’re listening to us drinking Bell’s Hopsoulution and chatting about it, you’ll want to get this one under your belt, sooner or later. Also, Tim Thomerson rules.
Thanks!
Intro music for this episode is a mix of (1) Turn on The Funk (Story Blocks Audio subscription), (2) sample 1961’s The Phantom Planet [in the public domain], and (3) sample 1968’s Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women [in the public domain]. Outro music is "80's Synth Film Soundtrack by Bobby Cole (Story Blocks Audio subscription).
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