Peter Strauss plays bounty hunter Wolff - a definite Han Solo type - who takes on the job of rescuing three lovely young women who crash landed on a barren planet. There, they were taken captive by the minions of vicious, omnipotent mutant villain Overdog (Michael Ironside). Wolff acquires some initially unwanted companions on his adventure. Washington (Ernie Hudson) is a former associate with whom he butts heads. And Niki (Molly Ringwald) is a feisty teen aged orphan who brags that her tracking skills can lead Wolff to the lair of Overdog and company.
Minor but diverting 3-D sci-fi just gets better and better - well, so to speak - as it goes along, throwing everything *and* the kitchen sink at the viewer for the sake of a good time. The sets are the most impressive element. The makeup effects and costumes are also pretty good; get a load of the outfit that Ironside is obliged to wear. The music by old pro composer Elmer Bernstein is suitably rousing. The screenplay itself is nothing special - with overuse of goofy jargon - but director Lamont Johnson ("The Last American Hero", "Lipstick") handles the proceedings capably, if not stylishly.
The supporting characters are really more engaging than the leads. Ironside once again proves himself a great movie villain. Andrea Marcovicci is so damn sexy and appealing in her brief screen time that you really miss her once she's written out of the story. Hudson is rock solid as always. Strauss is okay, but his character is rather smug and not terribly likable. He takes a while to grow on you, as does Ringwald, who will probably strike many viewers as being overly whiny.
The best bit: Niki being forced by Overdog to run through an incredibly elaborate, extremely lethal maze.
Among the "Ghost Busters" connections: Hudson, executive producer Ivan Reitman, Bernstein, and casting director Karen Rea.
Seven out of 10.
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
1983
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
1983
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Plot summary
Three women make an emergency landing on a planet plagued with a fatal disease, but are captured by dictator Overdog. Adventurer Wolff goes there to rescue them and meets Niki, the only Earthling left from a medical expedition. Combining their talents, they try to rescue the women.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
September 14, 2018 at 04:19 PM
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An absolute hoot.
Derivative but solid
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.
Stick with Lucas
Originally released in 3D. Spacehunter comes across as a kid friendly Mad Max knockoff with a bit of Star Wars thrown in.
However the casting of then television mini series king Peter Strauss shows up its B movie pretensions.
Three women land on an alien planet Terra Eleven in an escape shuttle and are captured by the ruthless cyborg, Overdog (Michael Ironside) the ruler of the planet.
Scavenger Wolff (Peter Strauss) an intergalactic bounty hunter enticed by a reward goes to rescue them. He is joined by scavenger Niki (Molly Ringwald) and both go to the Forbidden zone where the women are kept.
Ringwald really grates, the film although starts off interestingly enough, it soon becomes corny and campy. The production design is a plus though.