Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)

One thing “Mad Max” certainly did was clear the path for a lot of hired machinists in the 80s with “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone” a definite case in point. You might get serious “Road Warrior” vibes when seeing Peter Strauss buccaneering with laser pistol in hand while hopping about a pirate ship tailored for this railway system, engaging in a laser fire and fisticuffs batle with helmeted marauders looking to secure three valuable women having found their unfortunate landing (the escape pods from an exploding space station take them to the nearest planet that can sustain them) on a planet featuring a hostile overlord named Overdog (Michael Ironside, with painted white head, buried under a lot of mechanics and metal body frame, with robot claw arms) and his partner-in-crime, The Chemist (Hrant Alianak), who likes to inject drugs in those they capture (when they aren’t dumped in this labyrinthine Junk Metal Death Games, booby-trapped with flaming floors, trapdoor pits with protruding cutwire and assortment of distorted blades, moving conveyers that carry folks towards assembly lines of various blunt and sharp objects, among other bad ways to die. The end really lets Molly Ringwald (orphaned and marooned on this godforsaken hellplanet to try and survive with wits and guts even if she bellyaches and gripes in this grating tone at times) ingeniously survive all Overdog’s death traps can throw at her (also making this even more intimidating is how all of this is squeezed in what looks like caverns hollowed out, giving the labyrinth an especially claustrophobic, tightly confined menace. Overdog requesting his guards undress the girls kidnapped by skydiving troopers under the command of The Chemist…these three girls are worth quite a sum which inspires Strauss’ bounty hunter, Wolff, to pursue their whereabouts, encountering Ringwald’s Niki as she tries to commandeer and drive off in his refurbished rough terrain vehicle, reinforced with metal framework to keep the elements and pesky outside desert dwellers at bay. The Utah and Arizona locations for the film provide plenty of treacherous and yet still idyllic backdrops for the “Forbidden Zone” where Wolff and Niki’s adventures include encounters with a female warrior tribe looking to possibly breed Strauss, mutant children with explosives sending off this ominous harmony while up on cliffs overlooking Wolff, Niki, and a former acquaintance of Wolff’s from the past, Washington (a welcome Ernie Hudson helps bring some charm and brevity to the film because Strauss can be a bit of a cocky egomaniac, exuding arrogance and cocksure confidence in himself.)

My disappointment is that Andrea Marcovicci, as Strauss’ engineer and repairs android (with a nice pair of legs) gets bumped off way, way too early in the film, not long after they land on Overdog’s planet (eventually undermined by war and plague, not to mention, crime and totalitarianism). As Chalmers, Marcovicci actually has more vibrant personality than the leads who can be a bit annoying. The junkyard aesthetic of “everything can be used”, whether to build hybrid vehicles, cities, and even keep Overdog alive is ingenious, as those savvy enough to create architectural and automotive wonders out of discarded metal, pipes, wire, and assorted scrapheap materials really put a lot to artistic use. The 3D credits (including the title of the film and The End) and stirring adventure score (from Bernstein) fit the tone of this obviously purposely hokey sci-fi fantasy that even includes a dragon reaching from a river to snap at Strauss and these grotesquely squishy cavern chubs with fat-rolls trying to snatch Wolff and Niki. Hudson hopes to “catch a ride” with his “old pal”, Wolff, wanting to leave behind the planet that offers very little comfort (he drives around a running-on-fumes, smoke-exhausting, on-its-last-legs automotive equivalent of a geriatric hanging on for dear life) or chance to have any sort of decent existence. Eventually Niki, too, will want to accompany Wolff on adventures off the planet. The language Ringwald is tasked with getting across as planet specific can be a bit laughable…she’s got a lot of spirit but the tone of her voice and how she can be a bit of a brat make it more difficult to embrace her. Strauss often has to “set Ringwald straight” such as when he dumps her in a pond and has her clean up or throws her a blanket while he rests comfortably in an inflatable sleeping bag with extra puff to counteract the hard ground. He argues with her and scolds her while she often gives as much as she takes, although it is often with a whiny or hissyfit retort. Because the film is so loaded with action and adventure, and the location shooting so eyepopping, and the scrapheap design so effective, I could tolerate them. And it does help that Ironside and Hudson are in the film to provide distinct characterizations. Ironside, despite under heavy makeup and costume, still manages to bring out a very incorrigible, sadistic lead heel while his Chemist makes your skin crawl. 3.5/5. This was a nice little sleeper from 1983, eventually blanketed by the dark shadow of “Return of the Jedi”. Wolff's ship is very much held together barely in one piece, seemingly cobbled together with whatever parts he can scavenger across the cosmos.