Come Take A Ride in The Creepzone!

Spacehunter Adventures in The Forbidden Zone
1983 | Color | 1 Hr 30 Min | SciFi | PG | Columbia Pictures

Director: 

Lamont Johnson

Writers: 

Stewart Harding

Jean LaFleur

Stars: 

Peter Strauss

Molly Ringwald

Ernie Hudson

Michael Ironside

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.

What happens when your living in the early 80's and you toss Star Wars, Mad Max, and Tron into a blender? You get this wonderful little gem from my early childhood. Far from original and going as far as ripping off R2-D2 sound effects the story starts off as a joke when our hero the Spacehunter is scanning his messages and owes money to everybody including his ex-wife. When he hears of the missing three women and the huge bounty for saving them. Thankfully Lamont Johnson brings us back to normal rather quickly as we land on the planet. 

After landing on the barren world, Wolff set out in search of the woman.  At this point, we are treated to some really cool special effects and visuals. Soon, Wolff joins a battle in progress between a group of marauders and a band of nomads. The Zoners take the women before Wolff can stop them and fly away on jet-powered hang-gliders. Wolff learns from the Scavs that the women were taken into "The Zone" which is ruled by "Overdog". This all leads to our first look at a young Molly Ringwald.

Wolff and Niki (Ringwald) make camp but soon come under attack by a plow looking vehicle. Wolff manages to disable the machine and learns the driver is a former military acquaintance of his – a soldier named Washington (Ernie Hudson), who reveals he too has come to rescue the women as well. On to the Zone, the women are taken to see the Overdog (Michael Ironside), who is revealed to be a hideous cyborg, almost entirely machine, with two metal claws for hands.

What is fun about this movie is there is never a break in the action. Unlike most space operas the pace of Spacehunter never lets up. But for now, Niki claiming to be a tracker takes Wolff into more predicaments from being attacked by mutated (Full Moon Features style) human beings, to strange amazon-like women and a water dragon again never letting up. 

Wolff and Washington finally team up to take down Overdog's fortress where they find the Zoners entertained by captured prisoners forced to run through a deadly maze of obstacles, hazards, and traps. After Wolff spots the women being held in a cage and forms a rescue plan, he takes Niki out of harm's way but you know that never works as she decides to snoop around. She is captured and sent into the maze. 

Wolff spots Niki in the maze and tries to rescue her, but she uses her prowess to reach the end where Overdog congratulates her and drags her back to his lair. The energy, in turn, recharges Overdog. Wolff comes to the rescue Niki and takes on the Overdog. Once the fortress explodes around them, Wolff and Niki run for cover and are rescued by the timely arrival of Washington with three women.   They all race out of the fortress in the nick of time as it explodes behind them.

This movie has it all a great cast, fantastic score and visuals to go along with a fun story that never stops and gives you something new every turn you take. It's been 35 years since I have seen this movie in the theatres and that is a shame. Spacehunters deserves more attention as an 80's space classic. Sure Molly Ringwald drives me nut's in this flick and is most likely the reason I have skipped it all these years but shame on me! 

If your into Cheesy no-brainer movies that do their job of entertaining you, then look into Spacehunters Adventures In The Forbidden Zone. For me, it is pretty easy scoring this one at...

4 Bloody Brains out of Five!!

This Review was part of Moon In Gemini blogathon be sure to stop by and check out the other bloggers as well. Also as a bonus feature I wrote for the blogathon Galaxy of the Dinosaurs