"All the dead are dead, and the living are dying." - Old Man
Survivors of the nuclear holocaust make a dangerous journey.
Starring: Jan-Michael Vincent, George Peppard, Paul Winfield, Dominique Sanda
Link to IMDB
The movie opens with World War III in full swing, and we watch as dozens of nuclear bombs are dropped on the United States. The story follows a group of soldiers that are living inside an underground bunker, safe from the destruction.
A year or so passes and the soldiers are still in the bunker, but then tragedy strikes when a fire destroys their living quarters and kills people.
The man in charge is Major Denton, and now he's tasked to find a new home for the survivors. Along with two main men, Tanner and Keegan, they plan to head east towards Albany where a radio signal is broadcasting. Since the countryside is a radioactive wasteland, they'll be traveling in a large armored vehicle called the Landmaster.
 |
| Tanner Keegan Janice Maj. Denton |
Along the way they pick-up a few people that have survived in the wastelands, a lady named Janice and a young boy. But they also encounter a wide variety of dangers and hazards on their journey through an ecosystem that has gone wild. Gigantic sandstorms, flesh-eating cockroaches, mad men with beards, and more!
Aided by a decent budget and good actors, this disaster/adventure movie is quite entertaining. Despite some leaps of logic, it feels like a lot of care went into the story and creating a believable world for the characters to live in. It still comes across as a B-movie, but you can tell they were definitely aiming for this to be a blockbuster alongside the likes of The Towering Inferno and Earthquake.
 |
| This happens |
I've got to mention the great music. It's a mix of traditional Hollywood fanfare with some rather wild synths bleeping, buzzing and skittering around. It revels in being bombastic, and really makes the tense sections a lot of fun.
My only complaint would be that the ending felt a bit weak, because they play it a bit too safe. Other than that, this is a great adventure movie with just enough weirdness to keep it from taking itself too serious.
Be sure not to miss:
- I don't recommend taking motorcycle rides with Tanner.
- The Landmaster is a fully functional vehicle, not just a prop. Its wikipedia page is rather interesting.
- The kid is played by a young Jackie Earle Haley.
Internet review:
"This is a really fun movie if you like post-atomic flicks!" -robespierre9
Should I watch it?
Yes.
Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.
Damnation Alley gets...
No comments:
Post a Comment