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Good points: 1) The opening sequence (supposedly within the bowels of a secret military base) is one of the most frightening nuclear war sequences filmed. 2) The "Landmaster" vehicles are the ultimate in monster trucks. Imagine, an armored RV that can climb over rocky terrain, dodge killer storms and overgrown insects at 60 MPH, and is amphibious... oh yes, and you can use parts from any junkyard to fix it, too. 3) The weather effects were unbelievable for when it was filmed (1977 -- no computers were injured in the making of this film!) and would be hard to duplicate today unless Industrial Light and Magic took a shine to the project. 4) Jan-Micheal Vincent has his eyes open, and George Peppard was still in his pre-"A-Team" form.
But seriously, this is one of the better sci-fi "survivors versus the world" movies. The book outlined the cataclysmic weather as part of a "freak shift in the jet stream" but I think the nuclear war premise is more likely to kick the earth off its axis. Add to that overgrown scorpions, carnivorous cockroaches, and more than a few wildly desperate (dare we say "cannibalistic"?) survivors, and the journey from western desert to midwest town becomes much like Odysseus's ten-year trek home from the wars.
Now, if someone would only resurrect the Landmaster for a truck show, I'd be happy.
score 8/10
DcnBlues 26 January 1999
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0152576/ |
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23-2-2021 00:05:17