Very disappointing...

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is an embarrassingly bad movie even by early 80s low budget sci-fi standards. You people are all hopped up on nostalgia. Almost everything about this film is absolutely dire, from the acting, to the effects, to some of the most pathetic futuristic sets you'll ever see this side of junk like 1990: Bronx Warriors. If you enjoy watching garbage like this to have a good ironic laugh, that's one thing, but let's all stop pretending that this is anything other than an embarrassing train wreck. This wouldn't even make it onto a list of top 100 cheesy but fun 80s sci-fi movies. Even Ice Pirates is better than this.

This is another under the radar gem and it's another film from my childhood which to me has held up. When I was a kid I was a big fan of "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" so I'm kinda a sucker for pulp sci-fi. Yeah this film is a B grade space opera that's not up there with "Guardians of the Galaxy" and TV show "Firefly" but it's not trying to be, it's just trying to be one thing plain fun and I feel it does it's job in that.I really like the production value, it's all practical effects. I really like the designs of the vehicles and the post apocalyptic world, and the makeup effects on some of the creatures. Even like the worn down look of the futuristic technology. The action is decent it's well choreographed, like the battle on the train boat, but my favorite is the maze.There are a few things that stand out about this film, from the theme song score by one of my favorite movie composer's Elmer Bernstin. It is just fantastic, it's one of my favorite themes of all time it has an adventurous and epic tone to it.I like that they combined both the space opera and post apocalyptic sci-fi subgeneres which I haven't really seen much except in the TV show "Defiance". But despite a grit and slightly dark atmosphere the whole film doesn't take itself entirely seriously, in fact it's pretty much just a light hearted space romp is all.I like that the forbidden zone has just all different kinds of things that make it both fascinating and dangerous. From water amazons and the sea serpent, nasty blubber creatures, motail throwing mutant midgets. Yeah, it's pretty random but most pulp sci-fi has always been that way and it wouldn't be an adventure if we didn't have these random encounters. And the pacing is good, the film constantly moves, isn't too long so there are no slow points or bull crap filler.This film also has a surprising solid cast.Ernie Hudison is solid as Washington whom is kinda a friend and kinda not since he's also a merc. Michael Ironside one of my favorite actors, I thought was really good as the main villain Overdog. I really like the makeup job on him you hardly recognize him. Overdog sort of reminds me of the "X-Men" villain Mojo since he is immobile except for the robotic that support him and uses entertainment to help retain power. He's nasty, scheming, he's kinda funny he's got a few good lines. I really love that voice Michael uses, it's a shame the actor didn't get to play a Deceptacon for the 80's Transformers animated series; though he got to be in the animate series "Transformers Prime"; on a side note Ernie Hudison also stared in that show too which is kinda ironic.Peter Strauss is very good as Wolf sort of the typical, rugged, tough, down on his luck bounty hunter. One thing I really like about the guy and it's something I can emphasize with is how he doesn't really like or want to do the right thing but he does it because no one else will and deep down he does care and have a small sense of honor.Though the character I really like that is my favorite in the film if you can believe it is Niki whom is played by one of my favorite actresses Moly Ringwold. This was the first film I seen the actress in, it was way before I saw (or old enough to see)the John Hughes movies she was famous for. Seeing her in this now is really surreal and the fact this was her first film makes it even more surreal; but hey we have to start somewhere.Anyway, I just love how her character is just energetic, feisty, a bit of a spitfire as she has some really good lines, and she's a little sympathetic as she is an orphaned teen that doesn't have anyone. It's true as some people pointed out she comes off at first a bit annoying but as the film go on her character gets better and you really do warm up to her.And I really like the buddy dynamic between both Wolf and her. It's just so much fun seeing how both of them help each other but also give each other grief along the way. And to me that part of what keeps the film going for me, two people trying to do their job while at the same time trying not to kill each other.Of coruse the highlight of the film for me is seeing Niki go though the maze which to me is one of my favorite suspenseful sequences of all time. It's pretty much like the Eleminator challenge on the TV show "American Gladiators", where she has to figure out how to safely get from point A to B as each obstacle is practically one death trap after the other. It was just cool seeing her go though this and made me wonder why the heck the actress wasn't considered to do suspense thrillers.The only real problem I have is that this didn't become a franchise. From the title, I thought that we were going to have more volumes since this seemed to be just volume one. I wouldn't of minded seeing both Wolf and Niki go on some other adventures may'be the next one could of been an adventure to the robot planet, attack of the space pirates, I don't know and sadly well never know.Overall it's a solid sci-fi, it's not one of the best sci-fi I've seen in my life but it's worth a space romp.Rating: 3 stars

This is what we had to put up with when we couldn't get proper sci-fi films.To be fair, this tale of all-purpose low budget Han solo-lite space ranger Peter Strauss and profoundly irritating wilful argumentative waif Molly Ringwald has quite a lot going for it, and I'm not counting the 3D because I've never seen it. Admittedly, everything it's got going for it has been nicked from somewhere else. The Star Wars influences don't end with Han Solo - there's the theme music to be going along with, not to mention half the other visuals. Mad Max will be calling to collect the other half, and Lon Chaney Sr would like Michael Ironside to return the Phantom makeup from the silent version of Phantom Of The Opera, please.But it's a rip-roaring swashbuckling tale of derring do - lots of action, lots of explosions, larger than life stock characters, some fun set design, lots of trucks with bits stuck on to make them look suitably alien, lots of desolate looking locations (well, one), and just enough story to hang the rest on.These days it comes across as rather more low budget than it actually was, but it isn't really as bad as you might fear from the IMDb score.

Take star wars, mad max 1, 2, 3, running man, barbarella, and some terry gilliam films, mix them together and you have spacehunter. some of these films were made after this one so it shows some originality. I never get tired of watching this film, i think is because there are no dull moments, its just one great scene after another. Its obviously a light hearted sci-fi and the story isn't exactly complicated but it has lots of good points. there are quite a lot of chuckle moments with the strange speak from Niki and the one liners from the reluctant baby sitter Wolf.The effects are very good and still hold up especially the vehicles, no CGI here! I just like the look of it too the colour filters and locations are great to see. well worth a watch if you like any of the above films.