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One of the first jobs I ever had was with a catering company. Imagine
our excitement being hired on for the desert-location filming of
MEGAFORCE! Everyone involved with the film seemed quite confident that
it was going to become a smash summer hit.
Watching the filming at Nevada's dry lakes, it did feel like something
monumentous was in the making, but nobody could have imagined just how
negative a reaction this movie was going to receive. I almost didn't
want to see it, but curiosity got the better of me. Truthfully, I don't
think it's nearly as horrible as many have made it out to be, though
it's certainly not *good*, either. There's enough vehicle stunts,
random explosions, and weapons futurismo to keep average 12-year-olds
very entertained, and I think that may be exactly what Hal Needham
intended for this project.
I still have a box filled with t-shirts, ball-caps, and other
promotional crap emblazoned with "DEEDS, NOT WORDS". It may not have
the iconic carriage of, say, "MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU", but I'll keep
these things for posterity, anyhow...
...and I hope everyone on the set enjoyed the food...
I was very excited as a kid when this movie was being released to the
theaters. The US Military was apparently on location studying this one
on location to design the future of warfare.
It was STUNNING when Leonard Maltin reviewed this film on television
and was so offended by it that he gave it a ZERO out of ten.
My childhood friend and I went to see it on the opening weekend and
were completely blown away by it's crazy energy. Adding to the
amazement of the day was that the theater was almost totally empty. We
'owned' the place, as if the film was made totally for us.
Back then all we had was allowance money, but decided that we *HAD* to
see it again. We considered rushing back that week, but decided to wait
for the following weekend and to our horror it was gone! It was one of
the tackiest movies ever made, but the energy was like Rambo II on
steroids.
"Normal" people will probably never bother with this one, but if you do
watch at *LEAST* the first 10 minutes, and see the ultra cool
military-machinegun-rocket-motor bike intro scene. The music and
editing made me want to join Megaforce.
Never before, and never again shall we see one like this...and but for
we happy few, the whole world missed it. The audience for this one were
as few and elite as the Megaforce itself! I still laugh with glee about
this film.
I had a sculpture teacher in grad school who would have found MEGAFORCE
a working truistic proof of his revelatory comment one day during a
pointless, time-wasting studio critique of a student who obviously had
no interest in making art when he said "You have to approach art on the
level of Beavis & Butt-Head some days. Stuff either sucks, or it rules,
and I am sorry but your work this semester totally sucks."
Roger would have been a big fan of MEGAFORCE, which I have concluded
does indeed rule. This movie represents a high point, a watershed mark
in western culture which has never since been surpassed. I will leave
plot & character issues to other commenter's -- This movie is either
the dumbest piece of crap ever made by the worst director in history,
or it is a form of kitsch masterpiece that is astoundingly honest about
how utterly brainless it's concept & execution were. The movie has zero
pretense to be anything other than exactly what it is -- a stupid,
loud, moronic action movie with heroic music, explosions, vehicular
stunts, funky looking high tech junk, tight spandexed jumpsuits,
helicopters, jingoistic catch phrase dialog that seems to have been
randomly chosen from old episodes of The Superfriends, and Henry Silva.
Henry Silva is one of those actors whom I marvel at with open
admiration: His ability to make the ridiculous seem perfectly natural
is on the same level as Boris Karloff, and every role he appears in
becomes a Henry Silva performance. Here he is somewhat more animated
than the usual cold as a railroad track on a frozen February morning
hired killer seen in his more typical work as various paid assassins.
You have not truly lived until you have seen Henry Silva blow up people
with his bazooka in THE BOSS & DEATH COMMANDO. A lot of people may
dismiss him as an "actor", but as a character performer he is right up
there with Harry Dean Stanton and Ivor Francis as one of the most
ubiquitously recognizable bad guys from decades of TV & movies. Mr.
Silva, wherever you are, your work is invaluable, and MEGAFORCE is yet
another stunning achievement.
Back to the movie, though, this is going to be one of those things you
either "get" or don't, like The Three Stooges, Tom Waits, professional
wrestling or Rush Limbaugh. You are either going to instantly love it
or wonder why anyone on Earth would consider it to be entertaining, let
alone having cultural value. Art should always be subjective though,
and it should be up to those who consume it to evaluate culture for
themselves rather than allow some idiot to do it for you. MEGAFORCE is
a lesson in subjective taste: It is either a masterpiece or an
embarrassment, will provoke extreme reaction both for and against --
and both sentiments are equally legitimate. It is only those who are
not moved that I pity.
MEGAFORCE can also serve as a time capsule for people who want to
remember what it was like to be 9 or so, and ranks up there with THE
HUMANOID starring Richard "Jaws" Keil and YOR, HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE
with Reb Brown as amongst the most stupid, ham-boned, addle minded but
enjoyable science fiction movies from the 1980's. You are not supposed
to learn anything at ALL, and if you do that's your own stupid fault.
The movies exist as pure entertainment -- One sight of the Megaforce
rolling into battle on their stupid mocked-up motorcycles and absurd
missile launcher armored dune buggies while going against a column of
military tanks was all it took for me to make my decision. The kinetic
explosions & stunts afterward were just icing on the cake: This is
easily one of the coolest movies ever made, and if you don't get it you
never will.
10/10
This movie is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I was an 11 tomboy when it came out and lapped it up. The story's cheesy, the acting way over the top and Introvision left a lot to be desired as an effect process, but still it was fun. Barry Bostwick was a hottie in this film, which is not how I'd usually describe him. Although I had more of a crush on Michael Beck as Dallas. Even as an adult, I still enjoy the heck out of it as whey filled as it is. This is one film that I'm waiting with baited breath to come out on DVD, hopefully in widescreen so I can enjoy it on my 60" widescreen. Megaforce, in my opinion, followed by The Pirate Movie and The Ice Pirates would be the greatest 80's Cheese Ball movie festival ever.
This is my absolute favourite movie to watch to make fun of with
friends.
Have you ever seen an MST3K film? This movie would make great fodder.
The stunts are cheesy, including possibly the worst blue screen ever,
the acting is bad, the plot is laughable ... everything is so bad that
it flips into being awesome.
I highly recommend this movie if you are in the mood to laugh AT a
movie, not WITH it. Watching it by yourself is not really recommended.
I had to rate it highly, even though it's not actually a "good" movie
because I do think people will enjoy watching it.
This movie was definitely a big, fat, fun time...If you're on a low protein diet, watch out, 'cause this movie is chock full o' cheese, cheese, cheese. I really enjoyed watching this movie. The special effects are ok, especially given that the movie was made in 1982. But the gadgets are way,way cool(I want them all!), and the people who made this movie never take themselves or the movie too seriously. If you can imagine Barry Bostwick w/blond hair, then this is the movie for you! As previously stated, the cheese factor is high, but that's the best part of this movie. If you're looking for ground-breaking cinema, don't look here. But, if you want a good laugh & a good time, this film provides you with both.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
*****************SPOILERS*****************
Megaforce is another underrated gem, you had to be there to experience it.
Barry Bostwick is GOD. He plays Ace Hunter, the brash and daring leader of
the elite phantom army Megaforce. This flick was PC even before PC was the
in thing, by showing Megaforce as encompasing races and ethnicities of the
West (NATO). Hal Needham delivers non-stop, this movie is more noises,
bangs, rockets, explosions, guns, tanks, airplanes and cool music. The
great theme music by Jerrol Immel (of Dallas fame). Music note: Who ever
plays those drums are tearing up that drum kit when Ace is chasing the
C-130. The love scene rivals the GREATEST LOVE scene in a movie (which the
greatest love scene is in Superman: The Movie), this one takes place free
falling between Bostwick and Khambatta. Great ending credits song by 707
"Megaforce (Calling out to You).
Special Effects: okay, not the greatest but movies back then caused you to
use your imagination more. Megaforce's hangar looks like an airplane
museum, but hey, it works.
"You should see our other bases with our boats..." explains Dallas, hence a
Megaforce 2 being set up. Still waiting...
Please release this on DVD, widescreen. This is NOT MSTheater
fodder.
I miss your movies Mr. Needham.
I remember this film, because its the first film I ever walked out of. And for this-then action film-obsessed 14-year old, for a film to be so utterly bad that he felt his lack of intelligence being insulted, well that was like a 2 year old telling his mother that the Teletubbies were stupid. I remember when I was first getting into movies, and I would keep a log of what films I saw, when I saw em, and what I rated em (I think I used a scale of 1-to-10), I recall this one getting my first ZERO. More recently I am pleased to find that when I ask others about the film that most people have never heard of it. A few months ago I saw it late night on cable and finally saw the film's ending, and I must say that is as that two year old would say, "stupid". Utterly, embarrassingly, mind-boggingly stupid.
This movie deserves a better rating. It is a classic B movie. There was no attempt to win any awards here. Hal Needham, who is a former stuntman, directed the movie. The stunts are great. There are some great lines from this movie that need to be incorporated into your everyday lives. My wife and I missed this movie in the theaters and had to buy a VCR just to watch it. Maybe the stunts are a little over the top and maybe the writers should have done better, but remember the good guys always win, even in the 2000s. Any military background, or motorcycling background and a sense of humor and I don't see how you can't enjoy this movie.
Nothing wrong with comic book movies. Is there? This one is painfully funny if watched with the right attitude. Acting is camp, characters are cardboard camp, plot is Marvel Comics meets 007 camp... and on and on. Anyone who watches this movie and tries to evaluate it as anything but pure camp (Think TVs BATMAN from the 1960s) is in bad need of taste and IQ points. I don't like Hal Needhum films as a rule, but this one hits a popcorn eating mark. I rate this as a rare cult classic right up there with FEARLESS FRANK and XANADU. A real must be seen to be believed. Anyone who enjoys Monster Truck Pulls and exploding outhouses will marvel at the gadgets and tech in this one. Anyone who finds the art of jabbing at live badgers with a dull fork will also be amused. The character of Dallas is the only negative thing in my opinion. I'm a true Southerner...we'd stomp that rebel yell screaming idiot to death in the parking lot if we had to put up with him. Same actor who played Sonny in XANADU...we would've stomped him to death in that one too, roller blades and all. A 7 for pure camp value.
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