Never Too Young to Die (1986) Poster

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6/10
On the eighth day, God created this movie...
utgard1413 March 2014
This has to be seen to be believed. John Stamos plays college gymnast Lance Stargrove whose father is a super spy that still finds time to send him care packages. When Dad is killed by hermaphrodite Velvet Von Ragnar (Gene Simmons), Stargrove teams with sexy spy Danja Deering (Vanity) to get revenge. Oh yeah, Simmons wants to poison the water supply with radioactive waste or something.

Stamos brings perfect hair to his role, which is the most important thing. There are lots of scenes of him doing gymnastics. Perhaps the director was a fan of '80s classic Gymkata. He also rides a dirt bike because in the '80s dirt bikes were cool. One of the many highlights of the movie is when Stamos is being beaten up by two of Simmons' thugs. He is crying like a little baby but then he sees a picture of his dad. Suddenly he's like Popeye on a spinach high and he kicks the crap out of the bad guys ("The name's not scumbag, it's Stargrove! Lance Stargrove!").

Vanity is a stone fox, as usual. She also has a nude scene, as usual. Her seduction of John Stamos I will mock publicly but privately I thought it was hot! Gene Simmons is gross to look at dressed in drag but a hoot hamming it up as the super villain. Seeing him flirt with Stamos is priceless. He also likes to use his middle finger for...well, I won't spoil it. There's an Asian inventor friend of Stamos' who, at one point in the film, wears an outfit that is practically every color known to man. George Lazenby plays the spy dad. I'm sure some casting director beamed from ear to ear over that ingenious casting. He dresses like a Ghost Buster and uses a bulletproof umbrella as a shield. In a scene that I'm certain was the actor breaking the fourth wall, Lazenby says to Simmons "Oh come on, this is stupid."

The movie is filled with laughably cheesy music. The song that plays during Stamos' first scene keeps repeating his character's name "Stargrove" over and over. Simmons gets to sing during his club routine ("Yeeeah!"). There's also a rather cheesetastic tune that plays leading up to Stamos taking Vanity to Pound Town.

This is the kind of movie you just don't see anymore. These days when they try to do trash like this, it's always so self-aware and obvious that it takes the fun out of it. Truly "so-bad-it's-good" flicks don't try to be bad on purpose. If you ever wondered what Uncle Jesse did before Full House, all your questions will be answered here. This movie is so awesome it will change your life. If you watch this, it will make a man out of you. So female viewers beware.
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5/10
Another entry in the "see it to believe it" genre.
Hey_Sweden5 May 2017
Only in the 1980s could we get something this gloriously deranged and utterly idiotic. It's flashy, and it's dumb, and it's obviously proud to be so. It's essentially a "junior James Bond" as John "Uncle Jesse" Stamos plays Lance Stargrove, a college athlete whose dad Drew (one time Bond George Lazenby) is a spy. Dad isn't THAT great at his job, though, managing to get killed by the movies' villain. And what a doozy this villain is. He/she is Velvet Von Ragner (rock star Gene Simmons), a hermaphroditic megalomaniac with a legion of followers who look like refugees from a "Mad Max" knock-off. Lance determines to get some revenge, hooking up with our leading lady, Danja Deering (supremely sexy Vanity), just one of dads' "associates".

This one is pretty bad, all right, but that doesn't mean it ain't entertaining. The action scenes are decent enough, the stunts and camera work especially effective. The costumes on the henchmen are absolutely hilarious. The upbeat pop soundtrack consists of some pretty rancid cheese, yet unfortunately it will stick in your head, especially the title theme song. Director Gil Bettman ("Crystal Heart", "Night Vision") works from a terminally silly script credited to Steven Paul (of "Slapstick (Of Another Kind)" infamy) and Anthony Foutz, that is wise to include some very alluring scenes with Vanity, as well as the kind of gadgetry we often come to expect in an espionage thriller.

Stamos is okay as the hero, no more; he lacks a strong screen presence. Vanity definitely fares better. Supporting roles and bits are played by the likes of John Anderson ("Psycho" '60), Ed Brock (in his one and only movie role), Peter Kwong ("Big Trouble in Little China"), Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund (wasted in a nothing part), Tara Buckman ("Silent Night, Deadly Night", "The Cannonball Run"), Patrick Wright ("Track of the Moon Beast"), and Branscombe Richmond ("Hard to Kill"). But this thing really belongs to Simmons, who clearly realized he was doing a p.o.s. movie, and gives it some flair by camping it up something fierce as the bad guy / gal.

Recommended mainly to completists who'll gladly lap up the craziest things that the 80s had to offer.

Five out of 10.
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5/10
A Bond Jr. Vanity Project
thesar-29 August 2019
Maybe, unlike the title, I'm getting too old, but dang it...this was fun.

Oh, this is bad, terribly bad, but in a good way. The ole: So bad, it's good. Well, thanks, How Did This Get Made? I listened to their podcast review of this bad flick first, and then watched the movie. And now, I have to go back and listen to it all over again. And why? They were spot on with their enjoyment of this crazily stupid movie.

And yes, I'll be spending 270 minutes on this film. (90 minutes for the podcast, 90 for the actual film and another 90 re-listening to said podcast.) And I'm not ashamed to admit it.

The plot revolves around a non-gymkata gymnast whose dad is absent for most of his tournaments and it turns out, Daddy's a spy! Well, when Father's out of the picture, it's up to Junior and Vanity to take on Rocky Horror so the Batman won't Begin.

Is this for everyone? Absolutely not. It's for people who both appreciate cinema and at the same time, need some cheese with their wine.

***

Final thoughts: With these bad movies, I generally find them for free on YouTube. I did not in this case, so I simply checked my Amazon Prime account and BAM! there it was. For free. Well with my account, that is. So, I had to see it. And it was so deliciously Bmovie, I have to recommend it.
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Titillating nipple biting with a twist.
anthonyfeather12 December 2002
This movie is bad. But it's the laughable, entertaining kind of bad you find in movies like Grease II. You see great and crummy actors and actresses cast together that you would have never imagined, EVER. Gene Simmons of KISS fame plays the villainess gal with 'something extra'. You camp it up, Gene! You gotta love Gene Simmons, who has been playing in drag longer than Dame Edna. John Stamos plays himself basicly, no change in hair or motivation. He's handsome enough I suppose, but there is no acting range for this man. George Lazenby (one time James Bond) even makes an appearance!! Vanity made her career on those flawless cheekbones/exotic beauty, matched with dazzling clothes and sexy prancing, works her formula to the hilt. But she's convincing, because she seems like the type who really could beat the stuffing out of someone. She's a tough gal, secret agent with a heart of gold. The flirtation scene between John Stamos, Vanity and the garden hose will make heterosexual men lose sleep over her. (And make transvestites pine for Vanity's jungle bikini) The breast and nipple biting in this movie will truly surprise and titillate you! See it to laugh, to mock, and to marvel at the feminine charms of Gene Simmons. Nothing beats a great pair of legs!
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3/10
John Stamos must stop evil hermaphrodite Gene Simmons!
a_chinn27 January 2018
"Stargrove, Lance Stargrove." John Stamos plays the son of super spy George Lazenby (you know, the guy who played James Bond in one movie) in this 80s teen oriented Son-of-Bond type of story. When his super spy dad is murdered, high school gymnast Stamos teams up with his dad's former partner, 80s sexpot Vanity, to stop evil hermaphrodite Velvet Von Ragner (Gene Simmons). Generally speaking, this film is a mess, but it's a glorious unintentionally hilarious mess. Try to imagine if Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-N-Furter from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was suddenly a James Bond villain, which admittedly would be pretty funny, except this film couldn't seem to make up it's mind if it wanted to be an straight James Bond action film or a spoof. Simmons many "disguises" wouldn't fool anyone outside of Scooby Doo and it's completely baffling why Simmons' army of henchmen are dresses like refugees from a Max Max film. Why would the creators of this film have thought the world wanted another gymnast action hero after 1985's rousing flop "Gymkata"? I suppose this film was directed by Gil Bettman, the man behind "Knight Rider" and "BJ and the Bear," so he is someone who thought the world needed a crime solving car and road stories of a trucker and his pet monkey. Oh, you also get Robert Englund in a hammy role as one of Simmons' henchmen. I'm pretty sure both England and Simmons realized this movie was a mess, but I'm not sure anyone else did. Only worth watching as a so-bad-it's-good viewing experience.
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5/10
Gene Simmons is the only reason to see this one.
sttia14 August 2001
Gene made me laugh until I cried. He took this horrible mess and ran with it. The rest of the cast...well, what rest of the cast? This one is a real stinker but if you're a hardcore KISS fan you can appreciate the utter hilariousness of Gene's performance. Don't get me wrong, this movie overall is the worst I have ever seen but if seeing Gene Simmons in drag will live on tape long enough for my grandkids to see it, then it's worth it. LOL I pull it out of the cabinet whenever I need a good gut busting laugh with a horrible script.
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1/10
Possibly the Worst Movie Ever
b5erik22 December 2019
While Never Too Young To Die may not REALLY be the worst movie ever made, it was certainly one of the worst, and maybe the worst made in the big action movie era, and the worst movie that comes across as camp that was intended to be serious. (It certainly doesn't go far enough into camp territory to really work as camp, but it's just ludicrous enough that you can't take it seriously, either.)

Bad story? Check. Bad script? Checked twice. Bad Editing? Check. Bad direction? Again, checked twice. Bad acting? Checked ten times. The entire creative team behind the camera is amateurish to the extreme.

A good director would have reined in Gene Simmons. He has some acting ability, but left to his own devices he goes WAY too far over the top and becomes so silly it's stupid. John Stamos is John Stamos, and he could be barely passable in a movie like this, but the script and direction are so bad that he had no chance. Vanity looks great and is OK in her role. George Lazenby (one time James Bond) is wasted. And Robert Englund hams it up almost as badly as Gene Simmons does!

I wasted four bucks on a late afternoon matinee showing when this first came out, but it's not the money that bothers me, it's the two hours of my life that I never got back.

Awful, simply awful.
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7/10
Sweet Screaming Jesus, Save Us!
scorpio-x24 July 2001
Warning: Spoilers
***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** Wow. I've seen a lot of crap in my life, but this, this may truly be the worst of it all. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, I wanted to hide under my chair, but I was paralyzed with fear and disbelief.

So, what happens? Well, let's see... John Stamos and his big poufy head of hair play Lance Stargrove, a high-school gymnast who wears either creepily tight jeans or scarily semi-transparent white Z. Cavaricci pants. His dad--played by George "I was James Bond once. Once." Lazenby--was some spy who got whacked for some computer disc that can contaminate! the city's entire! water supply! forever! (I guess it has some kind of water-soluble virus on it.) Vanity plays his dad's former partner or something, in a lot of spandex and bronze makeup and the two of them have to get dad's killer and find the disc.

And who was his dad's killer? None other than Gene Simmons. In drag. Yes, you read that right. Gene Simmons stole one of Cher's old wigs and a few of her cheesier outfits to play a transsexual or transvestite or hermaphrodite or something--the plot is vague on this, as it is with many things. Actually, this entire film feels as though it was generated by Mad Lib. And Gene Simmons has an army of Road Warrior-rejects to do his bidding, all done up in the best "punk" attire the crack-addled, clinically insane and underpaid wardrobe lady could come up with, including that ubiquitous spike/shag synthetic "punk" wig that appeared (usually with wraparound sunglasses) in every "punk" crowd scene during the 80's. (And I say underpaid because she had to measure Stamos for those pants. And Simmons for the gold lame corset. Let us shy away from Vanity's buckskin fringed bikini altogether.) As if all this weren't disturbing enough, Robert "Freddy Kreuger" Englund appears as Simmons' lackey. And sometimes they touch each other. In unsettling ways.

Other disturbing events? How about the seemingly endless and definitely pointless scene in which Vanity strips, hoses herself down, takes her top off and hoses herself down more while Stamos chomps down on a variety of apples and bananas like a 70-year-old redneck with a half-pound of tobacky stuck in his craw. How about the scene where Simmons unfurls the tongue that once rocked Detroit City and sticks it down the throat of Stamos? The array of really bad fake facial hair inexplicably sported by various characters throughout? No wonder Vanity left the entertainment industry and turned Christian: After just watching this movie, I felt like I should spend the next three years praying for forgiveness.
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3/10
It is a rip off of every action movie released before 1986 more so from the James Bond movies
jordondave-280857 April 2023
(1986) Never too Young to Die ACTION

It concerns a transvestite leader of his own pack named, Carruthers, (Gene Simmons) sought for a floppy disc for the purpose of contaminating the water supply. George Lazenby has a small role as the hero's father Drew Stargrove who is really a secret agent killed as a result of attempting to prevent Carruthers from achieving this. Motivating his son, Lance Stargrove (John Stamos) to take finish off what his dad had started who is totally oblivious who his father was an agent.

It is a rip off from every action movie released much of the 1980's from Mad Max to the James Bond movies.
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7/10
This was Gene Simmons' movie all the way!
TedEBear4 April 2000
Oh, god. The plot bites big wind. John Stamos is too earnest for his own good. Vanity took things WAAAAAAAAYY too seriously. Gene Simmons seemed to be the only person on the set who knew what a piece of crap this movie was. And literally ran with it. He was having just way too much fun with the whole absurd mess (admit it--John Stamos and Vanity generated about as much sexual chemistry as a game of Chutes and Ladders. And a computer program called "Ram-K"? I don't whether to laugh or cry) and wasn't expecting to be nominated for any awards. Throw in a few chase sequences with very little or no tension, a sucky soundtrack, and Gene Simmons showing off the costumes he stole from Cher when they broke up, and I'll buy the popcorn! (I don't know about you, but after seeing this, I want to see Gene Simmons as Frank N. Furter in "The Rocky Horror Show"!)
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2/10
i've seen better acting in commercials...yikes!
rise4peace19 May 2002
This has to be close to one of the worst movies ever made. The plot is so amazingly poor that I am surprised I haven't seen this movie being reviewed on mst3k. The scary thing is that john stamos tries to act, which is a complete joke. You just gotta love gene simmons...come on did he act in this movie while on vacation from the endless kiss reunion tours...garbage.
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10/10
Gene Simmons + Vanity + John Stamos = A Movie Garanteed to Satisfy
Mondo-Cane30 September 2005
While I was browsing about in my local video store, noticing that all the new releases that I have not seen were recycled plots and actors made by the Hollywood hype machine I decided to venture into the vast library of catalog titles. I am very satisfied in doing so, for I would not have discovered this gem in the cinematic coal mine.

This film is pure balls to the wall kick ass fun. Unintentionally funny, action packed, and with a glimpse of 80's beauty Vanity's topless breasts leave the viewer happy he/she rented this item instead of (Insert sitcom to movie remake set in the modern times, stripping it of the greatness that made the sitcom a classic here).

Great to watch with a group of friends.
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7/10
the love making song
ktownplaya2k57 October 2005
I'm pretty sure the song in the love making scene with star grove and vanity is by Dee Dee Bridgewater but does anybody know what the title of the song is!!!if u do please e-mail me at ktownplaya2k5@yahoo.com,thank u very much,by the way the best part 2 me is where star grove is getting beat up then see's his fathers coin and then starts to whoop some butt,hey this movie is cool man,and another good part for me is when if i remember right stamos and vanity were having a car chase on the highway.its been so long but i remember watching this movis so many times when i was little back in 1987 they used to play it so much it ain't even funny but anyway if anybody loves this movie as much as i do email me
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4/10
I'm a Lazenby completist lol
BandSAboutMovies13 November 2017
I grew up on James Bond. More than that, at a young age, I was obsessed with Bond. One magical Christmas, the only gifts I got were the James Bond role playing game from Victory Games and all of the expansions. I saw every single one one of the movies, even the original Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again, the bootleg Sean Connery film that came out of Kevin McClory's legal battles with Eon Productions, the Fleming estate and United Artists. I've seen every Bond ripoff, from Flint to Matt Helm to Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (it helps that Mario Bava directed that one). Post Timothy Dalton, I grew bored with the more realistic Bond and never came back. I grew up with the ridiculous world of Roger Moore.

I get the feeling that plenty of other folks have had similar experiences, thanks to comics like Jimmy's Bastards and Kingsmen (also a series of movies). And this movie — Never Too Young to Die guest stars the Bond from my favorite of the series, the only appearance of George Lazenby, On Her Majesty's Secret Service as Drew Stargrove, but we can just pretend he's James Bond.

Stargrove has a son, Lance. He has a theme song. And he has a mission, to stop psychopathic hermaphroditic gang leader Velvet Von Ragner (Gene Simmons, sure he's in KISS, but let's celebrate his ridiculous IMDb page, where he's either played himself or been in some amazingly insane films, like Trick or Treat and Runaway). But his luck has finally run out. He's dead and his somewhat estranged son must leave behind his gymnastic days at college to take over his role as the best secret agent in the world.

Lance is played by John Stamos, mostly known for TV's Full House. This is his star turn, all fresh faced and ready to break hearts. He's joined on his mission by Vanity, who may have had a short and sweet film career, but got to be in some incredible stuff, like The Last Dragon, Action Jackson, Tanya's Island, 52 Pick-Up and Terror Train.

Your ability to enjoy this film depends completely on your ability to enjoy ridiculousness. And facts like this — the nightclub outfit that costume Gene Simmons wears in the nightclub scene is the same one that Lynda Carter wore for her 1980 ENCORE! special, where she sang KISS' "I Was Made for Loving You."

Read more at http://bit.ly/2jp22Nv
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The most delightfully crappy movie I've ever seen.
Ivanhoe27 July 2001
Many films fall into that 'so-bad-they're-good' category. The guys at Troma have even made it a revered art form. But Troma has yet to match "Never Too Young to Die." Without realising it, the filmmakers have achieved the ultimate tacky 80's action movie. It has just a perfect balance of tacky 80's acting (with "Jessie" from "Full House," Gene Simmons from KISS, and Vanity--what ever happened to her?), tacky 80's action, tacky 80's music, and tacky 80's production design. The plot is the most convoluted mess I've ever seen. That is to say that there really is a plot, but you find yourself smacking your forehead repeatedly in disbelief as the writers juggle tacky 80's clichés, predictable plot turns, and convenient situations that no one would ever buy. And sometimes, it just doesn't make any sense at all. But when all is said and done, the final product is a movie that is just delightfully crappy. My suggestion: rent this movie with some friends and some booze, and have a rollicking good time bashing this movie. I give it a 0 for its poor quality and a 10 for its "entertainment" value. Total score: 5
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3/10
Dreadful
LW-0885425 December 2023
I thought this was actually quite bad, a real James bond knock off. The lead character does not have much charisma, the plot is all over the place, the villain is just bonkers, the effects look cheap and the film seems very low budget. I didn't care either for the music and the costumes are some of the worst of 80s fashion and even the haircuts look terrible. It's like someone set out to make a really bad movie. Some of the editing is also really poor and the film is so bad overall it's almost kind of surreal like you're not really sure your brain can process what it's being shown. Do yourself a favour and skip this.
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7/10
A very entertaining bad movie
jbeaudin210 January 2023
If you like bad movies, then you should watch this. Preferably while high. (I mean c'mon, it's got Gene Simmons in it, you at least wanna be drunk.) On a Bad Movie scale, I'd give it a 7. If I was a weirdo who didn't think that bad movies could actually be good, I'd give it a 4. Richard Nelson of 100films says, "If you dropped A View to a Kill, Rocky Horror, WarGames, and Mad Max 2 into a blender, the end result might be Never Too Young to Die. And if that sounds like a ludicrous, unpalatable mash-up... yep, that's Never Too Young to Die." Which is true. But it's also true that if it sounds like a fun, entertaining mashup, then the end result might be Never Too Young to Die.
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8/10
For a true crowd-pleaser, seek out Never Too Young to Die!
tarbosh220005 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Drew Stargrove (Lazenby) is a top-secret super-agent who has discovered that an awful plot is hatching: The evil Ragnar (Simmons) is going to poison the water supply of the Los Angeles area. When the ruthless Ragnar kills Drew, his son, the younger, more mulleted Stargrove, Lance (Stamos) must pick up where his father left off. Teaming up with the beautiful Danja Deering (Vanity) and his roommate Cliff (Kwong), who is an inventor of wacky, but helpful gadgets (no parallels to James Bond here), they set off to stop Ragnar and his minions.

Where to start with this classic? Never Too Young To Die is a very, very fun and highly entertaining movie - they truly do NOT make 'em like this anymore. Lance Stargrove is a gymnast and Ragnar is a transvestite who performs under the name "Velvet". Any movie with George Lazenby, John Stamos, Vanity and Gene Simmons - not to mention Robert Englund - is going to be a rare gem indeed and the movie does not disappoint. To quote the back of the VHS box (released by Charter), Vanity and Stamos "...must take on the maniacal hermaphrodite." If that doesn't pique your interest in seeing the movie, you're probably dead. And they wrote that like it's no big, unusual thing. God bless the 80's.

Simmons really throws himself into the role he was clearly born to play. Perhaps a bit too much. John Stamos should have done more movies like this. His only other role that's even a little bit similar is as the awesomely-named Grady Westerfall in Born to Ride (1991). There really should have been a Stargrove sequel - even a franchise, like Bond. They certainly say the name enough times, in true Brakus fashion. The whole thing was directed by Gil Bettman, who later directed Night Vision (1997). But this was indisputably his finest hour.

The movie tries to marry the action to typically-80's comedy stylings, and the whole movie, from the names of the characters on down, has a very comic-booky feel. This was typical of the time as movies like The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) and The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak (1984), among other examples, clearly shows.

Thanks to all the weird, goofy, wacky and funny scenarios, time speeds by when watching this gem. The theme song by Tommie Lee Bradley is memorable as well.

For a true crowd-pleaser, seek out Never Too Young to Die.

To check out out more action insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
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10/10
WOW, great movie for the 1986. Year I was born.
ajurries15 January 2006
I just bought this and can't stop watching it. I love Gene Simmons and I'm a big fan of him and KISS. Seeing him as half man and half woman was hilarious. Probably not the right career move, but it's a good movie, even to watch now in 2006. Well Gene Simmons plays two parts, one as Carruthers and the other as Velvet Von Ragner.

It will have you thinking what's going on next and maybe at the end of your seat. Well maybe not at the end of seat, but still it's Gene Simmons, so you got to love it. Hope you enjoy, I sure did-well still do.

Oh and there is a sex scene with John Stamos and Vanity. Doesn't show much, but it does show some of Vanity naked. I don't think this is a good movie for kids under 17 so see b/c there is blood and such too. A lot of violence (well not a lot, about average).
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10/10
Lance (John Stamos) takes on the sheman Ragnar (Gene Simmons) in an 80´s environment
Pblanck19 July 1999
This is the absolute worst movies I have ever seen. The plot sucks, the actors suck, and the script sucks. However this is what makes the movie absolutely excellent. The sheman Ragnar (Gene Simmons) has an evil plan to pollute a citydam by putting toxic in it. A device developed by the father of Lance (George Lazenby - ex 007) is needed and his evil rocker horde fights John Stamos over it. Fantastic ending sequence when Lance (John Stamos) forces the metal nail of Ragnar into the shemans neck followed by a 100 m drop into the dam.

John Stamos is a perfect cast with his shoulder-long Prince Valiant hair and so is Gene Simmons with his extravagant transvestite acting. I laughed through the hole thing. Candidate for the title worst production ever.
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10/10
I don't know what the others are thinkin..but this film is the phat!
TheRealDeal20 July 2002
This movie is the great. I don't see how anyone could sit up and possibly say anything like some of the stuff I've read about this film from the other comments. Take it from me, a true non-biased critic that this movie Never Too Young To Die, is a great action film...Gene Simmons is awesome...Plays the hell out of that Hermaphrodite role..Vanity..beautiful and wonderful acting....Stamos is ok...but would have preferred to have seen Someone else play the role of Stargrove.. The film is a spy flict. full of action....and surprises..You also get to see Vanity half-naked...that's makes you want to watch it even more..Take it from me....if you like action movies with a twist, this is perfect....if you like deranged...strange....unique movies...go out and rent this right now
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Wow ...
arcanum1624 July 2001
This movie is so horrifying, stultifyingly bad that it's total lack of anything that could remotely be termed "quality filmmaking" deserves some sort of Nobel Prize. (After which anyone involved in this project, down to the caterers, should be bundled up and sent to The Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity.) It's one of those very rare projects that leaves your jaw dropped in sheer aghastness from beginning to end. They say "Plan 9 From Outer Space" was the worst movie ever made. No. I've seen "Plan 9" and this makes it look like "2001: A Space Odyssey."
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10/10
Simply a must see.
unclebusu4 May 2002
This movie is so bad, I simply had to rate it a ten. It's like the odometer in your car. If you drive it long enough, it will come back around to zero. Starting at ten, this film moved so far down my scale, that it came back around to the top. It is a model of perfection in the realm of the awful. I love it! If you are a fan of Mystery Science Theatre, find a copy and gather up friends to roast this rare slice of Americana. One can only pray that a special edition DVD is on the way. Can you imagine the audio track with Gene Simmons and John Stamos bantering back and forth about wardrobe difficulties or the weak coffee at craft service? The George Lazenby trivia game?! Not every movie has to be Casablanca to be a classic, so enjoy "Never Too Young To Die
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8/10
Vanity project
juliankennedy2319 March 2018
Never Too Young to Die is one of the most eighties films you will ever see. The film stars John Stamos who joins forces with his father's partner Vanity after daddy is killed trying to prevent a hermaphrodite, played by Gene Simmons, from poisoning the towns water supply.

The Good: Vanity and Gene Simmons. Vanity is simply ethereal in this film. There doesn't seem to be a shot where she isn't effortlessly beautiful. She also shows decent action and acting chops. She is not Meryl Streep mind you but compared to say Denise Richards in The World Is Not Enough she is a cut above as the action heroes girlfriend.

Gene Simmons is the other gem. Channeling both Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-N-Furter and The Joker. He takes what could have easily been an offensive and problematic bad guy and makes him/her so over the top offensive and problematic it becomes a delightful tour de force.

The Bad: Well the rest of the movie. George Lazenby (That guy who keeps Timothy Dalton from being the world's worst Bond) is kinda just there and while John Stamos isn't awful by any means he can hardly hold his own against Vanity and Gene Simmons. (Yeah let that thought roll around in your head a minute.)

Gene Simmon's minions look like they wandered off the Death Wish 3 set or perhaps a post-apocalyptic Full Moon Feature. They are entertaining enough but so out of place in the universe as is the army chasing them. Gil Bettman's direction is a simple point and shoot affair with some strange choices. He shoots a sex scene that clearly calls for an Emmanuel style soft focus linger in the same fast cut back and forth he shoots the action scenes.

Overall: This is not a good movie. This, however, is an incredible eighties film. Vanity and Simmons simply elevate the already insane base material to a new level. It may not be defensible but it is sure entertaining.
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8/10
Delightfully ludicrous 80's action trash
Woodyanders30 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Gymnast Lance Stargrove (a likable performance by the hunky John Stamos) joins forces with lovely, but lethal secret agent Danja Deering (a winningly vibrant portrayal by the insane foxy Vanity) in order to stop evil power-crazed hermaphrodite criminal mastermind Velvet Von Ragnar (a gloriously hammy and outrageous Gene Simmons) from poisoning the city's water supply.

Director Gil Bettman, working from an incredibly inane script by Steven Paul and Anton Foutz, keeps the enjoyably absurd story moving along at a brisk pace, treats the kitschy material in an engaging tongue-in-cheek manner, and stages the rousing action set pieces with gusto. Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast: Stamos and Vanity make for appealing leads, Simmons has a field day with his juicy villain role, plus there are neat contributions from Peter Kwong as Lance's nerdy inventor buddy Cliff, Robert Englund as sinister computer geek Riley, George Lazenby as Lance's suave spy father Drew, John Anderson as businesslike lawyer Arliss, and Ed Brock as hulking flunky Pyramid. The gaudy fashions (Ragnar's minions come across like a bunch of punk rejects from a failed casting call for a low-rent "Road Warrior" rip-off), cheesy hair band rock soundtrack, and alarming array of ghastly big hairdos all give this picture a certain endearingly tacky 80's period charm. David Worth's slick cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. The mechanically bouncy synthesizer score by Lennie Niehaus hits the stirring spot. A total schlocky hoot.
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