Well, unlike others on here who really didn't like this film, I have to say I rather enjoyed it. It's a B-picture all the way and lifts ideas from other films(the checking for blood is from John Carpenter's "The Thing" and the synthoid is clearly an imitation of the monster android in "The Terminator"), but has a capable cast who bring much to the film. It's also a rather short 80 minutes so the film doesn't outlast it's time. The plot is set in the future where the ozone layer has depleted badly and "thermo-storms" often cause havoc. The ultra-violet rays keep everyone from enjoying life outside and this totalitarian government called Unicorp runs the society of the United States. There is a secret organization called ILU which plan to overthrow this government so the Unicorp has sent out synthoids as watchdogs to keep an eye on possible suspects. On a television station ran by Ralph Waite's Lathan Hooks(I liked Waite so much I wish he had more screen time). His granddaughter Arren(a fine Megan Ward who had done some really good work for Full Moon)knows that Lathan is secretly a part of ILU and uses the TV station as a quiet cover for the group's activities. A motorcycle courier for Unicorp named Tyson(Paul Ganus)brings Lathan a supply of freon and decides to stay until a thermo-storm passes the night. He and Arren bond as friends while Tyson is physically attracted to a schoolteacher named Parice(the foxy soap opera star Eva LaRue Callahan). Jack McGee, a fine character actor who often plays leeches, is Winston Wickett..a relative of a Unicorp rep which is the reason he has a sleazy talk show at Lathan's station. He has invited two porn stars, Sandra and Christie(Elizabeth Maclellan, who is quite good in this movie, and Katherine Armstrong)to shack up with him until the thermo-storm passes. Then there's Quinn, a handyman and electrician, played by "The Devil's Rejects" Bill Moseley. During the night someone kills Lathan and it is told that there's a synthoid loose amongst the group(this occurs when Arren hides from the pack, finds Tyson, cuts him to see if his blood is red, and tells him about that very fact). Will Tyson and Arren find the synthoid before it kills the entire group? This film actually has a decent pace and the robot effects at the end by David Allen are solid but don't last near as long as I'd have liked. Anybody that has indeed seen the low budget films, "Robot Jox" and "Robot Wars" should recognize the robot in "Crash and Burn." Many have sided against it for being unoriginal which is a fair argument, but I have to say I enjoyed it for the cast who do bring it up more than a notch. I was entertained and this is the type of movie that might go over for genre fans with low expectations.
24 Reviews
Not that bad!
Warrior72830 December 2001
Ok, this is not a great movie. But it doesn't attempt to be. It's B movie city, and for that, it's not a half bad movie.
Full Moon productions continues to impress me, with the atmosphere and great b movie schlock they can create, with a shoestring budget.
Full Moon productions continues to impress me, with the atmosphere and great b movie schlock they can create, with a shoestring budget.
I am a glutton for punishment
darren_steven27 May 2003
The cacksters that brought you Arena and Robot jox now bring you this. CRASH AND BURN.
When i was a kid, two films in Gold video, Cheadle Hulme, always stood out Arena and robotjoxs. My dad being a sensible man always refused to rent either of them; because they looked crap.
I have bought all of these films and have to say crash and burn is the worst of the lot. It was the giant robot that did it for me. Why did these people make loads of films about dodgy stop motion robots?
It says on the cover of the box "From the makers of Robotjox and Arena," like this is some badge of honour, trust me it is not. Robotjox had a touch of class but this movie is cack. Watch it for its badness. It seems to have been filmed in an old warehouse, that just happens to have a huge hulking robot rusting away in the garden. Aaaahh
BAD BAD MOVIE. Damn you Transformers you caused these films to be made.
When i was a kid, two films in Gold video, Cheadle Hulme, always stood out Arena and robotjoxs. My dad being a sensible man always refused to rent either of them; because they looked crap.
I have bought all of these films and have to say crash and burn is the worst of the lot. It was the giant robot that did it for me. Why did these people make loads of films about dodgy stop motion robots?
It says on the cover of the box "From the makers of Robotjox and Arena," like this is some badge of honour, trust me it is not. Robotjox had a touch of class but this movie is cack. Watch it for its badness. It seems to have been filmed in an old warehouse, that just happens to have a huge hulking robot rusting away in the garden. Aaaahh
BAD BAD MOVIE. Damn you Transformers you caused these films to be made.
Fine debut for this cast
cac_mika1 August 2004
I really enjoyed this film, it was one of the more interesting "B" type science fiction movies I've seen in some time.
As others have noted, the film is set in the future, when giant robots control the earth. Unfortunately Johnny Sucko isn't in this feature, but the other actors make up for this loss. I do wish they'd have added a plot line explaining what happened to Johnny and also why the giant robot can't do his mega-punch anymore.
Megan Ward (any relation to Sela?) does a fine job as Erin. I can see why she's embarked on a fine career, with just the right mixture of emotion and sexiness.
The plot is a bit plodding in places, like most B movies. And the special effects leave more than a bit to be desired. But the concept is quite imaginative and I must say I was impressed with the take on how our society would develop.
The real discovery is the male lead, Paul G. Anus. I'm surprised that he hasn't shown up in other major roles, as he seems to have a certain magnetism. Maybe with his unfortunate surname he's just destined to be in gay porno or something.
I would definitely rent this movie again.
As others have noted, the film is set in the future, when giant robots control the earth. Unfortunately Johnny Sucko isn't in this feature, but the other actors make up for this loss. I do wish they'd have added a plot line explaining what happened to Johnny and also why the giant robot can't do his mega-punch anymore.
Megan Ward (any relation to Sela?) does a fine job as Erin. I can see why she's embarked on a fine career, with just the right mixture of emotion and sexiness.
The plot is a bit plodding in places, like most B movies. And the special effects leave more than a bit to be desired. But the concept is quite imaginative and I must say I was impressed with the take on how our society would develop.
The real discovery is the male lead, Paul G. Anus. I'm surprised that he hasn't shown up in other major roles, as he seems to have a certain magnetism. Maybe with his unfortunate surname he's just destined to be in gay porno or something.
I would definitely rent this movie again.
Waste of Time and Money
winstonsmith_845 June 2001
This horribly directed 'movie' could be one of the biggest dissapointments I have seen for a while. Being a big fan of the movie, Robot Jox, I came across this in a video store, and the title, Crash and Burn, was one of the lines from Robot Jox that I remembered well and stored in my everyday vocabulary. I saw that there was a robot on the cover... maybe this is a Robot Jox-like movie, I thought in pure excitment. But then reality....horrible reality came upon me. The movie in itself is worthless....horribly directed, bad effects, and a robot which is only in the whole movie for 1 minute. I thought the movie started to go downhill once the main character meets that girl and she asks him to stay over.... me and a friend were both like "NO! Don't stay over!" But he did. And that's the whole movie. Him staying over at some girl's place, hiding from the sun, blah blah blah. Bad plot, horrible acting, crappy script, tight budget..... the list goes on and on. Don't waste your time or money on this. It is not at all like Robot Jox.
I couldn't figure out what Brand was trying to do with this movie
kevin_robbins1 March 2022
Crash and Burn (1990) is another Full Moon Feature I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows civilization as we know it after an economic collapse. An organization known a UNICORN has emerged to safe civilization by banning all technology. When a news station is attacked by a robot killing news casters on air, the survivors in the news room will try to avoid the robot and uncover what happened and why.
This movie is directed by Charles Band (Puppetmaster) and stars Paul Ganus (Lethal Weapon 3), Megan Ward (Encino Man), Ralph Waite (The Bodyguard), Bill Moseley (Night of the Living Dead) and Eva LaRue (Robocop 3).
The storyline for this had some potential but dragged. The film spent too much time focused on the characters and plot and took too long to get to the action and what was happening around them. The kill scenes were weak and the cinematography was disappointing. Some of the wounds were well done and there is a good stab in the face scene, but not good enough to recommend even for horror enthusiasts. Even the shower scene was mediocre.
Overall this felt like it was trying to knockoff The Terminator a little. I couldn't figure out what Brand was trying to do with this movie. I would score this a 3/10 and recommend skipping it.
This movie is directed by Charles Band (Puppetmaster) and stars Paul Ganus (Lethal Weapon 3), Megan Ward (Encino Man), Ralph Waite (The Bodyguard), Bill Moseley (Night of the Living Dead) and Eva LaRue (Robocop 3).
The storyline for this had some potential but dragged. The film spent too much time focused on the characters and plot and took too long to get to the action and what was happening around them. The kill scenes were weak and the cinematography was disappointing. Some of the wounds were well done and there is a good stab in the face scene, but not good enough to recommend even for horror enthusiasts. Even the shower scene was mediocre.
Overall this felt like it was trying to knockoff The Terminator a little. I couldn't figure out what Brand was trying to do with this movie. I would score this a 3/10 and recommend skipping it.
"His noodle is fried".
lost-in-limbo12 November 2010
At least it doesn't live up to its title, which is a good thing. Crash and burnnnnnn. On the other hand it might have been more exciting if it did. I don't know, but I remember liking this straight-to-video b-grade action / Sci-fi fare by Charles Band when I saw it for the first time many moons ago, but upon my recent re-watch I was left slightly under whelmed. Boy did it take awhile for something remotely riveting to occur. My excitement early on arose from catching a glimpse of a movie poster of "The Angry Red Planet" on the wall. Not once, but twice. Outside a pouting Megan Ward and Jack McGee (in a truly offensive mood), everyone else acts robotic. Is this to throw us off
? I don't think so. Bill Moseley is the life of the party
as what starts off as uncharacteristic (in a slumber mood) later on has you thinking now I'm watching Moseley perform. Paul Ganus is your typical handsome, but stoic lead who catches the eyes of the ladies (young and old). He doesn't do much at first, other than look serious. All in a good days work. Actually I guess sex was on mind. Nothing else. Nothing more. As after getting that out of the way (about mid-way through the movie), while lying in bed (for about 10 seconds) his character was thinking straight (well its either that or he's considerably slow off the blocks) and it came to him that something wasn't quite right (during a "heart-pounding" test set-up to find out if everyone trapped in this remote TV station was who they said they were). Now that he knows who the evil corporate Sythnoid robot in disguise is. Although we the audience (and Ward) have already figured that out long ago. It's time to be a hero. Jump out of bed, break the emergency glass and grab the shotgun. Then get pummelled and shot. Talk about an effective hero. However this is when things do liven up. Nasty jolts, stupid one-liners, robots going haywire and Ward making everyone around her look like dummies. "Hey, kiss this!". Director Charles Band does an economical job with J.S Cardone's material and recycles Richard Band's music talents. Visually is works cementing a futuristic wasteland, as the setting is taut and the paranoid unease is felt. In the dying stages you can see where most of the money went to and the effects of the battery powered tinbot put those recent CGI drenched transformers films to shame. Mildly amusing low-rent Full Moon fodder.
Robot Jox 2: Crash And Burn
anne_something6 August 2007
I really liked this movie, a typical B movie thriller of the early 90s
There's one thing i need to point out tho
In some European markets, this movie is officially called Robot Jox 2: Crash and Burn - here's the VHS cover - http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/lovegunner/203804745.jpg
It's interesting that Charles band directed the movie (he was Robot Jox' producer) and that Robot Jox theme plays in the opening sequence of the movie.
An official sequel?
I've never seen that title anywhere else than in Europe
Other than the musical theme, title and giant robot at the end, the movie doesn't have to do anything with it's prequel
There's one thing i need to point out tho
In some European markets, this movie is officially called Robot Jox 2: Crash and Burn - here's the VHS cover - http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/lovegunner/203804745.jpg
It's interesting that Charles band directed the movie (he was Robot Jox' producer) and that Robot Jox theme plays in the opening sequence of the movie.
An official sequel?
I've never seen that title anywhere else than in Europe
Other than the musical theme, title and giant robot at the end, the movie doesn't have to do anything with it's prequel
Big, empty industrial plant and desert = the future!
udar5526 December 2011
The year is 2030 and America is in shambles. Big corporations run the country and the ozone layer has been depleted. A group of folks find themselves inside a remote TV station run by Lathan Hooks (Ralph Waite), who is secretly a member of a resistance group. And hiding among this group of 8 is a cyborg with "crash and burn" orders to kill. This was the third release by Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment (following PUPPET MASTER and MERIDIAN: KISS OF THE BEAST) and the second he directed (after MERIDIAN) for his new label. Revisiting this after 21 years, I'm surprised at how dated it now looks to me. It definitely fits into Band's world of futuristic desert wastelands also featured in PARASITE and METALSTORM. The acting is solid (co-lead Eva LaRue is now a CSI: Miami lead; Megan Ward makes her screen debut), but the plot is as flimsy as can be. The film also features the cheapest excuse to have a 80-foot robot (effects expertly done by Dave Allen and crew) on screen for a few minutes. It should also be noted that the DVD is an absolute mess with tons of ghosting issues. The source print used actually looks worse than the clips featured in the "making of" segment originally from 1990.
Kiss that Ozone layer goodbye and keep to the shade; the future's a harsh ultraviolet flooded wasteland.
Autlan13 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Big Corp, Unicom, isn't content with controlling the national media and jumps at the chance to regulate all forms of communication. They'll do anything to keep post-apocalyptic rebel groups from linking up and forming a resistance movement. Not falling short of sending infiltration teams to cut down any dissenting bodies.
One of the few remaining bastions of free speech, an old industrial plant now housing a T.V station, weathers sand and heat to bring us quality Public Access programming. Unbeknownst to them, Unicom has sent a deadly package.
This B mech-thriller budgets well. The effects aren't spectacular, but the actors do their best to fill with some great characters. Monstrous mechanoid fans be warned though, the goliath depicted on the cover only appears twice, briefly. The antagonist wears altogether softer soles.
One of the few remaining bastions of free speech, an old industrial plant now housing a T.V station, weathers sand and heat to bring us quality Public Access programming. Unbeknownst to them, Unicom has sent a deadly package.
- - -
This B mech-thriller budgets well. The effects aren't spectacular, but the actors do their best to fill with some great characters. Monstrous mechanoid fans be warned though, the goliath depicted on the cover only appears twice, briefly. The antagonist wears altogether softer soles.
Crash and burn jacey says.
jeffreyc-3256720 September 2019
Well seen crash and burn many years ago on video. So I picked it up at my local film 📼 store for £4 so can't really grumble. It would have been better if there were more 🤖 robot fighting machines. As we don't get to see the robot till the last 10 minutes of the movie.
An enjoyable little low-budget straight-to-video bleakly futuristic sci-fi flick
Woodyanders24 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
2030: In the grim greenhouse effect ravaged future psychotic android Quinn (deliciously played to the fabulously freaky hilt by Bill Moseley; Otis in "House of 1,000 Corpses") kills a few people in a rundown old TV station because grouchy owner Lathan Hooks (a lively, although sadly brief turn by Ralph Waite; the father on "The Waltons") is secretly giving information to a group of underground fighters who are opposed to the oppressive authoritarian Orwellian "1984"-ish government. Although this film suffers a bit from a muddled script by J.S. Cardone (who also wrote and directed the superior "Shadowzone") and occasionally sluggish pacing, "Crash and Burn" still nonetheless rates as an engrossing and entertaining sci-fi action opus thanks to Charles Band's energetic direction, well drawn characters, solid acting from a sturdy cast (the lovely Megan Ward makes for an engagingly spunky heroine while veteran character actor John Davis Chandler pops up in a nice bit as a crusty gas station proprietor), nifty stop motion animation by David Allen, pleasingly grody make-up f/x by Greg Cannom, and a stirring score by the indefatigable Richard Band. Good, modest Grade B fun.
Cheap Ass Cyberpunk Decentness
DavyDissonance14 December 2017
Crash And Burn is about some dumb ass people getting stalked and murdered by a cyborg. This movie acts as sort of a hybrid of slasher/cyberpunk. But whatever. It's not a bad movie but it is nothing special either. I liked the cyborg and the barren wasteland look and some of the action. The acting was retarded and the story exists. Yippie.
Charles Band suckers people in with the promise of giant robot action, only to subject them to a cheap imitator of The Thing by way of a slasher movie.
IonicBreezeMachine18 November 2021
In the future year of 2030, a powerful organization called Unicom has seized control of the world after being driven to economic ruin following market manipulation ushered in by the computer age in conjunction with an ecological crisis where the Earth is now a scorched wasteland due to damage to the Earth's ozone layer. Tyson Keen (Paul Ganus) is a Unicom worker delivering freon to an independently owned TV station situated in an old industrial building whose owner, Lathan Hooks (Ralph Waite) has sympathetic leanings to a resistance group working against Unicom. When a heat spike is announced Lathan's granddaughter, Arren (Megan Ward), invites Tyson to stay. The group wait out the heat spike along with engineer Quinn (Bill Moseley), obnoxious tabloid talk show host Winston Wickett (Jack McGee), teacher Parice (Eva LaRue) and a few others, however when Lathan is murdered in the dead of night it becomes clear there's someone not human in their midst.
Following the bankruptcy of Charles Band's Empire Pictures, Band moved back to the United States from Rome to start Full Moon Pictures which specialized in the burgeoning direct-to-video market and forged a partnership with Paramount which thanks to parent company Viacom's holdings in Blockbuster made Full Moon (and sister label Moonbeam) titles a staple of Blockbuster shelves throughout the 90s. One of the final productions under Band's Empire was the Stuart Gordon helmed giant robot action film Robot Jox which was an expensive gamble for the Empire that ultimately sat on a shelf for three years until it was given a "fire sale" acquisition by Sony label Triumph Films and dumped into theaters in December of 1990 when the box office was dominated by Home Alone and Dances with Wolves. While the movie's box office was pretty paltry here in the States, Robot Jox most likely did good business on home video and the international market as Crash and Burn was marketed as a sequel to Robot Jox in Europe despite no shared elements with Robot Jox (save for the giant robot, but we'll get to that). Crash and Burn promises high concept sci-fi action in its trailer and box art, but is mostly just people stumbling around in dark industrial structures with maybe 3 minutes of the giant robot (if that).
The movie's world is a hodgepodge of post-apocalyptic sci-fi tropes that feel like they've been thrown in at random with the establishment of Unicom as a corporate/theocratic/totalitarian master that outlawed computers because of the market crash and robots because of the Book of Revelations (yes, seriously) coming off as pretty ridiculous and feels like the filmmakers couldn't decide on what kind of force controls this dying world so they said "meh, let's just stuff them all in there!" and called it a day. Then of course we have the production design which consists of what seems like an abandoned industrial plant given the barest minimum to be turned into a TV station and serving as the primary location of the movie for roughly 90% of the runtime. The movie then becomes a "locked room" murder mystery...that carries absolutely no weight since the trailer clearly shows who did what and why so the 50 minutes where our characters sputter around doing absolutely nothing is basically filler to get us to feature length. The movie does become a bit more enjoyable once the movie drops the pretense of being a mystery and allows the character behind the murder to cut loose and chew the scene, but it's pretty silly basically becoming a mixture of The Terminator and Freddy Kruger with just more budget conscious action scenes in the dark. And that giant robot featured prominently on the box art and in the trailers? A complete lie (kind of), the DV8 mining robot is brought to action for about 3 minutes during the climax to lift an antennae tower and crush an android with its foot before unceremoniously collapsing to pieces...people who bought this thinking it was a sequel to Robot Jox were most likely really disappointed.
Crash and Burn is a low budget slasher disguised as a sci-fi action film. The movie crimps from sci-fi films like John Carpenter's The Thing, The Terminator, and the Weyland-Yutani conspiracies from the Alien franchise and does the barest possible minimum to squeeze itself to 80 minutes and including only enough money shots to sucker in chumps with a trailer. Maybe this movie has value to riffers or a room with multiple people surrounding a coffee table covered with beer and pizza, but outside of that don't watch this movie.
Following the bankruptcy of Charles Band's Empire Pictures, Band moved back to the United States from Rome to start Full Moon Pictures which specialized in the burgeoning direct-to-video market and forged a partnership with Paramount which thanks to parent company Viacom's holdings in Blockbuster made Full Moon (and sister label Moonbeam) titles a staple of Blockbuster shelves throughout the 90s. One of the final productions under Band's Empire was the Stuart Gordon helmed giant robot action film Robot Jox which was an expensive gamble for the Empire that ultimately sat on a shelf for three years until it was given a "fire sale" acquisition by Sony label Triumph Films and dumped into theaters in December of 1990 when the box office was dominated by Home Alone and Dances with Wolves. While the movie's box office was pretty paltry here in the States, Robot Jox most likely did good business on home video and the international market as Crash and Burn was marketed as a sequel to Robot Jox in Europe despite no shared elements with Robot Jox (save for the giant robot, but we'll get to that). Crash and Burn promises high concept sci-fi action in its trailer and box art, but is mostly just people stumbling around in dark industrial structures with maybe 3 minutes of the giant robot (if that).
The movie's world is a hodgepodge of post-apocalyptic sci-fi tropes that feel like they've been thrown in at random with the establishment of Unicom as a corporate/theocratic/totalitarian master that outlawed computers because of the market crash and robots because of the Book of Revelations (yes, seriously) coming off as pretty ridiculous and feels like the filmmakers couldn't decide on what kind of force controls this dying world so they said "meh, let's just stuff them all in there!" and called it a day. Then of course we have the production design which consists of what seems like an abandoned industrial plant given the barest minimum to be turned into a TV station and serving as the primary location of the movie for roughly 90% of the runtime. The movie then becomes a "locked room" murder mystery...that carries absolutely no weight since the trailer clearly shows who did what and why so the 50 minutes where our characters sputter around doing absolutely nothing is basically filler to get us to feature length. The movie does become a bit more enjoyable once the movie drops the pretense of being a mystery and allows the character behind the murder to cut loose and chew the scene, but it's pretty silly basically becoming a mixture of The Terminator and Freddy Kruger with just more budget conscious action scenes in the dark. And that giant robot featured prominently on the box art and in the trailers? A complete lie (kind of), the DV8 mining robot is brought to action for about 3 minutes during the climax to lift an antennae tower and crush an android with its foot before unceremoniously collapsing to pieces...people who bought this thinking it was a sequel to Robot Jox were most likely really disappointed.
Crash and Burn is a low budget slasher disguised as a sci-fi action film. The movie crimps from sci-fi films like John Carpenter's The Thing, The Terminator, and the Weyland-Yutani conspiracies from the Alien franchise and does the barest possible minimum to squeeze itself to 80 minutes and including only enough money shots to sucker in chumps with a trailer. Maybe this movie has value to riffers or a room with multiple people surrounding a coffee table covered with beer and pizza, but outside of that don't watch this movie.
One of Fullmoons better outings.
amesmonde23 June 2012
The year is 2030, a remote TV station has been infiltrated by a Synthoid, a Terminator-like robot who is programmed to kill those who oppose the tyrannical Unicom organization.
With B film execution Crash and Burn steals some concept elements from Class of 1999, The Terminator, Robocop, Blade Runner and The Thing to name a few. Although it's slow-paced there's room for a gratuitous shower, electrocution scene, shogun action and stop motion animation, anyone familiar with the studio offerings will appreciate the pace and tone. Oddly dubiously marketed as Robot Jox 2 or from the makers of Arena (don't expect the fights of Arena or Jox) as it contains less than a minute of giant Robot action.
Director Charles Band (this generations Roger Corman) gives a tight little flick that benefits from being filmed on location giving it an almost cinematic feel. The shadowy setting gives it some atmosphere with a dusty desert setting bookending the film and the Synthoid is menacing at times - realised by some surprisingly good practical special make-up effects. Despite borrowing music cues from Richard Band's other Fullmoon film scores the music is effective enough.
Lead Paul Ganus as Keen wields a shotgun well enough but he looks like he's just walked off a Danielle Steele TV adaptation. Co-star Megan Ward as Arren gives a solid performance considering the sparse script. Supporting cast include Jack McGee and veteran actor Ralph Waite, Eva La Rue gives physical performances (and like Ward went on to do bigger things). There's also some genuinely humours lines from Bill Moseley as Quinn who ensures the title of the film is uttered in J.S. Cardone's dialogue.
Even though Crash and Burn doesn't pretend to be more than it is the casual viewer may be disappointed. All things considered, even with the future looking suspiciously like the 1980s, right down to the computer hardware, braces and hairdos it's one of Fullmoons better outings.
With B film execution Crash and Burn steals some concept elements from Class of 1999, The Terminator, Robocop, Blade Runner and The Thing to name a few. Although it's slow-paced there's room for a gratuitous shower, electrocution scene, shogun action and stop motion animation, anyone familiar with the studio offerings will appreciate the pace and tone. Oddly dubiously marketed as Robot Jox 2 or from the makers of Arena (don't expect the fights of Arena or Jox) as it contains less than a minute of giant Robot action.
Director Charles Band (this generations Roger Corman) gives a tight little flick that benefits from being filmed on location giving it an almost cinematic feel. The shadowy setting gives it some atmosphere with a dusty desert setting bookending the film and the Synthoid is menacing at times - realised by some surprisingly good practical special make-up effects. Despite borrowing music cues from Richard Band's other Fullmoon film scores the music is effective enough.
Lead Paul Ganus as Keen wields a shotgun well enough but he looks like he's just walked off a Danielle Steele TV adaptation. Co-star Megan Ward as Arren gives a solid performance considering the sparse script. Supporting cast include Jack McGee and veteran actor Ralph Waite, Eva La Rue gives physical performances (and like Ward went on to do bigger things). There's also some genuinely humours lines from Bill Moseley as Quinn who ensures the title of the film is uttered in J.S. Cardone's dialogue.
Even though Crash and Burn doesn't pretend to be more than it is the casual viewer may be disappointed. All things considered, even with the future looking suspiciously like the 1980s, right down to the computer hardware, braces and hairdos it's one of Fullmoons better outings.
Damage your own car.
typhoonsd19 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Cat and mouse. Cat know the track, are they using their own vehicle???? If you were in this show, and drove your own vehicle!. Perhaps you would get money for being on this show. But, if you don't finish do you ever get repair money, maybe... If this was my show $2k for not finishing, the $5k for finishing. Then the night show for more. Otherwise, for real if you do not pay for the competitors a fair amount above the cost of the and damage and over. The show will be over very, very soon!!!!!!!!
He likes the sun.
nogodnomasters4 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Tyson (Paul Ganus ) delivers Freon to a remote location in 2030 and the ozone is depleted. He stumbles upon the resistance to the corporation run society. And they is a killer android loose among them. But who?
Not the best prediction of the future, but considering the times. The characters were cookie cut. Too many films like this one to get into it.
Guide; No swearing. Sex and nudity (Katherine Armstrong )
Not the best prediction of the future, but considering the times. The characters were cookie cut. Too many films like this one to get into it.
Guide; No swearing. Sex and nudity (Katherine Armstrong )
Surprisingly good sci-fi thriller. I very much enjoyed it.
BrickNash24 March 2020
This film deserves far more credit than it gets.
It's an early 90s B-Movie, complete with a low budget feel and TV quality production values. However, it manages to do something rather interesting, and it does it to a degree of quality which keeps you invested.
It's a whodunit set in a post apocalyptic sci-fi world, and the film presses hard on claustrophobic paranoia in a confined space. It's pretty well done, and the characters are all identifiable and engaging. There's even a bit of very decent world building going on, with the odd mention of how the planet has become after the "redemption" as they call it, where robots and computers are outlawed, a corporation has taken over, and the Ozone layer has gone. I'd liked to have seen more of this world as the movie seems to be a curious cross section of a much bigger story.
It definitely takes some influences from Terminator and The Thing, and many will be put off by the fact that it's a slow burn film which focuses on atmosphere and tension over action.
Personally though, I loved it, and it was competent enough to blend sci-fi, horror, and thriller to an entertaining degree which isn't boring.
A real gem, which not only does something a little different, but does it well and adds in a bit of lore.
It's an early 90s B-Movie, complete with a low budget feel and TV quality production values. However, it manages to do something rather interesting, and it does it to a degree of quality which keeps you invested.
It's a whodunit set in a post apocalyptic sci-fi world, and the film presses hard on claustrophobic paranoia in a confined space. It's pretty well done, and the characters are all identifiable and engaging. There's even a bit of very decent world building going on, with the odd mention of how the planet has become after the "redemption" as they call it, where robots and computers are outlawed, a corporation has taken over, and the Ozone layer has gone. I'd liked to have seen more of this world as the movie seems to be a curious cross section of a much bigger story.
It definitely takes some influences from Terminator and The Thing, and many will be put off by the fact that it's a slow burn film which focuses on atmosphere and tension over action.
Personally though, I loved it, and it was competent enough to blend sci-fi, horror, and thriller to an entertaining degree which isn't boring.
A real gem, which not only does something a little different, but does it well and adds in a bit of lore.
One of my favourite full moon movies ever!
Linda8319 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I've always liked movies about folks trapped in a building/house/isolated area/etc and this Full Moon production didn't disappoint me.
Hottie Ganus arrives at some TV station in the middle of the desert and shortly after people begin to die. Ward was cute as the teenage girl with an obvious crush on Ganus. LaRue I felt was wasted, Moseley was great as always as the robot gone bad. McClellan and Armstrong who play prostitutes are there to boost the body count as well as McGee.
The acting I felt was adequate, some of the big robot effects were passable, but I did liked the 2 or 3 bloody death scenes and Moseley's scene where we find out he's a robot, just wish the men had shown as much skin as the women.
Hottie Ganus arrives at some TV station in the middle of the desert and shortly after people begin to die. Ward was cute as the teenage girl with an obvious crush on Ganus. LaRue I felt was wasted, Moseley was great as always as the robot gone bad. McClellan and Armstrong who play prostitutes are there to boost the body count as well as McGee.
The acting I felt was adequate, some of the big robot effects were passable, but I did liked the 2 or 3 bloody death scenes and Moseley's scene where we find out he's a robot, just wish the men had shown as much skin as the women.
narly dystopian future
benchrsen25 May 2023
This is like a sequel to Robojox. Also Robotwars that came out shortly after this belongs in this sequence. The setting in this movie is radical. The fact it plays in 2033 is a realistic point in time to actually expect a post apocalyptic world governed by a tyrannical state. The actors are very good, well cast for their respect roles. It's got thriller detective side to it which is excellent. To think of being stuck in a gloomy abandoned factory under the life threatening circumstances, the whole premise is narly. Love the futuristic looking motorcycle uniform of the lead actor. The women are very beautiful and sexy especially Eva Larue playing the school teacher and Katherine Armstrong playing one of the porn actresses. Megan Ward is totally overrated and just a teenager here so the fascination with her is totally off especially if you see very beautiful grown up women Eva Larue and Katherine Armstrong! The trash TV angle which must be a reference to real life Wally George of the time is a bodacious idea. Early 90s were just excellent. Little details like the map showing flooding across US is really painstakingly done, you have to look for that detail in the background and that's really neat. Even though this was filmed decades before the global warming scare this incredible movie predicts that real hypothesis we live with nowadays. That alone is very astonishing. A thing of the 80's and 90's you never hear about today is the prediction in the movie that the atmosphere would have a huge ozone hole in it and make life impossible due to the sun's rays. That was a very big topic back in 80's up until mid 90's. This movie portrays what a world with a ozone hole would be like. And the director and writer get the timeline of such possible events right on the money. In 2033 androids probably will be able to be as sophisticated as shown, not much sooner, tyrannical regime might pop up just like portrayed, there might be a backlash over AI and computers exactly as envisioned in the movie! This movie is very original, very thought out, has numerous very probable predictions in it even though it was filmed such a long time ago, and is a great thriller. Also I love how 80s and early 90s movies look like narly cinematography, both landscape wise, casting actors, clothes music, specialeffects everything. 10 stars and should receive a ton of nominations.
Is life meant to be that unfair...?
wellthatswhatithinkanyway19 February 2000
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs ...I don't know what other people (other IMDB reviewers,for example)might think of me,judging me by myself or by my reviews,but I've never thought I was that much of a demanding individual.I've always thought I was quite easy going and undemanding as a person.I try not to winge when things don't go my way,or if I have to do a job for other people.I know other people who've tossed stones at old people's houses,or taken drugs like draw and got pregnant at an early age.Yes,stones are readily available for those nasty,thoughtless people to throw at their own pleasure,yes,draw and sex are there to be consumed whenever the mood suits them.So,okay,I decide to take a risk..I decide to spend a fiver of my hard earned money on a video I had'nt previously seen,which on impulse,I would never usually do.I buy it from this really convienient store in the market,which is'nt perhaps majorly up to date,but still sells old or forgotten films,at cheap prices,which I think is really ace.Judging by the cover and the Sci-Fi genre attached to it,heck,even by the supposedly brilliant plotline on the back of it,I thought Crash And Burn would be a risk worth taking.
Then,after I've seen Coronation Street,I race upstairs to watch this baby.Hello,what's this?Not 2 seconds in,and already I've noticed this is'nt shot like a regular film.That's probably one of the biggest,in my many ,complaints about Crash And Burn:if every other film can manage to be shot like a proper film(even the realy,really bad ones)why the hell can't this one pull itself together and do the same thing?This is shot like a poloroid-cum-video recorder.That was my first step towards getting really angry and fed up with this film.In fact,it was the main thing that bugged me about it throughout.Not once did it appear to improve.I'm aware it has the (V)for video symbol by it,but what,is that a direct excuse for crappiness ?(does this serve as a direct example with the Billy Blanks dud 'Tough And Deadly?).
And,what from the back looked like it was going to serve like an original and exciting Sci-Fi venture went totally downhill from there.The special effects were diabolical,the acting was abysmal,the dialogue was atrocious , although the end line 'you really felt for her?Well,she'd only break your heart...then tear it out'had some credit to it.But that only led to a glaring implausibility error that the hero had had sex with the female robot and not noticed she was'nt a real person.And that only lead to the fact this was the only movie I knew that thought it was being clever by giving a human-looking-robot it's own name,a synthoid.Every other Sci-Fi movie calls them cyborgs.And that only led to the fact that the main 'synthoid' in question is a pathetic Terminator rip-off,that gets done in at the end by an impressive giant robot,which we only see for a brief glimpse then disappears,presumably to a better movie because this giant robot has much more talent than all the actors in this drivel.He was cool. , He quashes him in a standard better suited to the Wrigley's Spearmint gum adverts ,the only thing missing was the 'pluuurp'sound.
It really is very unfair.All I asked for was decent entertainment.Society,and hollywood,really should set better examples than this.*
Then,after I've seen Coronation Street,I race upstairs to watch this baby.Hello,what's this?Not 2 seconds in,and already I've noticed this is'nt shot like a regular film.That's probably one of the biggest,in my many ,complaints about Crash And Burn:if every other film can manage to be shot like a proper film(even the realy,really bad ones)why the hell can't this one pull itself together and do the same thing?This is shot like a poloroid-cum-video recorder.That was my first step towards getting really angry and fed up with this film.In fact,it was the main thing that bugged me about it throughout.Not once did it appear to improve.I'm aware it has the (V)for video symbol by it,but what,is that a direct excuse for crappiness ?(does this serve as a direct example with the Billy Blanks dud 'Tough And Deadly?).
And,what from the back looked like it was going to serve like an original and exciting Sci-Fi venture went totally downhill from there.The special effects were diabolical,the acting was abysmal,the dialogue was atrocious , although the end line 'you really felt for her?Well,she'd only break your heart...then tear it out'had some credit to it.But that only led to a glaring implausibility error that the hero had had sex with the female robot and not noticed she was'nt a real person.And that only lead to the fact this was the only movie I knew that thought it was being clever by giving a human-looking-robot it's own name,a synthoid.Every other Sci-Fi movie calls them cyborgs.And that only led to the fact that the main 'synthoid' in question is a pathetic Terminator rip-off,that gets done in at the end by an impressive giant robot,which we only see for a brief glimpse then disappears,presumably to a better movie because this giant robot has much more talent than all the actors in this drivel.He was cool. , He quashes him in a standard better suited to the Wrigley's Spearmint gum adverts ,the only thing missing was the 'pluuurp'sound.
It really is very unfair.All I asked for was decent entertainment.Society,and hollywood,really should set better examples than this.*
In which the infamous Band family produces a surprisingly solid sci-fi/horror-thriller
I_Ailurophile10 August 2023
Their output is highly variable in quality, but purveyors of low-grade B-movies that the Band family are, the world needs them. The same can't be said of some of their collaborators, or other like-minded filmmakers, but even at their silliest, most low-budget, or most downright schlocky, one way or another the Bands' works offer a good time of some nature. I'd go so far as to say that in some titles one can recognize the roots of film-making and storytelling that have made their way into plenty of major studio pictures, with the difference that Full Moon Features - or whatever other banner under which the Bands may operate - generally lacks the resources and star power to create genre fare in its ideal form, and any notion of "finesse" or "polish" is not just deprioritized but maybe discarded outright. With that said, I'd argue that 'Crash and burn' is a fair example of the latter, or possibly even above average when all is said and done. I'm not saying it's "great," but it's enjoyable, and not remotely as poor in quality as is broadly assumed of the Bands. I had a good time!
Save for the limitations this faced, and the general tenor of whatever Charles Band and his kin touch, we have on our hands a sci-fi/horror-thriller with familiar narrative elements (admittedly, some are actually rather imitative). We have the quasi- post-apocalyptic setting, mixed with classic dystopian airs of corporate rule in an era of environmental ruin, and into this is introduced suspicion, paranoia, and murder as a group of people are trapped within an enclosed location with a killer on the loose. For good measure toss in gratuitous love scenes (and nudity), throwaway character moments or lines of dialogue, and some characters who are more or less sympathetic than others. The production values may be a step or two down from more well-financed equivalent flicks, but as far as I'm concerned everything here nonetheless looks quite excellent, to my delight: sets, effects, special makeup, stunts, and so on. The stop motion animation is really just about as swell as we could ever hope to see. The plot and its development may be comparatively light, and dialogue sometimes questionable, but by and large I see no especial issue with J. S. Cardone's screenplay, and in fact I think it's all-around solid.
Band's direction is fine, in my book, and the acting. Richard Band's original score is nothing terribly special, but is more than suitable to lend a tinge of flavor and atmosphere throughout. Really, to me 'Crash and burn' comes across no differently than the glut of genre flicks that we got in the 70s and 80s as standards regarding blood and gore became more lax, and the technology and techniques of effects and makeup artists improved. I see a through-line from slashers and sci-fi thrillers of the preceding years to this, and while perhaps a tad modest, I think this is just as entertaining and worthwhile, if not more so, than some other pictures that have gotten far more of a limelight. To be honest, if anyone aside from the Bands and Full Moon were behind the project, I don't think anyone would bat an eye about how this turned out. By no means is this something that demands viewership, and there's nothing so special about it to specifically set it apart from similar movies. All the same, I'm pleased with how fun and satisfying 'Crash and burn' is on its own merits, and reasonably well done, and I'm happy to give it a firm and genuine if casual recommendation for fans of the spaces it plays in. If you have the opportunity to watch, I think you'll be surprised by just how enjoyable, well made, and rewarding a viewing experience it is. Cheers!
Save for the limitations this faced, and the general tenor of whatever Charles Band and his kin touch, we have on our hands a sci-fi/horror-thriller with familiar narrative elements (admittedly, some are actually rather imitative). We have the quasi- post-apocalyptic setting, mixed with classic dystopian airs of corporate rule in an era of environmental ruin, and into this is introduced suspicion, paranoia, and murder as a group of people are trapped within an enclosed location with a killer on the loose. For good measure toss in gratuitous love scenes (and nudity), throwaway character moments or lines of dialogue, and some characters who are more or less sympathetic than others. The production values may be a step or two down from more well-financed equivalent flicks, but as far as I'm concerned everything here nonetheless looks quite excellent, to my delight: sets, effects, special makeup, stunts, and so on. The stop motion animation is really just about as swell as we could ever hope to see. The plot and its development may be comparatively light, and dialogue sometimes questionable, but by and large I see no especial issue with J. S. Cardone's screenplay, and in fact I think it's all-around solid.
Band's direction is fine, in my book, and the acting. Richard Band's original score is nothing terribly special, but is more than suitable to lend a tinge of flavor and atmosphere throughout. Really, to me 'Crash and burn' comes across no differently than the glut of genre flicks that we got in the 70s and 80s as standards regarding blood and gore became more lax, and the technology and techniques of effects and makeup artists improved. I see a through-line from slashers and sci-fi thrillers of the preceding years to this, and while perhaps a tad modest, I think this is just as entertaining and worthwhile, if not more so, than some other pictures that have gotten far more of a limelight. To be honest, if anyone aside from the Bands and Full Moon were behind the project, I don't think anyone would bat an eye about how this turned out. By no means is this something that demands viewership, and there's nothing so special about it to specifically set it apart from similar movies. All the same, I'm pleased with how fun and satisfying 'Crash and burn' is on its own merits, and reasonably well done, and I'm happy to give it a firm and genuine if casual recommendation for fans of the spaces it plays in. If you have the opportunity to watch, I think you'll be surprised by just how enjoyable, well made, and rewarding a viewing experience it is. Cheers!
Asimov territory
lor_28 May 2023
My review was written in August 1990 after watching the movie on Paramount video cassette.
Latest fantasy film from Charles Band is a well-executed but uninspired futuristic tale. It's going direct to video, unlike its recent predecessors from the Full Moon label.
Pic's claustrophobic format resembles scripter J. S. Cardone's previous efort "Shadowzone" in trapping a group of characters at a remote spot with something preying on them.
Story is set in the year 2030, when a technocratic government has outlawed robots and private use of computers. A motley crew is stuck at Ralph Waite's local tv station during a lengthy "thermal" (storm). A synth (robot) is killing the cast.
TItle "Crash and Burn" refers to a type of computer virus use to override the synth's programming (derived fro Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics) not to kill humans. There's an okay twist explaining the clue as to the synth's identity, but once this baddie is identified, the film's suspense evaporates.
Band gets good ensemble performances, especially from Waite as the rebellious figure. Young Megan Ward, cast as Waite's daughter, heads the cast of beautiful women, with both Eva LaRue and Katherine Armstrong offering diversion.
Latest fantasy film from Charles Band is a well-executed but uninspired futuristic tale. It's going direct to video, unlike its recent predecessors from the Full Moon label.
Pic's claustrophobic format resembles scripter J. S. Cardone's previous efort "Shadowzone" in trapping a group of characters at a remote spot with something preying on them.
Story is set in the year 2030, when a technocratic government has outlawed robots and private use of computers. A motley crew is stuck at Ralph Waite's local tv station during a lengthy "thermal" (storm). A synth (robot) is killing the cast.
TItle "Crash and Burn" refers to a type of computer virus use to override the synth's programming (derived fro Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics) not to kill humans. There's an okay twist explaining the clue as to the synth's identity, but once this baddie is identified, the film's suspense evaporates.
Band gets good ensemble performances, especially from Waite as the rebellious figure. Young Megan Ward, cast as Waite's daughter, heads the cast of beautiful women, with both Eva LaRue and Katherine Armstrong offering diversion.
leftovers
judex-15 October 2003
I agree that the robot at the end was by far the best thing going on here. It didn't leave for a better movie, it CAME from a better movie in the first place. I've always heard that this had leftovers from "Robot Jox", a Stuart Gordon film that was pretty impressive, despite studio meddling. I believe this brief sequence here, is some of the footage that was cut in the attempt to get "Robot Jox" a PG rating, despite nudity, and abundant violence.
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