Zone 39 (1996)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

John Tatoulis

Writer:

Deborah Parsons (written by)

Release Date:

25 June 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The future is about to become a thing of the past

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Peter Phelps	...	Leo Megaw
Carolyn Bock	...	Anne / Novan Anne
William Zappa	...	Sharp
Bradley Byquar	...	Boas (as Brad Byquar)
Alex Menglet	...	Tito
Jeff Kovski	...	Pagett
Warwick Sadler	...	Soldier #1
Simon Wilton	...	Soldier #2
Richard Aspel	...	Soldier #3
Bruno Stepnell	...	Handless Man
David Tredinnick	...	Young Soldier
Terry Carter	...	Hustler #1
Russell Frost	...	Hustler #2
Steve Fielder	...	Pilot
Simon Hill	...	NTU Medic (as Simon J. Hill)

Also Known As:

Zone Thirty Nine (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Central Australia, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Very little known Sci-Fi 'cult'

First of all, let me come out by saying this is not the best movie ever, far from it. The story is shady, vehicles look shoddy, and the weapon props used are downright shitty.

But this movie is not just a Mad Max clone, as a great many people would have you believe. Sure, they're both about a man who loses his wife and any hopes for a sane future, they're both Australian, and they're both mostly set in desert backgrounds in a not-so verdant future, but that doesn't mean it should be shunned. I think there's plenty of room for culty sci-fi movies like this one and Screamers for instance.

About the movie: The atmosphere of desolation the creators wanted to use throughout is brilliant. The drugs used also put extra feelings of gloom on it, making the difference between reality and figments of a depressed mind's imagination not so easy to discern. If you're into this sort of thing, I'd advise you (all three of you) to just watch it without any hopes for Mad Max styled action scenes, because that's not what the makers wanted with this. Violence used is always harsh and short-lived, which is quite realistic.

So, in recap: Only watch this without prejudice and if you're into this sort of thing. Zone 39 is Zone 39, not Mad Max 1.5