I haven't read Damnation Alley but I've read some books by Roger Zelazny that I really liked - Bridge of Ashes, Isle of the Dead, Lord of the Light, and the entire Amber series - so I decided to watch Damnation Alley.
I decided to give Damnation Alley 2 stars instead of one because it is mercifully short, at just over 1.5 hours long, and because it has an interesting premise even if the execution is not very good.
The main problem with Damnation Alley is that things just happen. There's no plot. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the characters were interesting. One book I like that doesn't have a plot (I can't really think of a movie I like that doesn't have a plot) is The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye is entertaining because Holden Caulfield is an interesting character. George Peppard's character and Paul Winfield's character came close to being interesting but they weren't developed enough.
Also, the special effects are pretty bad. The giant scorpions close to the beginning of the movie are especially atrocious.
Damnation Alley isn't even so bad it's good. It's far too boring for that.
I decided to give Damnation Alley 2 stars instead of one because it is mercifully short, at just over 1.5 hours long, and because it has an interesting premise even if the execution is not very good.
The main problem with Damnation Alley is that things just happen. There's no plot. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the characters were interesting. One book I like that doesn't have a plot (I can't really think of a movie I like that doesn't have a plot) is The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye is entertaining because Holden Caulfield is an interesting character. George Peppard's character and Paul Winfield's character came close to being interesting but they weren't developed enough.
Also, the special effects are pretty bad. The giant scorpions close to the beginning of the movie are especially atrocious.
Damnation Alley isn't even so bad it's good. It's far too boring for that.