I guerrieri dell'anno 2072 (1984) User Reviews

A futuristic melding of Ben Hur and Easy rider?!

[HaemovoreRex · 5/10 · 1 August 2006]

Well with Lucio Fulci in the directors chair you can count on two things straight away; Excellent visuals including an inordinate amount of Fulci's trademark extreme facial close ups (especially the eyes) and a confused story that will leave you scratching your head. You can also count on a third staple present in most of Fulci's work and the factor for which he is probably best remembered; His predilection for incorporating extreme gore scenes into his films (even his non horror efforts such as the film in question) In relation to all of the above, sure enough and true to form, Fulci yet again delivers the goods.

The story set in the future, depicts a world where deadly gladiatorial contests take place for the TV viewing audiences' pleasure. The said contests take place on motorcycles whereby the combatants are required to batter their opponents off of their bikes with the last man standing being declared the winner.

Jared Martin (Yes Dusty Farlow from Dallas!) plays Drake, the Kill Bike champion who along with the likes of B-movie regulars Fred Williamson, Al Yamanouchi and Al Cliver must fight for their lives in this cruel sport.

Sadly it has to be said however, that there are far too few scenes of the sport in question with the vast majority of the films running time being squandered on a boring conspiracy storyline (and lots and lots of shots of peoples eyes!). Luckily things do pick up commendably in the final 30 or so minutes though and we get to see some admittedly excellent battle scenes involving motorbikes and sidecars in a futuristic take on the famous chariot sequence from Ben Hur.

Overall, whilst not one of Fulci's best works, this is certainly far from his worst and provides a fairly entertaining watch. It's just such a pity that the sheer energy of the final third couldn't have been more abundant throughout.

Well, Blade Runner it ain't

[revival05 · 6/10 · 7 May 2009]

THE NEW GLADIATORS is the 20th movie by Lucio Fulci I have seen, and it marks a little piece of movie-going history for me. I was a teenage horror fanatic, so to speak, and in the beginning of my horror odyssey I wouldn't have thought I would get to see even five. But that was before imported DVD. That was before the Internet. Now I have a fairly good view of Fulci and I know very well why my admiration for him is so high. The New Gladiators, Fighting Centurions, or whatever you want to call it, is just an example. I love the very idea that Fulci even tried to make this movie.

Fulci was not high class, to say the very least, but he definitely had an artistic vision. He went out to follow his themes no matter what. It's like he didn't notice, or cared, that the actors were horrible, the effects crappy and the dialog so ridiculously high-blown that basically every movie he ever made, in some way or another became hard to take seriously. This one is definitely no exception.

In the mid 80's, Fulci tried to jump off the horror wagon for a while. I guess he felt he knocked himself out for good with THE NEW YORK RIPPER and who can blame him. Just one year after that movie he did the sword&sorcery/fantasy-fest CONQUEST and if you put those two beside each other, well, one conclusion is that he definitely could do different things. Conquest is a howler, if I hadn't known about Fulci I would have pretty much assumed it was a comedy. Much of the same goes with The New Gladiators, but unlike Conquest, or any other Fulci movie for that matter, it has a more obvious problem: It's a sci-fi-fantasy movie with a budget taken from the tin can of a bum! The models are barely convincing even as models, and the many sequences of biker action comes off as peculiarly pointless, since there are basically no stunts and we don't know which character is which (since they are all stunt men). Many of the drivers also seem to drive into spears and walls all by themselves, for no apparent reason.

The plot is also just barely there. There's a bunch of "gladiators". They are supposed to fight. In the end we get the would-be-showdown, but between the first scene and the last there's just a bunch of separate sequences of torture or escape action and one or two loose plot threads. One mad scientist here, one Gestapo-dressed Howard Ross there, who is a threat one second, and totally outsmarted the next, and I don't blame Fred Williamson for later claiming "I have no idea what that movie was about".

But who cares, right? Just like in Conquest, another plot less feast for the senses, there's a lot of hilarious sequences. Swallow this gadget and you will be able to melt stuff with your brain. Pick up the gun. No. Pick it up. No. PIIICK IIIT UUUUUPPPP. I mean, the list goes on. For Fulci apostles though, we get some familiar themes of humanity with some seriously bad odds against it - in this case by computerization and TV, something you have to give Fulci some before-his-time-credit for - but with a surprisingly happy ending. The eyeball theme (or "who sees what" as I like to call it) becomes totally physical towards the end when a supposedly half-blind man turns out to have a camera behind the blind lens (OK, that's a little brilliant) and there's even.... let's see... one cool Fulciesque moment, involving a bizarre and surrealistic murder with three whistling men dressed in fancy 80's suits.

It's no surprise that this move is re-distributed by Troma, because it's surely a joy for all. It's a great movie to watch if you want to get together and laugh at a bad movie, and it's definitely worthwhile for Fulci enthusiasts (I mean.... why not??). As long as you don't expect Blade Runner, you're in for a treat. In addition, I recommend to watch it back to back with Conquest, which should be saved for last because it's even funnier.

KIIIILLLL!!!

Lucio Fulci's so-bad-it's-good take on Mad Max via The Running Man

[a_chinn · 5/10 · 1 August 2019]

Set in the 21st century, criminals are forced to fight each other like gladiators on motorcycles for the enjoyment of TV audiences. Sound familiar? Arnold Schwarzenegger "The Running Man" wouldn't come out for three years later, but Stephen King's novella came out two years earlier, so don't give director Lucio Fulci too much credit. Part of a cycle of cheap Italian ripoff films capitalizing on the popularity of "The Road Warrior" and "Escape from New York," this one is better than most of it's contemporaries, although that's an admittedly a low bar. In the film's favor is the cast includes Fred Williamson, which is always a treat, a charmingly 80s synthesizer heavy score by Riz Ortolani, and solid direction for Fulci. As far as director Fulci goes, I've never quite decided if he's an artist along the lines of Dario Argento or Mario Bava or is merely a talented gorehound like Joe D'Amato or Bruno Mattei. I think I lean towards the latter, though Fulci's "The Beyond" is pretty great, but it's still no "Deep Red" or "Suspiria." Back to "The New Gladiators," the story is corny, most of the performance are goofy, the action is ham-fisted, but the film has an undeniable 80s grindhouse charm that I found irresistible. From Ortolani's rockin synthesizer score, to Fred Williamson kicking ass, to strobe light fight sequences, to some terrifically gory practical special effects, to awful laser special effects, to some wonderfully corny miniature future cityscape sets, there was a definite so-bad-it's good quality to this film that I loved, but Fulci's direction of the motorcycle sidecar action sequences are pretty lacking in comparison to George Miller or even a hacky Italian contemporary like Enzo G. Castellari. Overall, this is not a good film in the traditional sense, but if you're a fan of cheesy 80s low budget post-apocalyptic Mad Max knock-off films, it's essential viewing.

Fulci at his worst

[abattoir · 20 April 1999]

This film, a precursor to The Running Man, depicts a futuristic game show in which contestants are stalked and killed. Bad special effects and dubbing throughout. Only for Lucio Fulci completists, this is even lacking in the gratuitous gore and nudity that usually characterizes Fulci's work.

May the "FARCE" be with you

[Ed-Shullivan · 2/10 · 2 April 2020]

Well well well..... How a science-fiction film of this degrading and low caliber quality ever got the green light for public release in 1988 is beyond my wildest imagination. There are only three (3) actors given credit on IMDB for this low budget bomb and I am going to assume that the supporting actors and actresses who appeared in the film after watching the finished film before it got released waived any salary in lieu of having their names REMOVED from the film's end credit tole. It is just that bad.

The most irritating part of this film was the music score that would make any sane person go crazy. Avoid it at all cost.

A putrid 2 out of 10 rating.

Total garbage

[rdoyle29 · 3/10 · 16 November 2017]

In the year 2027, there's fierce competition between TV networks in Rome ... so fierce that one network creates a show where convicted murderers fight to the death on motorcycles. Looking to create a popular champion, the network frames a popular contestant from another show for murder and stick them on their show. Sounds a lot like "The Running Man", no? Well, Fulci beat that film to the punch by three years. Unfortunately, his film is terrible. The "Blade Runner" inspired futuristic city scapes are tiny looking little models, and essentially, nothing of any interest happens for over an hour, and then it wraps up with a quick action scene and we're outta here. Fred Williamson and Italian genre mainstays Al Cliver and Donald O'Brien co-star.

Better than I expected

[AS-69 · 7/10 · 15 November 2001]

During his career , Fulci contributed to many different genres. It is a bid sad that he is remembered only for his gore movies, though they are classics.

But Fulci making a sci-fi movie still sounded like a disaster, especially given the low budgets with which Fulci worked during the period when he made "New gladiators". Nevertheless, I was quite pleased with the result. Clearly, one cannot call the movie a good movie. For this, it is far too uneven: It has a fairly good opening, but step by step degrades into plain silliness culminating into Drake swallowing a device which allows him to manipulate all electronic equipment and even melt metal walls. At the end, the movie resumes pace again for a rather satisfying ending.

As often noted, even by Fulci's daughter Antonella, the "New gladiators" is highly reminiscent of "Rollerball" and of other classic American sci-fi-movies such as "Logan's run". Fulci manages to use some of his trademark elements to enhance the familiar motives: First, there is the overall dark atmosphere of the movie. Second, there are some almost surreal sequences such as the killing of Drake's wife. Third, there is the juxtapposition of antique and future Rome. At this point, I would like to mention that the often criticized toy models are filmed quite effectively and help to create an illusion, though not a perfect one. Fulci and the scriptwriters get an extra credit for managing to incorporate a throat slashing with Poe's pendulum into this movie!

All in all, "New Gladiators" is a slightly messed up movie with interesting details to keep you amused. As such, it is much more entertaining than recent Hollywood big budget sci-fis which feature even less story and more silly plot elements than the worst Fulci movie and are completely brainless.

Somewhat underrated Fulci film

[brodiebruce_405 · 5/10 · 12 March 2013]

Totally unconvincing as an actual view at the future, New Gladiators (aka: "Rome 2072: The New Gladiators" or "Fighting Centurions") is none the less an extremely entertaining Sci-Fi action programmer from Lucio Fulci. At times gory, action packed (full of exploding-for-no-reason vehicles), cheese-tastic dialogue ("Go to Hell!", "I would - if I thought it would increase my ratings!") and delicious scenery reused from other Italian sci-fi films, giving the film the feel of an episode of Doctor Who circa 1983 as directed by slow-minded aliens.

Jared Martin, of the 1980s War of the Worlds series and Fulci's own AENIGMA, is our hero - the star Killbike champion. It's hard to tell if he is the star of the TV show Killbike BEFORE he's framed for murdering the Clockwork Orange-esque gang who murdered his wife, or if that is a flashback (as indicated by the commentary from Fulci-fan Troma staff) and that's how he became a Killbike star. I think it's the former, though. He finds himself in a prison cell (a one room riff on Stuart Gordon's FORTRESS which had yet to be made) with Fred "The Hammer" Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn, Black Caesar, New Barbarians etc), Hal Yamagouchi (from "Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou") and Al Cliver (dubbed again by the guy who did Zombie for him), among others. They are trained in hilarious strobe-lit scene with mentally-projected holograms to become more effective killers (this has very little to do with the game show they ultimately compete in), there's a love story, in-fighting, a sadistic guard...You get the picture.

No, words cannot describe the joys of the picture - small model sets, actually entertaining sci-fi ideas (almost universally executed beneath their value) and Riz Ortolani (orchestral composer and film composer for "Cannibal Holocaust" and Fulci's "Don't Torture a Duckling" and "Perversion Story/One On Top of the Other") contributes a scruzzy New Wave rock score which is a total, rip-roaring triumphant cheesefest. Sure, there's only three pieces of music and they loop constantly, but by the end you'll be so happy it won't matter!

The DVD is a fairly typical early 21st century Troma disc - fullscreen video master, stereo, minimal extras. A commentary from the "FBI" (Fulci Benevolant Institution) is just Trent "Killjoy, Dead Girl and Terror Firmer" Haaga and Troma's then-DVD producer Ronni Raygun riffing on the movie. It's unclear whether only some of the affection for the film is sarcastic, or all of it, but it's entertaining enough. There's a short interview with the beautiful Antonella Fulci (not as good as on the "Zombie" blu-ray or Arrow "Gates of Hell" Daughter of Darkness interviews) apparently filmed by herself or a friend (note the Divine "Love Reaction" vinyl prominantly displayed...did she think John Waters owned Troma?), a Dario Argento interview (not a lot involved here, but mention is made of Fulci and how he didn't play a part influencing Dario, at all), a short Robert Englund interview about...Dario Argento, and the usual introduction and trailer. There's also some Troma extras with nothing to do with the film.

Considering it's a full screen video master, and the film is clearly missing some information (yes I would prefer a 1.85:1 transfer but fortunately New Gladiators was not a cinemascope production, so we're not missing too much), the transfer is pretty good. Once you get used to the idea that in this dystopian future, a particular shade of dark green has replaced the colour black, you'll notice it upscales just fine.

Overall, it's the best version of the movie out there I'm aware of (apparently the US Media release cuts out some of the violence) and it's pretty cheap, so pick it up.

We're pretty sure you'll have a wheelie-popping' good time when you watch The New Gladiators!

[tarbosh22000 · 7/10 · 19 December 2012]

In the future, two TV networks, Seven Seas and WBS (World Broadcasting System) are vying for ever higher ratings. Seven Seas' hottest show is "Killbike", where, you guessed it, dudes on strange looking, tricked-out motorcycles beat, slay and decapitate each other, assuming one of them doesn't blow up in the process. WBS' competition to that is "The Danger Game", in which contestants think they are facing scary and gruesome situations, but it's all a carefully manufactured hallucination. However, Station Manager Of the Future Cortez (Cassinelli) wants to trump his rivals once and for all, and, because he's based in Rome, decides on a fight-to-the-death biker romp in the coliseum featuring death row criminals sentenced to die, calling it "The Battle of the Damned". (Noteworthy cons include Williamson as Abdul and Cliver as Kirk). But, despite their cynicism, in order for this to be a ratings bonanza, they still need a hero. And in order to get a hero, he has to be on death row. So popular good guy Drake (Martin) is framed for his wife's death. With all the pieces seemingly in place, only Drake - perhaps with the help of Sarah (Brigliadori) - can stop the madness and end the ratings wars for good. But can he survive? Not since the late night wars of the early 90's has TV competition been this fierce...say what you want about The New Gladiators, the movie was definitely ahead of its time. It predated the proliferation of reality shows, especially the ones that feed off your fear, such as Fear Factor. (That's all "The Danger Game" really is). It predicted the ever-more-vicious competition between networks that leads to the lowest common denominator being aired. It predicted companies conglomerated only in the hands of a few huge concerns. It even predicted reality shows such as "Full Metal Jousting". In the movie world, ideas and concepts included in this movie predate Robocop (1987), The Running Man (1987), Strange Days (1995), and Fatal Combat (1995). It even predicted GPS, especially having it on a bracelet you cannot take off, just as criminals have today. All that being said, Rollerball (1975) and Blade Runner (1982) seem to be the major influences. Jared Martin even resembles James Caan. But Fulci and his team deserve a lot of credit for being so forward thinking.

Of course, this is Fulci's entry in the Italian post-apocalyptic sweepstakes (technically we don't know if an apocalypse happened this time around, so let's just say "futuristic"). It has the touches of gore Fulci is synonymous with, but there are plenty of impressive stunts as well, especially the motorbike extravaganzas. Working on a low budget, it's pretty evident all the capital in this movie is conceptual and idea-based, not so much budgetary. But, as ever, the Italians are wizards at getting the most out of a little, and the sets look amazing, the outfits and cycles impressively decked out, and we'd rather see meticulously-built miniatures than gag-inducing CGI any day of the week. And what would a movie of this era be like without the sax on the soundtrack and the prerequisite torture scene? So everything is present and accounted for, and Fulci makes it all work.

There's so much we didn't even mention, like the mysterious network boss "Sam", an evil dude named Raven (Ross) who is part of a "Pretorian guard", and on and on. Even the ultra-modern furniture is at least a little interesting. Needless to say, the presence of Fred Williamson livens things up, and he has an impressive cast to back him that fans of Italian genre cinema will certainly recognize. Not to be outdone, the movie even predates seizure-inducing strobe effects that wouldn't hit big until Pokemon. We applaud Fulci and the gang for approaching this subject matter differently than his peers. It's not just a bunch of cars crashing in the Italian countryside, there are actually some interesting ideas going on here. But any viewer could miss them if they're not paying attention.

Because of the typically lame Troma DVD, Fulci will yet again not get the credit he deserves for making ingeniously put together, even thought-provoking movies. But we're pretty sure you'll have a wheelie-popping' good time when you watch The New Gladiators.

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Fulci should stick to horror

[lastliberal · 4/10 · 2 September 2008]

I only watched this because it was directed by Lucio Fulci and featured Claudio Cassinelli, an actor I like. I was certainly disappointed.

The idea that condemned prisoners would fight to the death for TV ratings has been overdone with Rollerball, Logan's Run, Blade Runner, and the new film, Death Race, which will certainly suck me in because it stars Jason Statham.

This was just a bore for the most part. The "Kill Bike" action was ridiculous. The "training" was a snooze-fest. It just never grabbed me and made me want to care about anyone, including "Dallas" star Jared Martin or Fred Williamson.

Pick one of the others mentioned and you'll be better off.

Lucio Fulci is bigger than Caesar!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 22 January 2008]

I bet the almighty Lucio Fulci didn't half realize back in 1984 how progressive and visionary the concept of his film would become. Sure the idea of recruiting death row prisoners as futuristic gladiators and broadcast their battle to live and death live on television is still extremely grotesque but the underlying and less obvious themes of "The New Gladiators" – like the appalling formula of reality-TV and the always-increasing quest for sensationalism – were way ahead of their time. This film is one of the numerous futuristic exploitation ventures that were released in the early 80's, all of them with the intention of cashing in on the huge success of John Carpenter's "Escape from New York". All these movies are incredibly violent, feature grim sets and flamboyant effect and – oh yeah – for some reason they practically all star Fred Williamson! I think Fred actually lived in between the decors and on the sets of low-budget Italian flicks back then. Anyway, Fulci naturally had to participate in this profitable Sci-Fi action trend and it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that his effort is one of the coolest and most sadistically violent of the entire bunch. In their search for the ultimate crowd-pleasing TV-show, slick studio bosses come up with the brilliant idea of reviving the ancient Roman spectacle of Gladiator fights. Death row prisoners from all over the world are recruited to fight in the arena to the death and, just because every show does better with a celebrity on board, the vicious TV-stations owners frame a popular stunt bike rider with murder, just so that he can be put in the battle as well. But with Drake as their leader and the help of a cute and caring computer expert, the Gladiators fight back! Awesome, undemanding and adrenalin-rushing entertainment from Maestro Fulci, "The New Gladiators" offers a spitfire of explosions, macho-showdowns, squeaking bike tires, decapitations, laser beams and revealing manly skirt-outfits! Riz Ortolani delivers one of the best scores of his career (perhaps even second only to his work for "Cannibal Holocaust") and Fred Williamson remains the male role model for utter coolness, despite the fact he plays his supportive role on automatic pilot.

At least it's not unentertaining.

[gridoon · 6/10 · 25 August 2002]

Entertainingly goofy science-fiction from Lucio Fulci. The story takes forever to get started, and the part of the film that may attract most viewers - the recreation of the gladiatorial battles of the ancient Rome - is too short. But, the effects are amusing, the sets almost psychedelic, and the decapitations plentiful! This is a picture that I wouldn't care to see twice, but certainly one viewing is recommended. (**)

Silly sci-fi fun from Fulci.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 18 July 2008]

After knocking out a succession of gory cannibal flicks and umpteen cheap clones of Romero's Dawn of the Dead, several of Italy's horror directors moved on to the post-apocalyptic genre, bringing fans a tirade of silly Mad Max inspired nonsense with suitably daft titles: New Barbarians; Atlantis Interceptors; 2019: After the Fall of New York; New Bronx Gladiators of the Year 3000 (actually, that one's not real... but you get the idea).

Amongst these iffy, cheap looking and often laughable efforts was Lucio Fulci's Rome 2033 - The Fighter Centurions (as it was known here in the UK), a violent (natch!), cheesy, and amazingly shonky production, made slightly more interesting by the fact that it's plot bears more than a passing resemblance to the Arnold Schwarzeneggar hit The Running Man—which was made three years later!

Jared Martin plays Drake, star of the bloodthirsty show Kill Bike, in which contestants on motorcycles must attempt to slaughter their opposition. However, when the corrupt bosses at TV network WBS decide that they need something even more brutal to help them win the ratings war, they frame Drake for murder and enrol him as a participant in their latest TV spectacular, Battle of the Damned, a fight to the death between condemned criminals in a gladiatorial arena.

There's also some boring nonsense about a super-computer planning to take over the world, and a beautiful WBS employee who attempts to help Drake avoid certain death, but, let's face it, that's probably not why most people will sit down to watch this. So what juicy delights does Fulci serve up for fans in this potential bloodbath?

Well, not that much actually! An early graphic throat slashing turns out to be merely an image projected into the mind of a game-show contestant; much of the motorbike mayhem results in bodies being either blown up or crushed, but with very little gore on display; and the brief decapitation of a gladiator ends with a shot of the neck spurting blood.

For maximum enjoyment, I advise viewers to sit back, forget about the lack of splatter, and just revel in the sheer silliness of the whole thing: the incredibly bad Bladerunner-style cityscapes; the entertaining chariot race featuring really naff-looking, customised bikes; and the fact that, somehow, not only do all of the condemned criminals know how to ride a motorbike, but they can all effortlessly pop a prolonged wheelie!

Not the pinnacle of Fulci's career

[Dario Fulci · 21 March 2000]

There's some decent ideas in Lucio Fulci's contribution to the Italian post-nuke sci-fi action sweepstakes of the early '80s, but they're rendered somewhat inert thanks to the wooden acting of the Americans, and the horrid dubbing of the Italians. The Lego-Land-with-Xmas-Lights miniatures don't help, either.

And is it me, or did Fred Williamson just disappear from the final scene? He just vanishes. Where did he go? Was he called for reshoots for "1990: The Bronx Warriors?" Was there a summons to loop his dialogue for "Warriors of the Wasteland?" Did he need to attend a Kansas City Chiefs benefit dinner? Who knows?

Netflix irony (probably computer generated)

[siderite · 5/10 · 12 August 2021]

I think it is irony that motivated Netflix to have this film (The Warriors of the Year 2072 - translated as Rome 2033 for some reason) in its catalog. It is about a battle between competing television networks to gain more market share using increasingly shocking and violent programs that are constructed using sophisticated computers. And it all happens in Rome, where gladiators on motorcycles fight each other in stadiums that are devoid of people, for the pleasure of viewers staying at home.

A combination of The Running Man and Spartacus, but worse than any incarnation of either, this is a cheap Italian movie that failed to deliver anything in 1984 when it was released. At least now, in 2021, the irony is superb.

P. S. The star of the film, Jared Martin, died of cancer at 75 in 2017. RIP Jared.

Pretty awful but a few bright spots

[jellopuke · 4/10 · 4 April 2020]

For the most part, this is low rent trash, knock off, waste of time nonsense BUT there are a couple of nice touches that make it not a complete abortion. Namely the weird strobe effect fight scenes/dancing bad guy and motorcycle combat stuff. The rest is lame, but those work out ok.

Interesting idea badly executed

[tomgillespie2002 · 4/10 · 20 April 2012]

The work of prolific Italian director Lucio Fulci is most notable for his output in the horror genre, where he made some genuinely good films, such as The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery (both 1981), and some not-so-good, yet still fondly remembered, such as Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979). His entries into sci-fi are somewhat less well-remembered, which is almost a shame, as this, Warriors of the Years 2072 (also known as New Gladiators) is at least an intriguing idea. Set in a future where TV corporations seem to rule, airing gladiatorial battles in order to boost ratings, popular champion of the intelligently named Kill Bike, Drake (Jared Martin), has been framed for murder in order to lure him into a new to-the-death game show. Sensing the audience are desperate for blood and death, the ruthless TV network plan to set a band of Death Row prisoners against each other in a motorbike battle, complete with nasty weapons.

It plays like an earlier cheap version of The Running Man (1987), but with cardboard sets, dodgy costumes, and the guy that played Black Caesar. This is a pretty terrible film. The obvious budgetary constraints lead to a very slow build up that sees Drake planning and training with his new Death Row colleagues for a long time before we get to the climax. That said, when the finale does finally arrive, it's actually pretty exciting given the actors are clearly waving plastic weapons and merely karate chopping each other on the back of the head (which seems to be the standard exploitation fight move). Fulci seems unable to resist throwing in a splash of gore any chance he gets, which makes it obvious as to where his heart really lies. Sci-fi is not his forte, and it's clear that this was a quickie. But there are a few things to enjoy here, namely the basic idea which is, as I said earlier, although badly executed, is certainly quite interesting.

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Entertaining but not a 'good' Fulci film .....

[Kurohambe · 6/10 · 11 January 2006]

The name Lucio Fulci is synonymous with the Zombie epics he made in the late 70's and early 80's (Zombie, The Beyond, City Of The Living Dead, House By The Cemetery). The success of those films, especially among gorehounds, painted Fulci as the 'godfather of gore'. The fact is that Fulci made films in a number of different genres as diverse as Westerns, Gialli, Sword and Sorcerer and even comedies in the early days.

'The New Gladiators' is a futuristic Sci-Fi film that seems inspired by the success of films like Escape From New York or even The Road Warrior. Obviously made on a limited budget, we get some appalling leggo like modelling of a futuristic Rome as well as some abysmal special effects which come across as fairly 'cheesy' and laughable. Despite that, the film is still remarkably entertaining and will certainly keep your interest up. Just don't go in expecting a masterpiece or even top notch Fulci. If you want Fulci at his best, watch one of his early gialli like 'Don't Torture a Duckling'.

It's a shame that Fulci became known as a guy who simply directed gore epics because his films are varied and his best films are outside the well known Zombie films. During the latter half of his career, he was plagued by low budgets and time constraints and the quality of his work suffers. The New Gladiators is an example of this. Entertaining enough but not a good representation of his best work.

the future arrived earlier than predicted

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 29 May 2015]

Italian director Lucio Fulci is best known for horror flicks. He ventured outside of the horror genre with "I guerrieri dell'anno 2072" (alternately called "Warriors of the Year 2072" and "The New Gladiators" in English). As it turns out, this is one of those exploitation flicks that accurately predicted the future. The plot is that in 2072, the only media outlets are a pair of worldwide conglomerates who vie for viewership by airing ultra-violent competitions. Sounds a bit like the reality shows on which people degrade themselves just to get famous.

Much of the movie seems like a "Rollerball" knockoff - featuring obvious sets - but I enjoyed the movie. As often happens with European B movies, many of the European cast members get given Anglo-sounding names in the editions available in the English-speaking world. This movie won't be for everyone, but fans of dystopian sci-fi flicks from Europe are sure to like it.

Lucio Fulci's very cool and interesting futuristic sci-fi/action flick

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 28 August 2006]

Framed for the murder of three guys who killed his wife by an all-powerful megalomaniacal master computer, nice guy reigning "bloodbike" champion Drake (the ruggedly appealing Jared Martin) is forced to engage in a ferocious only one winner allowed mass televised old Rome-style gladiatorial combat game called "The Battle of the Damned" that offers just the right amount of nasty and copious real-life bloodshed the jaded future TV audiences need in order to get their violence fix. Whipped into fierce fighting shape by sadistic trainer Raven (a robustly evil Howard Ross) and befriended by token compassionate chick Sarah (the lovely Eleanor Gold), Drake has to mix it up in lethal combat on elaborately made-up motorcycles with a savage bunch of barbarians who include Al Cliver as a scruffy ape, Hiruiko (Al) Yamanouchi as a feral mohawked chopsocky demon, and almighty blaxploitation bad-a** Fred "the Hammer" Williamson as a cool, composed, cocky and swaggering smooth dude.

A most uncharacteristic self-criticizing sci-fi/action picture departure by famed Italian horror movie specialist Lucio Fulci, this suitably violent and gory outing offers a barbed, cynical, corrosive commentary on the bloodthirsty gorehound viewers who enjoy watching Fulci's gruesome fright features by showing a bleakly amoral futuristic society where warring TV stations try to score high ratings by broadcasting excessively brutal and barbaric fare like "The Danger Game," a particularly gross simulated atrocity offering which crassly caters to the lowest common denominator by going heavy on the mondo fake bloodspilling. Fulci co-wrote the acrid, biting script with frequent screenwriter Dardano ("Zombie," "The Beyond") Sachetti, Cesare Frugoni and Elisa Briganti. Riz ("Don't Torture A Duckling," "Cannibal Holocaust") Ortolani supplies a booming, wildly wailing, hard-grooving Goblinesque score. Joseph Pinori's gaudy, luminescent, loud bright color-saturated cinematography gives the film a garishly ornate, glittering, dazzling look that's in equal parts florescent Christmas tree lights glow and blinding pinball machine arcade high-gloss sheen. Fulci stages the killbike sequences with wired, heart-racing gusto, with guys astride motorcycles slicing'n'dicing each other with swords, lances, spiked clubs and hammers. Unique in its genre due to its pointed, self-recriminating exploration of using violence as a cheap titillating device and an obvious precursor to "The Running Man," this funky item makes for a refreshingly unusual and oddly thought-provoking addition to the sci-fi/action genre.

Punchy, sharp flick

[smittie-1 · 7/10 · 1 April 2008]

Out of all of Fulci's films, this and CONQUEST get derided most frequently. It's a rather unfair reputation, considering the joys to be had from both movies if one is willing to suspend their more critical faculties. THE NEW GLADIATORS operates as a mashing of BLADE RUNNER and ROLLERBALL, with a neon skyline rising out of Rome's antiquities (there's even a giant flashing ad a la BLADE RUNNER) and a populace addicted to and placated by a non-stop stream of reality TV, with prime time fodder like Killbike! mopping up the competition. The personal dramas and motivations of the characters are uninteresting and sometimes unfathomable, though the actors are fun to watch, Fred Williamson in particular. The dialog is often laughable - "He's no murderer, he doesn't have it in him!" said of the main character, who is in fact champion of Killbike! and spends his first few minutes on screen murdering his competitors. The real interest is in the constant dropping of futuristic pop-culture and the filmmakers' invective towards the media. Fulci's cynicism and idiosyncrasies shine through, making THE NEW GLADIATORS a thoroughly watchable B-movie.

Awful

[Michael_Elliott · 16 June 2008]

New Gladiators (1983)

1/2 (out of 4)

Italian apocalyptic film is set during 2073 when TV audiences have been turned onto violence after years of war. Normal television isn't accepted anymore so two rival networks have to come up with shows that feature real people facing real death. The latest game show is to have gladiator battle, which with Fulci directing, leads to countless death scenes. This is an incredibly cheap sci-fi film that might be called an early version of what would become The Running Man but this thing here is so cheap that it should get on your last nerve after the ten-minute mark. The only thing going for this film happens in the first five minutes where there's a rather nice throat slashing but after this the film offers nothing except a couple laughs from the cheap production. Even though there are a lot of deaths in the film, if you're expecting classic Fulci gore then you're going to be highly disappointed as there is very little outside the previous mentioned throat slash. Fred Williamson of Black Caesar fame gets the main role but does very little with it. There were a lot of these films made in Italy around this time but this is the first I've seen and I really hope it's the worst of the bunch because if there is one out there worse than this then I'm somewhat scared to see it.

"Cortez, go to Hell!" "I would, if it would raise my ratings."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 16 January 2022]

Jared Martin of 'Dallas' fame stars as Drake, a sports star in the 21st century who is reigning champion at "Kill Bike" games. Naturally, he's very valuable to the executives at WBS television, who want to exploit him and others by creating variations on the old gladiatorial games of ancient Rome. (They force him into participating by framing him for killing the men who killed his wife.) Helped by a comely young executive named Sarah (Eleonora Brigliadori) who seeks the truth, and a savvy new associate named Abdul (Fred "The Hammer" Williamson).

"Warriors of the Year 2072" (a.k.a. "The New Gladiators") may not rank as one of the best Lucio Fulci films ("Don't Torture a Duckling" and "The Beyond", for example), but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun. Most interesting about it is that it utilizes the theme of an artificial intelligence run amok (think "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Colossus: The Forbin Project"), and actually precedes the film version of "The Running Man" by three years with the way it depicts the future of television, sports, and the idea of sating the public's lust for violence. For this viewer, it wasn't so important that it was done on a limited budget; Fulci and company create some pretty good sci-fi visuals nevertheless. Granted, the visuals CAN get pretty cheesy at times, especially when antagonists utilize weapons that can temporarily incapacitate characters. One delicious ingredient is the catchy (if repetitive) electronic score by Riz Ortolani, a far cry from the beauty of his main "Cannibal Holocaust" theme.

The acting is all adequate to the occasion, with Martin seeming to be enjoying himself in this rare lead role. The Hammer is rather UNDER-utilized, despite his typically charismatic screen presence. Claudio Cassinelli is decent as the ambitious villain, an executive named Cortez. Howard Ross is amusing as the sadistic "trainer" Raven. Other familiar actors making appearances are Donald O'Brien (as the scar-faced Monk), Al Cliver (as the hostile Kirk), and Hal Yamanouchi (as the fighter Akira).

"Warriors of the Year 2072" serves up decent action sequences, and a so-so pace, but Fulci fans hoping for a lot of gore are going to be sorely disappointed; the deaths are mostly not nearly as bloody as what people saw in other Fulci films of the 70s and 80s. But this still makes for lively escapism if one is not particularly demanding.

Seven out of 10.

Rome in the future: loads of motorbikes and mopeds

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 9 June 2014]

Fulci gathers an ensemble cast and almost but not quite gives us yet another Italian post-apocalypse style movie. Is this one post-apocalypse? If so, they missed all those Roman landmarks.

This time round, we've got some guy from Dallas, Al Cliver (The Devil Hunter, House of Clocks), Fred Williamson (Black Cobra 1, Black Cobra 2, Black Cobra 3), Claudio Cassenelli (Flavia the Heritic, Hands of Steel, sporting a very strange haircut), Donald OBrien (Mannaja, Emmanual and the Last Cannibals) and Al Yamanouchi (House of Lost Souls, Endgame). George Eastman? He's not here man! Still, with a cast like that you'd think you'd be in for something totally awesome, right? Well, it starts off pretty well, with our Hero (Dallas guy) being a big TV star in some show called Killbike. The thing is, Claudio is an exec for some rival show and wants to up the stakes by having gladiators go toe to toe, to the death, but needs Dallas guy as he draws the big ratings. Three guys turn up and murder our Hero's wife, leading him to kill them in revenge (or does he?). Voila – instant convicted killer TV show type thing. Roll on the carnage! This is where the film stumbles a bit. Instead of Big Fred driving about on a bike chopping heads off people, we get our Hero trying to escape the prison, fighting other prisoners, going up against the guards, and both him and one of the TV exec girls tyring to find out who killed those guys who killed his wife. Plus, an awful lot of strobe effects. And I mean loads.

You do get to the action eventually though, and although you'd be expecting blood and gore from Fulci, he's kind of restrained here. There are severed heads flying about the place but The Beyond this is not.

Fulci also continues his headache inducing camera techniques he used in the far better Conquest, as, along with all the strobe effects, he has demented visual effects, lights fading on and off, lens flashes and the like. I did like the bikers driving through futuristic Rome and thought perhaps he was making some reference to that scene in Fellini's Roma? Anytthing's possible in Italian cinema.

So, New Gladiators is, as they say, not one of Fulci's best. It's not bad, but compared to the sci-fi Joe D'Amato and Enzo Castellari were throwing at us at the same time, it's second tier stuff.

Forgot to mention: Al Cliver is dubbed by Nick Alexander, for a change.