A girl is among the few survivors of a dystopian Earth. Riding a war tank, she fights against the tyranny of a mega-corporation that dominates the remaining potable water supply of the planet.
A Marine Colonel and his men are sent abroad on hostage rescue mission. When they arrive, they find the hostages dead and decide to get payback by massacring the village. Upon return home to the US, they must face the consequences.
When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.
Tank Girl (Rebecca) and her friends are the only remaining citizens living in the wasteland that is Earth, where all the remaining water is controlled by Water and Power, the mega corporation/government that runs the territory. While incarcerated at W + P, Tank Girl and her new friend Jet Girl break out and steal... a tank and a jet. After meeting some mutant kangaroo/humans, and rescuing her little girl (adopted by her friends), the kangaroos and the girls kick Water and Powers' butt.Written by
David Flaherty <flaherty@infohouse.com>
Steven Spielberg was asked to produce the film, but declined because he felt he was not hip enough for it. This led to a slogan that the film was "Too Hip for Speilberg". See more »
Goofs
At 1:29, during the battle at Water and Power, the safety harnesses and wires used by the stunt actors can be seen several times. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Tank Girl:
Listen up, cause I'm only telling you this once. I'm not bedtime story lady, so pay attention. It's 2033. The world is *screwed* now. You see, a while ago this humongous comet came crashing into the earth. Bam, total devastation. End of the world as we know it. No celebrities, no cable TV, no water. It hasn't rained in 11 years. Now 20 people gotta squeeze inside the same bathtub - so it ain't all bad.
See more »
2c
Written by Dale Henderson and Gina Henderson
Performed by Beowülf
Courtesy of Restless Records
By arrangement with Warner Special Products See more »
It's the year 2033 and Kesslee, the leader of Water & Power holds the World in his clutches as he controls all H20 after the meteor hit creating vast desert wastelands, though tank girl and Jet girl team up with some scientific kangaroo creations called Rippers who want to bring down Water and Power.
What you get is a very colourful over-the-top and in-your-face film on a British cult comic strip. I have never read any of these comic books, so I don't know how true the film is- but from what I mostly heard and read, it's not- but who cares it looked like it would be a fun viewing.
After watching this mess I don't know why? As I just couldn't bear to fully bag it out and that's why I gave it 5. I know it was trash- but still I found it visually good and kinda amusing in a stupid way.
The script is awfully bad, the performances were mostly ludicrous and direction was quite tragic, as the scenes just seem to limp along without any panache. Though the film makes up for it with its upbeat soundtrack that was coordinated by Courtney Love and featuring the likes of Bjork, Hole, Iggy Pop, Bush and Veruca Salt, while it's vibrantly rich and bizarre comic backdrop is quite eye-catching, even though the sets do look kind of cheap. The added comic cartoon interludes throughout the film I found to be more satisfying at times than the actual live scenes, making you think it would have probably been better if they stuck to a cartoon version.
The performances I had mix feelings about. Lori Petty as Tank Girl was fair and brings a chirpy attitude- but the humour at times was a bit stale, especially some of her cringe-worthy one-liners and from what I grasp about the character she was playing she totally looked the part but was no where near what she acts like in the comic series. Namoi Watts as Jet Girl I thought was the standout, which isn't saying much- but she was far subtle and innocently sweet and that worked for me. Malcolm McDowell wasn't too bad, as he really hams it up as the villain Kesslee and Ice-T as a Ripper is unrecognisable and fairly irritating- but anyway what's new?
The direction was really muddled, mainly flashier- but no substance in the scenes to make it stand out from the average Sci-fi film and the pace of the film was a bit patchy in spots, such as the flat musical scene and when Tank and Jet girl were hanging out with the rippers at their base. The Ripper designs were reasonably good by Stan Winston, with each with their own personality and distinguishing features- but that didn't make them likable.
While the plot, if there was one was just basically a been there done that feel and lack any sort of detail and urgency. I thought the story started out alright and was quite lively but it kind of lost steam halfway through and especially when the annoying Rippers took centre stage. There are some interesting elements thrown into the mix, like the device that sucks water out of people.
For me it's one of those films that it's so bad, it's good entertainment. So it breaks even for me.
12 of 22 people found this review helpful.
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It's the year 2033 and Kesslee, the leader of Water & Power holds the World in his clutches as he controls all H20 after the meteor hit creating vast desert wastelands, though tank girl and Jet girl team up with some scientific kangaroo creations called Rippers who want to bring down Water and Power.
What you get is a very colourful over-the-top and in-your-face film on a British cult comic strip. I have never read any of these comic books, so I don't know how true the film is- but from what I mostly heard and read, it's not- but who cares it looked like it would be a fun viewing.
After watching this mess I don't know why? As I just couldn't bear to fully bag it out and that's why I gave it 5. I know it was trash- but still I found it visually good and kinda amusing in a stupid way.
The script is awfully bad, the performances were mostly ludicrous and direction was quite tragic, as the scenes just seem to limp along without any panache. Though the film makes up for it with its upbeat soundtrack that was coordinated by Courtney Love and featuring the likes of Bjork, Hole, Iggy Pop, Bush and Veruca Salt, while it's vibrantly rich and bizarre comic backdrop is quite eye-catching, even though the sets do look kind of cheap. The added comic cartoon interludes throughout the film I found to be more satisfying at times than the actual live scenes, making you think it would have probably been better if they stuck to a cartoon version.
The performances I had mix feelings about. Lori Petty as Tank Girl was fair and brings a chirpy attitude- but the humour at times was a bit stale, especially some of her cringe-worthy one-liners and from what I grasp about the character she was playing she totally looked the part but was no where near what she acts like in the comic series. Namoi Watts as Jet Girl I thought was the standout, which isn't saying much- but she was far subtle and innocently sweet and that worked for me. Malcolm McDowell wasn't too bad, as he really hams it up as the villain Kesslee and Ice-T as a Ripper is unrecognisable and fairly irritating- but anyway what's new?
The direction was really muddled, mainly flashier- but no substance in the scenes to make it stand out from the average Sci-fi film and the pace of the film was a bit patchy in spots, such as the flat musical scene and when Tank and Jet girl were hanging out with the rippers at their base. The Ripper designs were reasonably good by Stan Winston, with each with their own personality and distinguishing features- but that didn't make them likable.
While the plot, if there was one was just basically a been there done that feel and lack any sort of detail and urgency. I thought the story started out alright and was quite lively but it kind of lost steam halfway through and especially when the annoying Rippers took centre stage. There are some interesting elements thrown into the mix, like the device that sucks water out of people.
For me it's one of those films that it's so bad, it's good entertainment. So it breaks even for me.