Warlords of the 21st Century (1982)

Better Late Then Never

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's possible for a sci fi futuristic pic like this, to misfire and be dull. That was the price of disappointment I got, watching this back in 84. When viewing it again, later in 95, only cause someone I knew, was an extra in it (my acting teacher at the time) it didn't impress upon me much more. It really has long spells of dullness. In no way, is it the actor's faults. They're all good, Wainwright, leaving his mark as the head villain of the show. I didn't know why he didn't go on to do more stuff, where there's a few who disappeared off the radar actors here. Wainwright and his posse of men roam around the mountains of beautiful New Zealand, in this monstrous tank truck, the battle truck, that occupies the front cover of the Roadshow titled movie, after no 1 commodity which is oil, shooting or killing anyone who gets in their way. Going up against him on his methane motorbike is Xanudu's Michael Beck, a likable hero. Standing between them is Annie McEnroe, who was Wainwright's ex once. She forms a relationship with Beck, where later she's kidnapped, and it's Beck to the rescue. Battletruck was just somewhat disappointing, who's American director, Harley Cokliss mad other films I liked. The actors have their moments and make some parts watchable, where they're are a couple of dead spots. Cheer's barfly, Ratzenberger was particularly good as Beck's friend who hides him out for a bit. For most part this full is on a par with dullness, the truck's fate into the path of dreck, the shining ray moment of this pic. Don't say I didn't warn ya.

Another post-apocalyptic sci-fi, recently released on a DVD alongside Deathsport. Likewise, this one is very lowly rated (4.1 at the moment). I can understand that about Deathsport, but I think Battletruck (aka Warlords of the 21st Century) is downright good. I think the problem is that it's very similar to George Miller's The Road Warrior. Some IMDb reviewers even refer to it as a rip-off, but it was being made before The Road Warrior was ever even released, and, at least in most places, it was released almost at the exact same time (in the U.S. both were released in April of 1982). Compared to The Road Warrior, okay, Battletruck isn't nearly as good. But I won't hold that against it. The Road Warrior is all kinds of awesome. Battletruck is merely good, with a less ambitious story, though still probably too ambitious to completely succeed with the small budget it had. But still, it's pretty good. Michael Beck of The Warriors stars (though he doesn't appear for a good while into the film, which is a cool touch) as a lone wolf in this post-apocalyptic wasteland. He rescues Annie McEnroe (a character actress whom you might recognize from Beetlejuice and many other films), who has escaped her villain father (James Wainwright), but is left stranded in the middle of nowhere. Wainwright drives around in the titular truck raiding whatever settlements he can find and stealing all the oil and gasoline he can find. Beck takes McEnroe to a democratic settlement called Clearwater (among whose citizens is John Ratzenberger, who probably has more lines in this movie than any other before he started working with Pixar). They aren't all too trusting of Beck, who does some business with Clearwater but lives out on his own somewhere, and some of the citizens fear McEnroe's presence. That proves insightful when Wainwright comes along looking for her (and fuel). The action sequences in the film are well done, and the scenery is nice (it was filmed in New Zealand). Too bad it was shot in Academy ratio (or perhaps only still exists in that format).

It's very lucky that this film has such a cool 'Battletruck' or else it wouldn't be worth much at all. As it is, it's not a good movie, and yet it's not bad enough to moan and groan over - moan and groan in either a laughable or a bored way.Within the first few minutes 'Warlords of the 21st Century' (isn't Battletruck the better choice?) it's unavoidable to make comparisons to one of the greatest films ever 'Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.' After all, both films take place in a post apocalyptic future where gasoline is a precious commodity; both have a giant Semi truck hauling around the Land Down Under; and both have a quiet, mysterious hero to fight for the people in danger! Battletruck isn't enough of a Mad Max clone to draw comparisons throughout the whole movie but the film doesn't have enough ingenuity to stand on it's own. Virtually every element of the film has been played out before.So what's left to do? I was hoping for some good action; the back of the VHS box states that there is a 'terrifying chase' at the climax. And while the film does end on a high note with a little bloodshed and an impressive slow-mo explosive of the Battletruck, there is little else to cheer about. In the first hour of the 91 minutes, a few people get shot, there's a few explosions, a weak chase scene and, you bet, some Battletruck destruction! Mostly though, we get a bunch of aerial shots of bikes/cars/Battletruck driving through the wasteland. Hooray.My pleasure stems from watching the hero, Hunter (played by Michael Beck of 'The Warriors' deliver the monotone one-liners while still having the physical charisma to run, dive, punch, kick, and shoot. 'The Warriors' is one of my favorite films, so for me shouting out "no Swan!" to the screen gives me some giddy joy - most other viewers may not get the same joy.James Wainwright, as the villain Stryker out to rule the world and collect fuel, is good although he could do this role in his sleep. And the rest of the cast is decent - even the beautiful girl of the story isn't awful, she's just so-so. So it's a bit of a relief/surprise that the acting is as good as it is for such a ho-hum film.But the real star is of course Battletruck.

Well, what can I say about this movie? It's basically a New-Zealand cheap version of Australian Mad Max.You won't believe this plot, yet again there is no oil and the chaotic future is desert like, but at least Mel Gibson rides a car, instead Michael Beck rides a (much cheaper I guess) motorbike.Actually for such a B-version the special effects are not that bad at all, and I've seen a lot worse perfomances in my life.The action in this movie (let's not compare to Mad Max 1 or 2 then) is centered in warlord Straker who drives Battletruck to steal oil from villages. Battletruck is this mean and powerful truck with all kinds of stuff to smash and destroy any resistance. Well anyway Hunter (Michael Beck), our hero gets involved in the plot because of a girl, that is no less then Straker's daughter. After Hunter, an ex-commando, and his kind-of-futuristic motorbike are on the case the world will never be the same.In conclusion, don't watch it, but if you have nothing better to do with your life and you don't feel like renting Mad Max, you might watch this, if it will ever pass on tv.