Light Blast (1985)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Ahh...my first exposure to an Enzo G. Castellari flick, and I come away sufficiently impressed to keep an eye out for more of his work. LIGHT BLAST is a typical '80s action flick, with a policeman hunting down criminals and blowing them away, but the sheer amount of action and stunts involve make it both memorable and highly enjoyable. Refreshingly free of dialogue and clichéd scenes of suspects being interrogated, LIGHT BLAST offers up raw action at its finest - violent, stylish and slow-motion. Castellari falls somewhere between Sam Peckinpah and John Woo in his depiction of screen violence, making these parts of his films very cool indeed.Although an Italian production, LIGHT BLAST has at least been partially filmed in San Francisco, which gives some of the car chases - down those famous hilly roads - added visual interest. The score is a cheesy '80s one, but the thumping beat gives the action added excitement and fits with it well - I hate films where excitement is sapped by inappropriate music, but that's definitely not the case here. The acting may be weak, but the characters are even weaker - aside from Estrada's hero, there are so many supporting characters and sub plots that nobody else gets much screen time to make an impression. Estrada is quite laughable as the "tough" hero, considering that he looks pretty feeble, but oddly his presence is fitting for a film of this nature.The action comes thick and fast and throws in about a hundred different locations and situations for the shooting to occur in. Beginning with a hostage set-up, the film throws in a stakeout, an assassination attempt, murder at a football game, a handful of car chases, some fighting on the docks, and a fantastic warehouse shootout which would go on to inspire Woo's HARD TARGET. Castellari's film may have been made on the cheap but the action exudes style and sophistication, with many deaths occurring in slow motion and lots of blood flying around.The plot is a rather silly one and more suited to a Bond film, but the introduction of the laser beam of the title means that we get to see some cool effects of people melting (kinda like at the end of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK), which are cheap but cheerful. There's an amusing buggy chase at the end of the film, in which Estrada's vehicle jumps up over cars for no reason, and a disappointing yet fitting ending in which the action is over within a minute. With it's extremely high death rate, some cool explosions (especially liked the thrown petrol can gag) and 60% action, LIGHT BLAST is a force to be reckoned with and an example of how the '80s movie could be cool AND cheesy.

The first time I saw this movie was a couple years ago. It was at the end of some old tape that had been lost with time. And it only had the ending of it. Some friends and I just happened across it one night and we couldn't stop laughing at it. In fact we liked it so much that I scoured the Internet for the full version of it. I was finally able to buy a used copy of it and have loved it ever since. I would have to say that now this is my favorite movie. Next is Black Belt Jones.

Silly action from the Italian maestro Enzo G. Castellari about a mad scientist who blackmails the city of San Francisco with his laser.Silly effects, predictable script, sensationally bad acting and lots more make this one a treat for all you mad scientist film fans out there. And Eric Estrada fans anywhere...Seriously, only someone with a heart of stone can watch through this without laughing out loud. Recommended for therapy, then!

A bitchy kung fu nurse raising pain and a bulldozer smashing the bits out of the automobile that Erik ("Ponch") Estrada is stuck in may be the only best parts from LIGHTBLAST. Everything else is pointless all the way through. Cookie-cutter action / car chase elements supersede the flesh-to-bones visuals and a science-fiction theme, making this another in an endless string of "cop versus bad guy" action turkeys! Estrada is terribly miscast here. Enzo Castellari fared much better with the underrated, but gritty cult classic 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS. A great waste of precious time well spent.