Imagine if you were to take The Road Warrior, transfer it to the U.S., crank up the spandex and bromance to eleven, and then add about gajillion more explosions. What you’d most likely come up with is something like 1982’s Megaforce. No, that’s not in fact an imaginary vengeance plan of Peter Griffin’s daughter, but instead a sci-fi movie set in the 1980’s idea of the future and directed by Hal Needham.
You’ll most likely more remember some of Needham’s earlier directorial work, including Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run. A former stunt artist, Needham was cranking out a couple of films each year by the late ’70s and early ’80s. Of course, when your goal is quantity over quality some turkeys are bound to get through. Megaforce is pretty much one of those turkeys. It’s also very campy, more so than much of Needham’s previous work, and it’s also his first foray into science fiction.
That sci-fi involves a future where an elite fighting force defends the oppressed from their oppressors using high-tech weaponry and fabulous hair styles. The titular Megaforce rides Megafighter motorcycles and drives dune buggies equipped with frickin’ lasers. The bad guys counter with tanks, guns and less fabulous hair. Barry Bostwick – Rocky Horror’s original Brad – leads the good guys while Henry Silva is an evildoer.
The plot? Who cares? It’s the explosions, Tron-like smoke trailing motorcycles, and the cool rides that matter, all of which were designed for the film to be functional. That cost the production a cool million. The movie bombed at the box office, and engendered unfortunate comparisons to the Mad Max sequel that debuted just a year prior. It’s still worth checking out if you dig ’80s kitsch, or were thinking about how to fight a ground war in the desert. Check out the action-packed trailer right after the jump.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/Q9yPSkQTLlA[/youtube]
Okay, so this trailer has some added bits at the end which pump up the homoerotic elements of the film, but you can watch the whole thing, warts and all, right here:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/iJNQE4GIxP8[/youtube]
Image: YouTube
Hoonivercinema: Monday Movie Trailer
7 responses to “Hoonivercinema: Monday Movie Trailer”
-
Megaforce? More like MegaDORKS, am I right?
As I recall Hot Wheels actually had a lineup of Megaforce-themed cars as a promotional tie-in. Off to eBay I go…-
-
Not a bad return on the 59 cent investment (based on the price tag).
It’s actually just over a 14 percent annual return.
-
-
-
I would not have recognized the mayor from Spin City if you hadn’t mentioned him. Of course, knowing that it’s him it’s clear as day, but I think the blond hair and the beard would have kept me from making the connection on my own.
-
To say something positive: the intro type (“IN THE FUTURE” etc.) is looking very good for 1982. And the slow laser beams snippets flying through the air – love them.
-
Judging from the trailer they blew their entire laser budget on one vehicle. The opening scene of the trailer reminds of the model work from the original Godzilla movies.
-
So that’s what the 80s were like…
I had no idea lasers actually made a “pew, pew” sound when fired…
Leave a Reply