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