Written by Robert Scucci | Updated
“Mad Max” is its genre, and if video stores still existed, I would contact them every day until they build a shelf that includes this indisputable fact. Dead End Drive-In (1986), Wheels of Fire (1985), The land of water (1995), and The Rover (2014) all take different pages from the same playbook, and for my money, there’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned war set in the wasteland.
The Mad Max setup works very well, and can thrive on a tight budget if the practical effects are used carefully and the editing does all the hard work. In 1986 Future Hunters another such film. It’s obviously rough around the edges, but it’s so well put together that you’re willing to buckle down and see where it takes you.
Make sure you have extra ratchet straps on hand, because it’s going to be a rough ride.
To Save The Future, You Must Find The Shaft Of Destiny!
Future Hunters It begins in the year 2025, in a post-nuclear dystopian society. At its center is Matthew (Richard Norton), an apparent representative of Max Rockatansky. After engaging in a battle with a future warlord, Zaar (David Light), and his henchmen, Matthew discovers the Spear of Destiny in a temple and is sent back to 1986, when there is still enough time to keep the world from collapsing. In this timeline, he meets an anthropologist named Michelle (Linda Carol) and her boyfriend Slade (Robert Patrick), who suddenly have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
With his last breath, a badly injured Matthew tells Michelle and Slade to find the missing spear shaft, which will complete the craft and allow it to be used against the evil forces that exist. If I tell you what happens next Future HuntersYou wouldn’t believe me, and I don’t want to spoil it for you. So instead, I’m going to give you a sizzle reel of what makes this movie so great.
Michelle and Slade travel the world, leaving no stone unturned in their quest for the Shaft of Destiny. They don’t really have much to do, but they are rushed into the jungles of the Philippines and fight Nazis, Mongol warriors, and dwarves. If you think that’s enough, they are kidnapped by Amazon women and find themselves constantly at odds with Zaar, who also wants to complete the painting, and Bauer, the head of a Nazi expedition that happens to be searching for a dungeon to be reunited with the Spear of Destiny.
Along the way, there is no shortage of biker gangs and seasoned martial artists who make every step of the journey feel like an insurmountable obstacle. I don’t even want to know what the body count is here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets close to triple digits.
There are Too Many Wrongs to Count
Although I agree with that Future Hunters With too many detractors to rationally measure by human names alone, this movie is simply not fun. What it may lack in martial arts training, it more than makes up for in Gervacio Santos’ training. The whole frame feels deliberate, as if Santos already has a firm grip on the technical side of cutting together a high-octane action thriller, but there’s an artistry to it, too, that can’t be overstated.
We’re not dealing with much here, but every explosion feels earned, and whenever you think the camera is going to take a break and sink into the scene, it’s already terrifying and reaches another combination of flying shells and falling bodies.
It’s a great thing to see played out on screen. By all means, Future Hunters it’s a B movie that could have been produced for less than a million bucks. Robert Patrick commands every scene he’s in, whether he’s an evil warrior of the future wilderness or he’s so far in over his head that he doesn’t know how to behave. He walks that line perfectly, and the balance is never disturbed, no matter how absurd things get.
If you’re a fan of all things Mad Max, this is one of those simulations that strays too far from the source to probably inspire you to be one sample size. I would bet you anything that if George Miller saw this one, he would feel that his legacy was not diminished by the film, but enhanced by it.
Future Hunters it takes an already superior setup and pushes the envelope so far that you can’t help but admire it. It’s truly one of a kind, and well worth a look the next time you want to roam the desert but crave a wilder flavor than anything you’ve seen in this wheelhouse before.
From this writing, you can broadcast Future Hunters free on Tubi.
