Future War
| Future War | |
|---|---|
 VHS film cover |
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| Directed by | Anthony Doublin |
| Produced by | Dave Eddy Tim Ubels |
| Written by | David Huey (Story) Dom Magwili (Writer) |
| Starring | Daniel Bernhardt Robert Z'Dar Travis Brooks Stewart Kazja Andre Scruggs Ray Adash Mel Novak |
| Music by | Arlan H. Boll |
| Cinematography | Cory Geryak Ed Tillman |
| Editing by | Dave Eddy |
| Distributed by | Screen Pix Home Video |
| Release date(s) | January 28, 1997 (US) |
| Running time | 90 mins. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Future War is a 1997 direct-to-video American science fiction film about an escaped human slave fleeing his cyborg masters and seeking refuge on Earth. It was lampooned in a 1999 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
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[edit] Plot
Future War begins with a sequence aboard a spaceship where a revolt is under way. We see someone enter an escape pod and then jettison it from the ship where it crashes in the Pacific Ocean on Earth. The pod contains “The Runaway,” a nameless human slave played by Daniel Bernhardt. He is being pursued by his cyborg enslavers and the dinosaurs that they use as “trackers.” Having been kidnapped from Earth’s past, the Runaway has some familiarity with the English language and the King James Bible and regards Earth as a literal heaven.
The Runaway finds refuge with an ambivalent novitiate played by Travis Brooks Stewart, who had formerly dealt drugs and worked as a prostitute. Together, they band together to fight the dinosaurs and their robotic masters, seeking aid from a street gang.
Future War makes use of star Daniel Bernhardt’s skill at kickboxing and features several kickboxing fight sequences, particularly against the Cyborg Master character, played by Robert Z'Dar.
After being arrested by the police for being a suspect in a rash of recent deaths due to strange animal attacks, The Runaway is interrogated by several federal agents where they present him with a collar that was found on the beach. The Cyborg Master, however breaks into the police station, and the Runaway manages to escape in the confusion. He teams up with Sister Ann and her friends from the street to attack the dinosaurs where they live, as Runaway explains, "Near Water". He is successful in dynamiting a water treatment plant and killing the dinosaurs, but the Cyborg Master attacks him once more while he watches Sister Ann make her solemn vows to become a nun. After he kills the Cyborg Master, he becomes a counselor for runaway teens along with Sister Ann.
[edit] Cast
- Daniel Bernhardt as The Runaway
- Robert Z’Dar as Cyborg Master
- Travis Brooks Stewart as Sister Ann
- Ray Adash as Captain Polaris
- Kazja as Cyborg
- Andre Scruggs as Fred Burroughs
- Mel Novak as SWAT Leader
- Forrest J Ackerman as Park victim
[edit] Production notes
This was the directorial debut of Anthony Doublin, the award winning special effect/miniature model maker from films like Bride of Re-Animator and the Carnosaur films. The actual "tracker" feet and mechanical tracker from Future War were taken by Doublin for use in Carnosaur 3.
[edit] Mystery Science Theater 3000
Future War was ridiculed in an episode of the last season of the movie-mocking television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Future War was released in 1997, while the MST3K episode mocking it aired in April 1999). Mike Nelson and his robot friends mocked the low-budget look of the movie (several scenes are filmed at a warehouse where people are stacking apparently empty cardboard boxes), the use of forced perspective for the dinosaur sequences, and the generally nonsensical nature of the film. As Crow T. Robot remarks at one point, “You know, I could point out that it’s not the future, and there isn’t a war, but you know me; I don't like to complain.”
During production several crew members remarked that the film should end up on Mystery Science Theater 3000. When Doublin finished his work, he turned in a director's cut of the film that ran about 40 minutes of mostly dialog. Future War was screened for several key members of the crew. After the screening a discussion was held where Doublin quit, forcing a "Damage Control Unit" to be put together. Johnny Saiko from Steve Wang FX was brought in to take over the "trackers" and the film was completed and screened at AFM.[1]
[edit] Release history
Future War was released directly to home video on January 28, 1997 by Screen Pix Home Video. It was later released on Region 1 DVD by Trinity Home Entertainment on May 4, 2004.
The film was also released on DVD as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition DVD set released by Shout! Factory on October 8, 2008.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "1004 - Future War". Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt. http://www.mst3kinfo.com/daddyo/di_1004.html. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
- ^ "Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition: 10/28/2008". shoutfactory.com. http://www.shoutfactory.com/press/302/mystery_science_theater_3000__20th_anniversary_ed.aspx.
