If I had reviewed this film when I first saw it as a 17 year old, I would have been singing its praises. My memory tells me that it was a funny, action-packed film with a pretty important message about how society is controlled and controlling. If I had never re-watched this movie 33 years later, I would have gone on thinking that it was a good, fun, entertaining film. But... it's not. I'm not sure how it merits such a high rating--I guess that most of the reviewers are either teenagers seeing it for the first time, or adults seeing it through the lens of nostalgia.
So, what's wrong with this movie? Besides the interesting concept and relevant message... it's bad. There's no other way to put it. It starts off bad with a very boring, bland and dated setting. The music, which is usually good in Carpenter films, is grating, like a 70s porn soundtrack. The cast is mostly mediocre, 80s actors who weren't all that good at the time. The worst, of course, is the star: Roddy Piper. But perhaps it isn't the acting that's bad... maybe it's the script. Cheesy and stilted dialogue and juvenile one-liners that sounded smart when I was a kid... but they just sound dumb to my adult ears now. There are too many bad lines to share.
So... it's bad. Bad film-work, bad sets, bad dialogue, bad casting, bad acting, bad costumes, bad effects. If you were to look up the term "dated", this movie would fit. It has NOT aged well.
So, what's wrong with this movie? Besides the interesting concept and relevant message... it's bad. There's no other way to put it. It starts off bad with a very boring, bland and dated setting. The music, which is usually good in Carpenter films, is grating, like a 70s porn soundtrack. The cast is mostly mediocre, 80s actors who weren't all that good at the time. The worst, of course, is the star: Roddy Piper. But perhaps it isn't the acting that's bad... maybe it's the script. Cheesy and stilted dialogue and juvenile one-liners that sounded smart when I was a kid... but they just sound dumb to my adult ears now. There are too many bad lines to share.
So... it's bad. Bad film-work, bad sets, bad dialogue, bad casting, bad acting, bad costumes, bad effects. If you were to look up the term "dated", this movie would fit. It has NOT aged well.