WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND

* ½  
 

STARRING: Fred Williamson, Andrea Coppola, George Eastman, Vito Fornari, Giovanni Frezza

1983, 90 Minutes, Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Description: In a post-apocalyptic future, a group of weary survivors is faced with a relentless onslaught from a gang of roving bandits. Into this conflict comes two men, rivals by nature, but forced to take the same side against a common foe. The survival of the human race may very well come down to the outcome of this battle.  — Amazon.com

One of countless cheap Road Warrior rip-offs made during the early-1980s.

Also known as The New Barbarians, this Italian flick is one of those movies in which villains chuckle smugly whenever they run through any of their innocent victims and the hero drives a car which has a huge plastic bubble on the roof for some reason. (The bubble glows green in the dark by the way.)

The villains dress in white like Imperial storm troopers and drive golf carts made up to look like the vehicles in Death Race 2000. Warriors of the Wasteland literally features some of the slowest car chases ever and one keeps on expecting one of the villains’ intended victims to simply outrun them on foot.

The villains all have protruding razor blades and other gizmos to kill and maim the last few remaining survivors of some unspecified post-Apocalypse. The hero wears a sheepskin jacket – how macho. But it’s acceptable in comparison to some of the other silly costumes worn by his co-stars. Later on he is made to wear a bullet-proof outfit made of . . . transparent plastic bubbles!

Unlike the many golf carts on display the pace isn’t too slow though and there are some neat low-budget stunts featuring exploding motorcyclists.

It’s all very ridiculous and perfect for Mystery Science Theater 3000-style connoisseurs of bad movies. Invite your buddies over and have beer – lots of beer! – handy while watching it.