Damnation Alley (1977) Reviews

• BEST SCI FI VEHICLE DESIGN!!!

  ebranz2002-10-18

  Wowza! Now this movie aint great (far from it) but it aint horrid either. Just yer basic post nuclear sci-fi apocalypse survival flick. Survivors get from point A to point B with a bunch of trouble in between. The trouble actually doesn't add up to much (look for roaches!) and the acting and storyline are at a minimum....BUT!!!!!! The following things kicked ass!: Beginning!--->creepy slow suspense as the world faces nuclear destruction! Score!--->Great music sets the tone for the scenes (saving many) Sky FX!--->tripped out! The skies are the best looking I've seen in any apocalyptic movie...way cool! The SUV!!--->They actually built this thing! it works and works great! No scale model here, although I'm sure its looks are best viewed on the outside, but its done well, not cheap, handles the road great, and if i could find one, I'd buy it (look carefully at wheel design....amazing!) Dats it, Dats all. B-movie sci-fi fun. No brainer..great for 2 for 1 rental, follow it with something that will get brain workin again.

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• A post-apocalypse road film...

  joseph t2001-07-05

  The beginning of this film really shakes you up. The careful, measured tones coming from the missile base loudspeaker announcing the progress of "the war" belie the fact that at that moment scores of millions of people are being atomized as the bombs fall. However, the aftermath seems to be typical post-nuclear mis-adventure, with the survivors from the base starting out on a cross-country road trip. The "Landmaster" vehicles add a jazzy and technie touch to the otherwise predictable trip. Wild weather, crazed hermits, and killer cockroaches require a little suspension of disbelief, but still keep the pace going. Fans of "The A-Team" will like seeing George Peppard in a lead role, as the by-the-book superior officer who tries to keep the non-conformist junior officer (Vincent) in line. Dominique Sanda adds some nice eye candy as the token female member of the intrepid band of pilgrims, rescued by Peppard and company from the ruins of Las Vegas. Overall, a pretty good film if you are looking for an evening of distraction and non-reality, if you can get past the opening sequence.

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• If Irwin Allen Combined Mad Max, Deliverance & Them

  delticcompon2006-03-31

  This notoriously hard to get (at least legitimately) movie follows the travails of five nuke apocalypse survivors in the late 1970s. Their task is to drive their armored personnel vehicle cum Winnabago from Bakersfield CA to Albany NY. On the way they stop off in Vegas, Salt Lake City and Detriot bumping into maniac mutant cockroaches and some radioactive hillbillies along the way. 99% of the time the sky is a swirling orangish red that transfers its Gatorade hues to most sequences in this movie. The locations are all dust, sand and rock... this is after all Damnation Alley and the Earth has been tilted off its axis. An absolute trash B movie that I'm sure many of those associated with would rather forget, it is nonetheless hugely compelling. After viewing you can appreciate the cult classic status of this film, yet to not be entirely sure why that is so.

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• What a fun, post atomic flick this is!

  robespierre92008-06-14

  This is a really fun movie if you like post-atomic flicks! Or any Jan Michael Vincent flick, for that matter. The effects are sometimes cheesy, but overall the atmosphere and film-work on this are pretty decent! It's also fun to see Jan Michael 'AIRWOLF' with George Peppard "A TEAM" together. They make a good pair! The 'bug' scene is very fun- and includes some great Jan Michael motorcycle wheelies! The tornado scene is also cool. This movie definitely takes you to a different world, and the strange sky color throughout sort of makes everything seem - well- post atomic! It's a clever movie, not too violent, but it definitely is worth the buy! If you are a Jan Michael fan, this would be a MUST have as he looks fantastic as usual.

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• Good Idea, Poor Execution

  Avenger691999-09-07

  Based on the post-apocalyptic novel "Damnation Alley" by Roger Zelazny, the film version shares almost nothing with the book other than the title. In the film, a band of World War III survivors from the 123rd Strategic Missile Wing in the California desert set out across a devastated America in an armored, 12-wheeled "Landmaster" vehicle in search of a faint radio signal from Albany, New York. Along the way, they encounter freak storms, ragged survivors, and yes, those infamous "killer cockroaches." "Damnation Alley" definitely has its strong points, most notably the first 20 minutes, which features perhaps one of the most chilling depictions of the start of World War III , as the crew of the 123rd SMW watches helplessly as the war begins and ends in a matter of minutes before their eyes. On the down side, the film also has a wealth of weak points, most of which are after the survivors begin their journey. Inane dialog, bizzare laser effects, and plot inconsistencies abound, as do wooden performances by George Peppard and Jan-Michael Vincent. Paul Winfield is the only standout in the film, and he is offed by the infamous "killer cockroaches" in a scene that leads to the best line of the film: "Tanner, this is Denton... This whole town is infested with killer cockroaches!!!" It seems as if many scenes in the film that would have helped it play better may have been left on the cutting room floor (and in fact, publicity stills from the film do show scenes not included in the final release), and the inclusion of these scenes may have turned this mediocre film into something better. Good idea, but poor execution.

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