Class of 1984 (1982)

Wonderful Movie

Why so much hype?

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

When I first watched this film I was quite amazed at the level of disobedience and violence in the film. But upon finishing it I realized that this film was a masterpiece. Perry King does a great job as Mr.Norris while Timothy Van Patten does his role great as stegman. The film captures the early 80s atmosphere quite well.The beginning intro done by Alice cooper gives a glimpse into the darkness of the punk scene that is present in the film. I have to say that the scene where Mr.Norris wreckes Stegamans car never gets old as it shows a man willing to go to extremes to even out with his enemies despite putting his and his wife's life on the line. When Mr.Norris finally gets rid of stegman and his crew it was one of the moments I cheered for him as he had enough of their control over the school. I would highly recommend to anyone who has the time to spare for this masterpiece.

Holy Smokes. I will start off by saying that I just finished watching this movie today for the first time and I fell in love. I'm reviewing this film from the perspective that this is a cult classic film through and through and so I shall begin. The story is about a teacher who gets a job at a school that is known to be full of gangs and a plethora of other misfits. He then starts to have trouble with the main school gang which are basic Neo-Nazi punks. The story is simplistic but does the job. The acting was great for a film that was made in 1982 not that there were not a ton of phenomenal actors back then either to say. The teacher Mr.Norris played by Perry King is Outstanding and the other highlight is his enemy Peter Stegman played by Timothy Van Patten who was truly mesmerizing. The other actors and actresses did a great job as well. The action was Awesome. The choreography could be a little off at times but for the times and the budget it was working with I thought the director Mark Lester did an Incredible job. The deaths were very cool and overall they did a killer job. No pun intended. The cinematography and location were excellent. The crew did a terrific job of shadowing over what a crime ridden school would look like along with the town it was surrounded by in the film. I will close by saying that this is a Must-Watch film if you're a fan of films such as "A Clockwork Orange" and also "The Warriors" and films that represent warnings on what our future's could look like if left in the hands of madmen. The film can be graphic at times but none of it phased me because I have seen a lot worse but just a forewarning. Please don't be deterred from watching this Absolutely Astounding film.

Class of 1984 (1982)** 1/2 (out of 4)Music teacher Andy Norris (Perry King) arrives at a new school where on the first day he notices fellow teacher Terry (Roddy McDowall) carrying a gun. Terry educates Andy that the school is a rather violent place where everyone is carrying some sort of weapon. Pretty soon gang leader Stegman (Timothy Van Pattern) targets Andy and the attacks keep getting more violent.CLASS OF 1984 pretty much came out of nowhere and turned into a profitable hit that managed to score quite a few good reviews even from critics like Roger Ebert. The film is pretty much a mix of TO SIR WITH LOVE, DEATH WISH and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. The movie is fairly well-made considering its budget and I'd argue that the performances are quite good but it falls just a tad bit short from becoming good in my book but more on that in a bit.I think director Mark Lester does a very good job at building up the atmosphere and setting. There's not a single moment where you feel as if you're watching something on a set. Everything feels quite authentic and you really do feel as if you're in a dump of a school where the trash rules. Another plus is that King is very good in the lead role and makes a believable character. McDowall is also good in his supporting role but it's Van Pattern who steals the film as the cold-blooded creep. You even get Michael J. Fox in an early role.What bothered me most about the film was a few issues I had with the screenplay. The biggest problem is some logical issues surrounding the Principle and the cops. Are they really that stupid? There's some pretty wild and violent stuff that happens yet it's never enough for this gang to be in trouble. I don't know, everyone knows they're a "problem" yet for some reason they keep going against the teacher. The film ends up in a rather violent revenge plot that plays out quite nicely.

***SPOILERS*** Released in the summer of 1982 the movie "Class of 1984" is really a remake of the 1955 juvenile delinquency classic "Blackboard Jungle" but far more violent with high school as well as music prodigy Peter Stegman, Thimothy Van Patten, who used his gang of thugs to terrorize everyone including teachers and principles at Lincoln High. The previous music teacher had suffered a serious accident, he fell or was pushed down a flight of stairs, and being in traction has no plans of coming back. It's now the naive and sensitive Andrew Norris, Perry King, who has no idea in what he's up against who was to take his place.Andrew Norris who was the victim together with his fellow science teacher Terry Corrigan, Roddy Mcowall, of Stegman and his gang's violent abuses that included Andrew's pregnant wife Diane, Marrie Lynn Ross, who was kidnapped and brutalized by them soon turned into a Chuck Norris in him dealing with them. That's by the time he realized that the only language that Stegman & Co. could understand is the language or violence that they inflict on others. After breaking into Terry Corrigan's laboratory and slaughtering his prized lizards rabbits and snakes he completely flipped out causing him to lose his life, in a fiery car crash, by using his car as a battering-ram against an astonished, they didn't think he had the guts to do it, Stegman & his gang.***SPOILERS*** It's while he was conducting an in school concert of the Tchackousky's 1812 Symphony that Norris got the terrible news, with photos added on, about his wife's being kidnapped beaten raped and held hostage by the Stegman gang that he simply went bananas as well as after them with such fury in that they would soon wish they were never born! With Stegman and Co. doing everything they could to murder Norris and his wife he turned the tables on them finishing them off one at a time in the most brutal ways imaginable and saving the last for gang leader Stegman himself. Savagely beaten himself Norris still held up hope for the helpless, hanging on a string, Stegman when he pleaded for him to save his life. That's until Stegman showed his true colors, by pulling out a switchblade, as an outraged and almost insane with rage Norris let him drop.