Solarbabies (1986)

Excellent but underrated film

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This movies plot is simply horrible. However, the whole movie is just insanely random and great. You never truly know what is happening. People riding roller skates through the desert and playing a game called "SkateBall". There is a general that wears a blue M. Bison suit. Water is State-controlled. The world is a desert, and children live is camps to be "educated" to serve the Eco-Protectorate. Then Bodhai arrives - a being found by one of the children, Daniel. And that's when the story kicks into gear. The effects are a little on the cheesy side when compared to present day, but the story is there.This movie was a true product of the 80's, the kind of "Mad Max Lite" for the kiddies to watch when the adults are in the next theater watching "Kramer vs Kramer." If you are a fan of the 80's movies, this will definitely put you in a nostalgic frame of mind. Jason Patric fills the role of the Patriarch and Jamie Gertz the Matriarch. But to the performances... Everyone of the kids but Jamie Gertz (who told her she could act?) were enjoyable enough very harmless. The soundtrack needs to be muted... awful. Lots of Roller Skating, I guess it was a thing at the time. Silly movie and predictable but harmless enough.Overall rating: 6 out of 10.

For some reason, I found this film boring two minutes in and I guess the writer felt my pain later on with lines like: "Do you get bored just sitting in this box?" and "I'll do everything I can to see you're not bored." (Fail.) No babies were harmed during the making of this film. In fact, no babies were in this movie at all, despite the title of the film.In the movie's defense, I bet kids of 30 years ago might find this adventure fun and could relate to the post-apocalyptic skating "heroes." This was not the case for an adult seeing this for the first time three decades too late. Especially with some of the outdated special effects, the locked-in-time roller skating craze and the bad editing with obvious chunks of scenes cut out that would've explained more than the exposition ADR'ed in post.So much is going on here. In the far distant future without much water, kids are "imprisoned" and must learn the art of skating to enter a society we never really see. Meanwhile, a prophecy is fulfilled when a half animated crystal ball amazes kids and leads them to the promised water. Meanwhile, the kids are hunted for no real reason. Meanwhile, one of the boys finds his village of ulterior motives. Meanwhile, one of the girls finds paradise and her daddy. Meanwhile, Superman's nemesis, Ursa, is once again loyal to bad leaders. Meanwhile, Johnny Five's evil cousin switches loyalty to stay just as evil. Meanwhile, a dam breaks free to make an ocean. Meanwhile, there is a Tire Land. Not sure most of this would work today, for kids anyways. But, back then, I guess it might have fun for the Star Wars fan base, especially since it would more than a decade before the prequels would emerge. Never really cared for post-apocalyptic films. I get it; it'll be depressing. The lands will be barren, water scarce, evil over-the-top tyrants, anarchy and tons and tons of dirty folks and sets. Depressing these films are. I guess some people love these movies. I find them disheartening and miserable. I suppose Solarbabies at least made it "fun" since the kids seemed to be having a ball making it.But, still: Not recommended.***Final thoughts: Daddy "Greentree." Hahahaha. I had to laugh at this character introduced late into the film. I used to work for a company called Greentree. At least, I took that unintentionally humorous moment from this.

The year is 41. In a dystopian future, water is scarce and the Protectorate controls everything. Legend says that the Bohdai will come from space to liberate the people and the water. Orphanage 43 borders on the wasteland. A game that is both lacrosse and roller derby is played. Jason (Jason Patric) leads his rag tag group Solarbabies that includes Terra (Jami Gertz), Tug ( Peter DeLuise), Rabbit (Claude Brooks), Metron (James LeGros) and deaf boy Daniel (Lukas Haas). Strictor Grock (Richard Jordan) runs the lead group Scorpions and gives them all the privileges. The Warden (Charles Durning) is more practical and would rather not run the camp as a prison. Shandray (Sarah Douglas) is one of the teacher. Daniel finds a glowing orb in a cave which fixes his hearing. The orb communicates with Daniel calling itself Bohdai.It's a young adult dystopian movie before it became a trend. The problem is the overwhelming sense of cheesiness. It starts with the stupid name Solarbabies. I don't know where it comes from but it needed to stay there. The game is reminiscent of all the silly movie 'Roller' games that was so popular in 70s B-movie. This movie is full of bad smelly cheese. It's only salvation is the cast of good young actors and the bare bones of a better story underneath. It could probably be remade after a lot of rewrites.

I remember when I first saw this film, I must have been about six years old (1990 or so), I thought this film was amazing at that time. I've since watched it several times as an adult and all I can do is laugh at every serious scene in this movie. This film is about a future in which roller skates apparently make a huge come back. All of the worlds water (or most of it anyway) is being stored in a building about the size of Yankee stadium. There is no rain because apparently there is also no such thing as evaporation (although plenty of the cast are sweating throughout the film). All animals except a few birds and a couple of attack dogs are dead (or hiding really well ^_^). All plant life is dead and gone which means two things, No salad, and oxygen must be supplied by planet Druidia! My favorite scene in the whole movie is when "Rabbit" dare I say the only back person left alive on the planet, does a very non-offensive Harlem Globe Trotters routine with the "Sphere of Longiness". You will enjoy this movie if you want some chuckles, please watch it and, "Enjoy a decent life grid!" (That line cracks me up!)