Future Force (1989)

Such a frustrating disappointment

So much average

Just perfect...

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Yes, many more have graduated. In the far off future of 1991, the police will be replaced by civilian contractors. Each must first pass the high standards of marksmanship set by The Empire's Stormtroopers. Not only must they miss their quarry, they must miss all clothes, vehicles, and nearby props entirely. Until now, only stormtroopers had been so precise.In Future Force, David Caradine's character of John Tucker is shot at repeatedly with all kinds of different weapons. However not one bullet hole is shown anywhere near him. He is shot at with machine guns, shotguns, and pistols. His truck is never damaged by bullet holes throughout the entire movie. Tucker himself is shot twice by what appears to be a very experienced murderer, Becker. Tucker gets back up with only a trickle of blood dripping from the edge of his mouth without any sign of a bruise, cut, nor BULLET HOLE.Yes, these civilian contractors must have assuredly graduated SUMMA CUM LAUDE from The Empire's School for Stormtroopers.One amazing scene shows a couple of those contractors walking towards Tuckers vehicle from about 50 feet behind. Tucker tells the woman reporter to put her head down. Tucker then teleports himself out of the truck to a place unseen by the two contractors. Sometimes movie magic is just so mind-numbingly incredible!SEE! A Plethora of Classic Antique 70s and 80s Cars and Trucks!!!SEE! Big 80s-style hair!!! Futuristic Cathode Ray Tube Technology!!!SEE! The Highly-Anticipated Return of The MULLETT!!! SEE! Biker-look Civilian Contractor C.O.P.S.*!!!SEE! Spectacular Manual and Remote Flying Robot Arm Action!!!SEE! Topless Dancing & Naked Butts!!!SEE! A Car Flip!!! A Car Cliff Dive!!!SEE! A TV Implode!!! A Helicopter Explode!!!SEE! Chief Cherokee Teleport Three Times in One Scene****!!!SEE! Groin Punches!!! Disappearing Color TV*****!!!SEE! Sanitation Department Horror of Dead Body PileupsI give this spectacular bomb FIVE out of FIVE Ed Wood Stars!This movie was included in Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's DVD SCI-FI SIX PACK COLLECTOR'S SET (UPC# 0 96009 54329 7). The box set came with three DVD cases each with its own catalog number (54309, 54319, 54799), no UPC #, and designated "NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL RESALE". Each case came with two DVDs:54309:Firehead...............UPC #0 96009 51529 4Space Mutiny.........UPC #0 96009 51599 754319:Future Force..........UPC #0 96009 51579 9Future Zone...........UPC #0 96009 51589 954799:Prey of the Jaguar...UPC #0 96009 49619 7Conspiracy of Fear...UPC #0 96009 51509 6I guess the box was originally designed to house four DVD cases, because Echo Bridge graciously---free and without fanfare on the packaging---added two rectangular pieces of cardboard to fill in the extra space.* Civilian Operated Police Systems (according to the sign on the entrance to the headquarters)**** Civilian Operated Police Incorporated (according to the narrator)****** Civilian Operated Police State (according to Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's DVD case's description)**** Establishing shot shows car in a seemingly deserted dirt road with railroad tracks. In closeups of Marion (Anna Rapagna) and Tucker, cross traffic is blurry but clearly visible not far behind them. Later, two C.O.P.S. are seen walking towards the car with a truck parked behind them. Only the front tire is visible. There is no traffic. The next camera angle through the Cherokee shows a different location with a different truck where the rear wheel is clearly visible. In the mirror they appear to be in the original deserted location.***** Front camera angles show Tucker and Marion clearly looking at the center console as they watch and react to their helper, Billy, talking on-screen. However shots from behind the couple show no signs of the TV anywhere.

It's difficult to give this film a very good rating, although I do recommend you see it, if you like David Carradine.Since his untimely death, I've tried to collect and watch all of his films that are still available.I think MST3000 would have had fun with this one, if they censored out the nudity and perhaps some of the profanity.Two used copies I ordered on line were defective, and tonight I received my third (new) copy, and am enjoying it as I type this review.I'm awaiting a DVD of "Sundown, the Vampire in Retreat", and I also enjoy rewatching "Q, The Winged Serpent". Carradine and Michael Moriarty are excellent together.

David Carradine has done more than his fair share of stinkers throughout his career. This delightfully dreadful doozy rates highly as one of poor Dave's more entertainingly awful films. A seriously dumpy, weary, and out of shape Carradine stars as John Tucker, a rugged bounty hunter who pounds a gritty city beat in a bleak lawless near future that's right around the corner. Tucker has to protect perky TV news reporter Marion Sims (the cute Anna Rapagna) from the vile clutches of corrupt police chief Jason Adams (essayed with snarly hambone aplomb by William Zipp) and his brutish henchman Becker (leering veteran chromedome heavy Robert Tessier). Moreover, Tucker has to fend off his fellow bounty hunters after he's wrongfully accused of murder by Adams. Written and directed with staggering incompetence by David A. Prior, further undermined by dismal dialogue (sample line: "I want her dead in a box six feet underground"), poky pacing, clumsily staged action scenes, drab cinematography, a horrible head-bangin' rock soundtrack, several gnarly strip club sequences (WARNING: fleeting gratuitous nudity alert!), slack editing, and a woefully unconvincing depiction of the future (all the clothes, hairstyles, automobiles, and so on look like the present circa 1990), this hilariously horrendous honey makes for often unintentionally uproarious viewing. Gut-busting highlights include one of the single most lame car chases ever committed to celluloid, the ridiculously fake-looking exploding plastic helicopter, and the simply glorious moment when Tucker's nerdy crippled electronics whiz sidekick Billy (the insufferably geeky D.C. Douglas) gets blown away and falls out of his wheelchair dead. But the funniest moment period occurs when Tucker's funky metallic glove gets activated so it can fly throw the air, repeatedly punch Becker, and eventually strangle the mean no-good baddie (said glove also fires these cool blue lasers and can punch through cardboard doors). A deliciously cheesy hoot.

"Past Force" or "Present Force" would have been a more appropriate title for this movie instead of FUTURE FORCE. Not even one attempt by the film-makers is being done to make this movie look futuristic. This movie looked already dated before it even came out. Well, except for this amazingly cool and cheap-looking plastic robot-glove David Carradine wears from time to time. This movie also could have been called "David Carradine's 80 minutes car drive", because that's about all he does in this movie. Well, okay, near the end he does kick a few punches. But, damn, he looks out of shape and indeed drunk most of the time.Yep, this is one of those so-bad-it's-hilarious flicks. Why wasn't this one directed by Jim Wynorski? It would have been even more fun! Almost every five minutes there's a great laugh to be had with this flick. A couple of random examples: This movie features one of the most pathetic car-chases I've ever seen. Then the helicopter came on and I thought "Damn, where did the budget came from to hire it?" A few seconds later I was laughing again when they blew up that fake cardboard miniature helicopter. At one moment the chief of police (or whatever he is) is seen sipping some strong booze from a glass, smiling, clearly content with himself, not saying anything. I was waiting for the cut to the next scene, but instead he took another sip, and another... One of the best unintentional laughs I got out of this flick (and this is most definitely one of those re-wind moments) was when Carradine was driving the car and explaining to the reporter that he did not at any moment found all this to be funny, that he up until then did not laugh with anything at all... then he cranks up a smile and looks DIRECTLY into the camera. The editor (deliberately?) cut away just a few seconds too late. Maybe this was Carradine's way of saying to the director: "Screw you and your idiotic movie, hahaha!" The afore-mentioned robot-glove really is a hoot! It shoots silly animated blue lasers that almost always miss their target. It can punch through cardboard doors. And it can prevent a car from driving away just by grabbing it. Notice that Carradine and his wheel-chair-bound side-kick keep on nagging about "the remote control" throughout the whole movie. And when he finally activates it, you just wont believe your eyes. My friend and me jumped up from the sofa, laughing it up, out of sheer enjoyment. Just look at the way the totally NON-electronic suitcase opens itself. Just look at it fly through the air in all possible directions. Just look at it hitting and strangling the bad guy. Just look at it doing the a-okay sign. And all this by having Carradine pushing only ONE and the SAME friggin' button!Yep, this truly is one of the better bad movies out there. And, on the contrary of what one fellow commentator mentioned, this flick does indeed contain some female nudity (just some naked boobies flashing on your screen, but still a joyful moment it was). I got even more enthusiastic when I learned this movie actually has a sequel called FUTURE ZONE, also starring David Carradine!!! Damn, I really need to get my hands on that baby, real fast!