Seriously, why is it that they don't make good (or even bad) post-apocalyptic motion pictures anymore? Is it because we ain't still fighting the Russkies? Where are the Omega Man, Planet of the Apes (not Tim Burton's), or Soylent Green of our generation? Or Logan's Run or Clockwork Orange? Or even a good radiation-filled, happening film that examines man's inhumanity to man through the interplay of scantily clad nuclear holocaust amazons riding big motorbikes with razor sharp horns while they hunt down the scientist males who possess the unclean technology? That actually sounds like a promising film...
I suppose that the Mad Max films serve as a living bridge to the Heston armageddon series,
albeit with a more nihilistic overtone than the 1970s films. But, even after having watched a few minutes of the first movie the other night on the late show, I believe that the original Mad Max was a kick-ass movie, kinda like Bullit in the outback after the breakdown of societal restraint and the rejection by law enforcement to actually obey the laws they enforce. And, yes, there were several approximations of this genre by other auteurs, all with screaming cars, buxom mohawked women, and angry anti-heros. But why not now?
Of course, the eighties and early nineties saw a raft of Blade Runner rip-offs which, even with bad movies like Johnny Mnemonic, had a certain appeal that frightened and delighted me at the same time. To be sure, Blade Runner as an action film is pretty boring. But, it is visually stunning, with its imagery of decay and modernity coupled together in such a way that is hard to soon forget, especially if you like seeing Rutger Hauer all slick and menacing (makes me want to wear my hair all spiked up).
Although, speaking of hair and my fear that I may now look like a reject from an eighties film, I think one of the most underrated post-apocalyptic movies from the eighties has to be Footloose. I mean, think about it - (1) stranger comes to repressive town that is isolated from the rest of the world (due to Reagan's foreign and domestic economic policies), (2) stranger has new paradigm for doing things in this repressive society (dance, dance, dance is the revolution solution), (3) stranger uses extra-ordinary physical prowess to enable him to function in a world ripped apart by divisive notions of the future and past ("You better run, city boy, cuz we're gonna mess you up!"), (4) stranger triumphs in such a way that the pyrrhic victory he has accomplished is meaningless and of little consequence ("Now we get to dance and shake our asses any time we damn well please!"). As you can see, Footloose is essentially Road Warrior in middle America. Except without cars. Or crossbow-toting maniacs. But, other than that, Footloose is a shot for shot homage!
So, what the GSHA needs to do is make a new post-apocalyptic film for the new millenium. Maybe even a series, like the Mad Max films, with opportunities for residual profits from toy and commemorative drink glass campaigns at the fast food franchises. The wheels in my head are spinning with ideas - all we need is a title. How about Gender and Power in Rural China: The Aftermath (happens to be the book I am reading right now, but I added the aftermath part)?
