Space Rage
Space Rage
| 15 August 1985 (USA)
Space Rage Trailers

In this sci-fi/western film set two hundred years from now, a bank robber, Grange is captured and sentenced to the penal colony on the mining planet Proxima Centauri 3 where he meets bounty-hunter Walker, and the Colonel, a retired policeman from LA who was considered the best of his kind. Grange is a dangerous lunatic and Walker and the Colonel must team up to keep him from escaping.

Reviews
Leofwine_draca

Don't be fooled into watching some science fiction extravaganza, this is strictly action-adventure fodder packed with plenty of shoot-outs and buggy chases through desert locations which seem to have been simply inspired by the exploits in MAD MAX 2. Thanks to the short running time the usual prison clichés are brought up and gone through at speed, and the film-makers just can't wait to get to the action parts of the story hence the lack of any likable or realistic characters at all and the incredibly high death toll of just about the entire cast by my reckoning, with the one exception (I mean who the heck has Farnsworth got left by the end of the movie?). The special effects are limited to a couple of dodgy model spaceships but there's the usual quota of not-bad explosions and some well-executed stunts and shoot-outs for action fans to enjoy.Although the sets and props tend to look cheap, the low budget action is handled pretty well and the film is nicely violent, with lots of bloody bullet impacts and sadistic murders. The somewhat recognisable cast tend to come off badly though and you could say that this is a film where everybody simply phones in their performance. Michael Pare is an unlikable sadistic villain and plays it woodenly whilst John Laughlin is awful as the young, carefree hero bounty hunter who snaps when his wife is shot dead. As for Richard Farnsworth, well he plays his usual hard-mannered stubborn old self and is the best thing in the film. Thanks to the wealth of action, this film is never boring - instead, just dumb. Only of use if your brain has had a hard day and you need something painless and totally lacking in plot motivation or twists of any kind to keep you engaged with repetitive violence and lots of deaths. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

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Enchorde

It is remarkable sometimes, how much space can look like the prairies and desert of the American Midwest. But just add a few odd shaped buildings and drive around in dune buggies, and suddenly you're on another planet. Well, they just don't make these kind of low budget sci-fi flicks anymore. And it is a shame, because despite their faults, and bad effects, they got their own charm.Not much unlike a western, the bounty hunter Walker and the retired old "sheriff", the Colonel, must team up to stop the violent and extremely dangerous Grange to lead a prisoner rebellion off the planet.Bad props, bad effects, a overuse of explosives but good fun none the less. Simply put, it got good thoughtless action. And because of it is entertaining almost from the start. So, a lot of good fun. But to call it good would be a stretch.4/10

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dknte

Hey if you have a little over an hour to kill and find paint to be too exciting I'd suggest it. If thou you happen to like cheap b-movies like me it's good for a giggle! Other than that I wouldn't suggest that you rent it, I'd wait till it comes on the tube say round 4 am on the free access channel of your cable/satellite supplier. The band that did this sound track by the way was on the road after for about two years after this flick, and no they sounded just as bad live according to the two small town reviews I could find on them. So once again good if you find grass growing to much fun but good to watch if you like to see how NOT to shoot a low budget movie.

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rognyt

I watched the movie while recovering from major surgery. While I knew it was only a "B" film, a space western, I loved it. It may have lacked the flash of high dollar productions it non-the-less held my imagination and provided great escapism. Sadly our society has so much available, discounting small attempts is too easy. In the same way that I can enjoy a even a grade school performance of Shakespeare, I can appreciate many levels of achievement for the art sake. I am a cop and found affinity with the retired LAPD. Dreams like his haunt me that I will be unable in the moment of crisis be able to respond to save another's life (or my own). while it was a romantic ending where Farnsworth did take out the bad guy (predictable) I needed a little happy romance where good can triumph. My world is really too cynical.

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