Radioactive Dreams

The only thing I really liked about this movie is Michael Dudikoff. This was his first (and, until about BOUNTY HUNTERS nearly eleven years later, only) turn at comedy, and he proved he definitely has what it takes play a comedic role. He and John Stockwell play two teens who have grown to maturity inside a bomb shelter with nothing but Philip Marlowe novels, and when they finally set foot out into the post-nuke future, encounter everything from a mysterious woman to some really ugly creatures. I really had no idea what was happening in this movie. I just liked watching Dudikoff do comedy for a change (his teenage girl-like reaction to discovering that a giant creature hanging from the ceiling is alive is hysterical) and show off some cool dance moves at the end. Of interest to only Dudikoff fans, and even they might be disappointed outside of him.

This is that rarity amongst post-apocalyptic cinema - a film that dares to show people trying to enjoy life in the ruins of civilization. Although it's eighties heritage shows through in an overzealous use of neon, tacky dance-rock and the frankly dodgy nightclub scenes, any film that can combine a nuclear war with disco has to be applauded.

Our heroes emerge after a childhood in a bomb shelter. Their only guide to the 'real' world has been the work of crime writers such as Raymond Chandler. Convinced, therefore, that everyone wears sharp suits, talks like a hipster and goes down after one swift punch to the jaw, they embark on their journey back to civilization.

Although the film starts by gently mocking the conventions of post-apocalyptic cinema (disco dancing midgets in white suits for instance (no, I'm not making this up!)), the bravery of the script dwindles, and about half way through it degenerates into the very generic twaddle that it sets out to mock. Still, as generic twaddle goes, it is enjoyable and entertaining, and hey, love that disco dancing...

Pyun's ambitious effort is well-made but extremely lacking in plot and character development. Essentially, it is a half-baked post-apocalyptic comedy about two Hardy Boys-esquire young guys (John Stockwell and Michael Dudikoff) who see the world for the first time. They run into various zombies, 80s bondage/biker chicks, a genuinely creepy butcher, and several other zany and morally ambiguous characters as they search for their father.

Like a lot of Pyun's films, it doesn't take any effort to level the ground for the audience. It has flashy ideas and camera maneuvers and some decent action, but it was hard to understand what was going on. Or maybe it was hard to understand that the movie WAS going on without any real plot lying underneath its surface. By the end I was giving up on it because there was no interesting conclusions or character accomplishments. If it were trippier and filled with more complex weirdness it could have been more watchable, but it still needed better characters and more fun.

There is a dance number at the end that is pretty amazing though . . .

The movie itself is not particularly good. B-movie-esque with a few laughs, and the otherwise simple plot is told in a rather incomprehensible and messy way. The acting is pretty bad and the cutting almost hilarious. There are definitely many better movies to watch before this one, unless you have a thing for 80s kitsch (I do).

The movie does however shine in one particular area; the soundtrack. I have watched (or listened to) the first 3 minutes on repeat for a good while already. Hard-punching 80s synth wave / new wave epicness bathed in reverb - I love it!

Having only been previously exposed to Albert Pyun's 90s-era direct-to-video low-budget action garbage, I picked up "Radioactive Dream" expecting a futuristic crapfest like "Nemesis" or "Omega Doom". I was surprised to discover this movie is not only original, but extremely funny and entertaining.

Michael Dudikoff (in an effectively humorous role the same year he kicked off his B-action career with "American Ninja") and John Stockwell ("Christine", "My Science Project", and now a director of motion pictures) play Marlowe Chandler and Phillip Hammer - a couple of real dicks! Having been raised on 50s pulp detective novels (hence their names) while confined to an underground bomb shelter, they emerge 15 years after a nuclear war has turned the world into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. All these guys want is dames and to become the world's biggest private dicks. The first person they meet is a revolutionary rebel by the name of Miles Archer (Lisa Blount, who I also remember from another of my favorite guilty-pleasure 80s flicks, "Nightflyers", as well as "Blind Fury" and "Prince of Darkness"). Purely by accident, our two heroes end up in possession of the two keys that can launch the last nuclear missile in existence, and when this fact is discovered after they reach the last outpost of civilization - Edge City - they find themselves on the run from every mutant gang in town.

This movie's pluses include a colorful variety of characters, many based on specific stereotypes from different eras (pulp detectives, disco mutants, greasers) as well as cannibals and giant rats; general goofiness in both the action sequences and the heroes' trying to get acquainted to the changed world; a most excellent 80s soundtrack; and George Kennedy to boot. As expected, the movie is a comedic satire for most of the first hour, but then suddenly turns serious in the last 20 minutes. But this movie does end with the coolest two-man song and dance number ever.

In short, don't let the Pyun credit fool you. "Radioactive Dreams" is a good rental for those who wish to see something completely different. (Especially suggest a double billing of this with "Six-String Samurai") 7/10