Neon City

I'm pretty apathetic towards this film and don't like or dislike it. It has good cinematography and decent direction. It's just that the script is...eccentric. And the times when it tries for comedy are very tedious. The action scenes are boring, and...well, this is an example of a flick that is average in every sense of the word. Ironside is excellent.

As previously stated, this flick doesn't stand out for good or for ill, it has a few shining moments, but for the most part it seems to be one long star trek reject script about how screwing around with the atmosphere (particularly ozone) will have dire consequences. Possibly considered a potential star vehicle for "Vanity" (remember her?). Has some of the strangest dialogue I've ever heard: "I was in private school in Sweden. We lived underground in caves. They eat chocolate & they're bloated & they never see sunlight & they're pasty pale..."

I can't imagine this *EVER* went to theatres; it must have been direct to video; it's too sickly even for made for cable!

When I hear, or think of actor Michael Ironside. I'm so use to him in a genre film of this ilk playing the hissable bad guy/henchman, in one shape or another, so it was a nice change of pace to see him at the opposite end of the spectrum. His gruff, tough as nails anti-hero performance, ex-ranger turned bounty hunter, makes it worthwhile, as the straight-to-video "NEON CITY" is virtually unspectacular, yet a durable and smoky post apocalyptic low-budget action fare.

The story had its running themes, but for most part it keeps it simple and traditional in structure, like a western (that sees a small group of people travelling by vehicle through the harsh wasteland of erratic weather extremes and ravaging ozone affected nomads to reach their destination; "Neon City"), and something of a "MAD MAX" imitation.

Maybe it plods a bit after the hour mark; the humor can be dopey (a comic relief character that's virtually a standup comedian who does illegal business on the side) and the journey a little too low-scale at times, especially on the action front. But what we do get provides the rough and tumble, when it counts, even moments of slow-mo (showering), solar/sandstorms, cue in that synth, gushing blood and a little laser activity. All of this leading to a random, but amusingly over-the-top standoff, where Ironside doesn't want to disappoint. Also alongside him is Vanity as his feisty prisoner.

Michael Ironside plays the post-apocalyptic version of John Wayne in this low-budget, cheesy yet likable futuristic take on John Ford's classic STAGECOACH. Ironside leads a group of passengers aboard a transport vehicle through dangerous wasteland territory, having to contend with mutants, road warriors, and even each other, on their way to safety at Neon City. Most MAD MAX warriors-of-the-wasteland stories are basically westerns, so why not rip off from the best? THE ROAD WARRIOR was basically a remake of SHANE. Joining Ironside aboard his transport are a prisoner (Vanity, remember her?), a fish-out-of-water rich girl (Juliet Landau in her first film), a would-be comedian (Richard Sanders, AKA Les Nesmann from WKRP), and football player turned actor Lyle Alzado in his final film appearance before dying of complications from steroid use. The film was directed by character actor Monte Markham, who also appears in the film, and he handles the action quite well. That and Ironside do a good job of carrying a what's only a passable script, and make it worth watching for fans of these sorts of films. Also, shooting the film in a wintry, snowy setting rather than a sweltering desert was rather novel compared to most films from this genre. Overall, if you dig cheesy post-apocalyptic movies of the 80s and early 90s, you'll likely enjoy this one, even if it's far from a classic.

AI CAPSULE REVIEW: Neon City is a snowy, post-apocalyptic Stagecoach riff that coasts on Michael Ironside's gruff charisma and a fun B-movie ensemble. It's cheesy and derivative, but fans of early '90s wasteland flicks will find enough charm to make the ride worthwhile.

There was a time, after seeing Cronenberg's SCANNERS, that I wanted to see every possible movie starring Michael Ironside. I pretty soon stopped this silly quest when I realized the man had already starred in way too many boring below-average B-features of the police/thriller-type. NEON CITY, however, is one of his better B-movies, and it's actually one of the better MAD MAX-clones out there.

In the year 2053 the ozone-layer is destroyed and earth's population is divided in diseased mutants and healthy people. The wastelands are ruled by the merciless Skins and earth's ecosystem is completely out of balance. Outbursts of 'brights' can incinerate a person and poisonous Xander-clouds can suffocate you within seconds. There are safe-havens throughout the wastelands, Neon City being one of them. A group of 8 persons begins a journey in an armored vehicle towards Neon city.

Fans of Michael Ironside should see this flick, 'cause he plays the type of character that we love to see him play: A ruthless bounty-hunter with a soft spot inside. His prisoner, Reno, is played by Vanity, and knowing this lady you might expect her to show some skin, but she pretty much doesn't. The acting is pretty average, but it was fun seeing Juliet Landau before her BUFFY-period. The good thing is that all the characters have a bit of background and some of them turn out not exactly what they appear to be. The bad thing is that this movie could have used a bigger budget, especially in the special effects-department. The 'bright'-outbursts are just some silly colorization-effects and I expected to see an impressive futuristic Neon City in the end, but we see almost nothing of it. The action-scenes of Skins on motorcycles attacking the armored transport are average and certainly not as impressive as in MAD MAX 2.

But still, this movie manages to hum along nicely and you do wonder about who'll make it in the end and who won't. It's not an excellent movie, but it's not bad either. Worth a watch, especially for Ironside-fans.