The Sisterhood

Quite a few folks have belly-aching to me about why these so-called "femme fatale" flicks don't stack up to sheer greatness. Well, this is one of those movies, and it sure comes darn close at being good! Some cool costumes, a futuristic setting, and an original idea were the bright spots, making this one to drool over. But now, the screaming starts. What we have here is a movie based on a horribly bad scripting job, causing everything else lacking throughout the entire program. The end result is another cheesy exploitation movie that tries too hard to pump enough blood. Acting, plot, and everything else that breathes vitality! Is this why they're called "B" movies? I think so. I'll keep trying to search for more of these films, but you and I may be better off disappointed than satisfied with them! Don't lose your mind over seductive artwork on tape boxes!

In this, yet another apocalyptic, MAD MAX ROAD WARRIOR spin-off, we find ourselves in the year 2021, when "all women are slaves and all men are their masters!" until...The Sisterhood arrives! The film features a young Anna Farris-look alike, who is allegedly a witch and has a pet hawk named Lady Shree. Orphaned along with her younger brother, they hide out in the desert from the marauding bands with the hawk as their only companion. The brother mentions a group of women fighters of lore, the Sisterhood, whom traveling bards have sung of. The sister, named Marya, dismisses such a story as old wives' tales, but not before the brother opines that his sister should seek refuge among the Sisterhood. When she points out they only accept women, he decides he will become a traveling bard too. In terms of the plot, that's all you need to know to enjoy this movie.

The plot, unlike other sword and sorcery/post-apocalyptic movies (I'm looking at you, The Sword and The Sorcerer, and She, the latter I gave 10 stars, but not because of its plot!) makes sense, but there are some silly elements. The villain, Mikal, looks like he should be the good guy, and the emblem on his chest bears a menorah. Oh, and the leader of the Sisterhood wears a crown that I kept mistaking for a porkie pie hat throughout. The cars are cool, but not anything fancier than Road Warrior. The music is dreadful, feeling like an 8-bit version of a circus. I give this a 8 for its plot, landscape, hawk-human relationship, and scenes involving girls with guns, tanks, and long bows.

The Sisterhood (1988) is a movie that I recently watched on Amazon Prime. The storyline takes place in a world trying to survive after a nuclear holocaust. Men have enslaved women to do their bidding in most civilizations. However, in the outlands women have formed a tribe of sorts that survive on their own. The only hope for women in civilizations may be for this tribe to rescue them and set them free from their oppressors.

This movie is directed by Cirio H. Santiago (Firecracker) and stars Rebecca Holden (Knight Rider), Chuck Wagner (America 3000), Lynn-Holly Johnson (For Your Eyes Only), Robert Dryer (Savage Streets) and Barbara Patrick (Lord of the Illusions).

This movie had some promise but doesn't live up to its potential. The attire, settings and props were all perfect for the storyline. This also has the classic 80s nudity you'd expect. Unfortunately the writing, especially the dialogue, was a bit stale and Wagner's acting was very mediocre and holds the film back. I did like the "goddess" depiction and introduction towards the end. The conclusion was very mediocre and a bit disappointing.

Overall, this is a below average addition to the apocalyptic genre that I would score a 4/10 but still recommend seeing once.

In this goofy, female empowerment, post-holocaust tale from director Cirio H. Santiago ("Equalizer 2000"), it's the future year of 2021. In the deserts of Earth, men hold all the power and have enslaved many women. It's up to the nomadic ladies known as "The Sisterhood" to restore some sense of equality. Two such Sisters that we meet are Alee (Rebecca Holden) and Vera (Barbara Patrick, the wife of Robert P.). They take under their wing a teen aged girl named Marya (Lynn-Holly Johnson of "Ice Castles" and "For Your Eyes Only"), whose kid brother (Tom McNeeley) was killed by one of the male antagonists, a warrior named Mikal (Chuck Wagner, "America 3000").

"The Sisterhood" is good, light entertainment for sci-fi lovers who favor the cheesy and silly side of post-holocaust cinema. It does earn some points for portraying its women as strong and independent, but not invulnerable. It also gives Alee and Vera special powers - Vera is telekinetic and Alee has healing abilities. Our three heroines generate sufficient rooting interest, and all of our grunting pig villains are appropriately odious. Mikal is an exception, proving to be more than one-dimensional.

Fine use is made of locations. The sets, costumes, and vehicles look decent enough for whatever minimal budget "The Sisterhood" had. The music score by Jun Latonio is variable: sometimes it's passable, and at other times it is just *awful*. It's all pleasantly cheesy, with a little bit of gore (there's a few close ups of sword wounds) and a fair amount of action. The performances are actually not too bad - Robert Dryer, the main baddie in "Savage Streets", as the creepy Lord Barak, Anthony East as Lord Jak. The female cast is very attractive, and there are adequate doses of bare flesh throughout.

Watching this one is a harmless enough way to kill a little over an hour and a half.

Seven out of 10.

My review was written in June 1988 after watching the movie on Media Home Entertainment video cassette.

"The Sisterhood" is a recently released futuristic sci-fi actioner, now available on video cassette. It breaks no new ground but includes diverting material drawn from the "Mad Max" cookbook.

Title refers to female warriors who each bear magical powers an have banded together against the male-dominated post-nuclear war society. Maryan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) is a hot prospect for the team, with her ability to communicate with her trained hawk. Eventually she's adopted into the clan by its leaders Alee (Rebecca Holden) and Vera (Barbara Hooper) as they trek across the Filipino countryside amidst numerous captures and escapes.

Various mutations (not scary due to cheap makeup effects lurk in the forbidden zone they must cross, eventually ending up in a city to free their imprisoned sisters.

Pic has many a similarity to other genre films, wit the Sisterhood having mystical reverend mothers (a la "Dune"). A vilain who's bsically a good uy (he has a grudge against the Siserhood for stealing his sister away) is played by Chuck Wagne, who peviously starred in Cannon's very similar 1986 pic "America 3000", one scene of which, when the gals discover a military command center with modern weapons in a cave, is mirrored here.

Rebecca Holden casts a dashing figure (styled to resemble Wonder Woman) in the leading role, with okay support from Johnson and Hooper. Helmer Cirio H. Santiago does all right, except for the very wimpy ending.