Aftershock

The acting is awful, the script is atrocious, and the premise is ridiculous. It's also some of the most fun I've ever had watching a movie.

For one, nothing in this movie seems to take itself seriously. It's jam packed with so many terrible action movie clichés that it wouldn't surprise me at all if the director had made it as a parody. Watch this one with a couple of witty friends and you'll have a blast giving it an MST 3k treatment. The jokes at the movie's expense are really obvious.

Second, as bad as this movie is, there are a few things it does pretty well. For example, the token minority sidekick (Jeffreys) who speaks with a pronounced lisp and delivers his lines like a jive-talking' robot nonetheless has some impressive athletic skills. As a consequence this movie does boast some pretty cool fight scenes. The special effects are often over the top and goofy just like it should be in an early-90s action movie.

If you're bored on a weeknight and need a laugh, I'd highly suggest picking this one up. I got it in a bargain basket at a local DVD store for $3.

My review was written in March 1990 after watching the film on Paramount/Prism video cassette.

"Aftershock" takes a different look at the "Mad Max" genre in the form of alien interference after mankind suffers a nuclear holocaust. It's an okay direct-to-video picture.

Elizabeth Kaitan plays the beautiful alien who pops up on Earth and is immediately hunted down by the militaristic forces ruling following WW III. She's befriended by rebels Jay Roberts Junior and Christopher Mitchum, and manages to keep just one step ahead of pursuing baddies John Saxon and Richard Lynch.

She's here, oddly enough, to get advice from humanity on maintaining the peace based on pre-nuclear war monitoring of Earth activities. Instead, she arrives too late for both cultures' sake.

It's an interesting departure for Kaitan, who's usually merely decorative. Roberts makes a handsome hero.

Film gets overly cornball in the final reel, especially when Mitchum whips out a copy of the Constitution of the U. S., presented as a guideline to save our society and that of the aliens. America may be offering some inspiration in this era of emerging democracies, but to set the standard for the rest of the universe is a bit much, even for sci-fi fans.

This is a ridiculous movie. Thankfully, it doesn't take itself too seriously -- or, if it does, it does it so absurdly that it's impossible to tell the difference. Most of the action is just silly, the plot is convoluted, the characters preposterous... what is there to like about this movie?

Well... intentionally or not, it made me smile a lot. I liked the gorgeous Elizabeth Kaitan, regardless of how bland her character was. I liked the always-rowdy Matthias Hues, even though his character's death was shockingly cheap. I liked John Saxon, who is his usual menacing self here. And I really liked laughing at all the silliness and B-movie mistakes. Throw in some Richard Lynch and Michael Berryman and you're bound to have a few good moments along the way.

Take this for what it is; sit back, relax, and laugh at/with it. You won't learn much, but if you like post-apoc B-movies, you should enjoy this one.

You'd think with actors like Christopher Mitchum, Richard Lynch, and Michael Berryman in the film the director would actually use them. I should know better! It's a crappy B-movie, duh!

This movie, as all B-movies, has a convoluted plot, but this one has a twist. (Wait they all do...) It's a tragic post-apocalyptic story with an alien/dumb-blonde that comes to learn how our peaceful planet works the way it does. (It's post-apocalyptic, it's not peaceful!)

Along the way there's a hint of buddy movie with Jay Roberts Jr. and Chuck Jeffreys as Willie and Danny. Jeffreys I think is going for Eddie Murphy but comes up way short.

Then there's some bounty hunter who has a difficulties with his job. "Maybe I'm getting soft," he says. (He carries a six-shooter that shoots 8 bullets. Hmmm...)

Throw in Michael Berryman as Queen, the cross-dressing mutant, and Matthias Hues as his Conan-esque sidekick and you've made for one messed up movie.

Superb! A tough viewing even for those that enjoy B-movies. That's what makes them so great!

This is a B movie jem. If you love B movies this one is a must see.