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Yes this movie stinks with 80s pompous acting and tackiness, yet from another perspective it becomes an interesting time-capsule into the resent past, and for someone who did not experience the 80s I watched the film with an anthropological curiosity. Though this film suffers from logical loopholes. They are easy to overlook since the plot holes are there for the purpose to present a socially satirical world. Overall the acting was fine and the message interesting, though what really stood out in this movie to me are the great set designs and first class cinematography. Also the story is engaging and the characters charming in a comic way. I recommend this movie to the already fans of the genre and to those who are like movies that are offbeat and satirical.

The opening of 'Dead-End Drive In' quickly sets out its world. There's been a series of disasters that have led to society struggling to survive. A food crisis, a financial crisis, and then an unemployment crisis. And Australia is suffering with the rest of them. Gangs of punks are fighting authority and crashing cars. As an Aussie movie, there's shades of 'Mad Max' to this, but it's given a more populated feel. Instead of empty streets, there's a bunch of people in 'Dead-End Drive In'. Despite the lack of budget for the movie, Brian Trenchard-Smith gives a real sense of lots of people suffering from the consequences of economic failure.

The movie follows Crabs and his girlfriend Carmen, who end up stranded in an almost post-apocalyptic drive-in cinema after their tires are stolen by the police. The drive-in cinema has nearly 200 people in a similar situation, lighting fires and glaring at each other. The stranded are given food vouchers to eat takeaway from the on-site greasy restaurant.

Crabs is a very engaging character. He wants to become a tough guy, but no matter how much he works out, runs and eats, Crabs is still regarded as a "scrawny b*****d". Yet, as soon as he's stranded in the drive-in, he wants to get away. He wants this so badly, he irritates his girlfriend and also incurs the wrath of people spray painting "Crabs can't get it up" on his car. Carmen, incidentally, is so attractive I spent the movie slightly slack jawed.

For a supposedly trashy movie, it's actually very cleverly done. The car crashes are spectacularly choreographed. Don't expect a special-effects laden movie - it's not that - but when effects are used they're used well. Sparks fly up as cars speed through large fires. Bullets ping off the walls and cars with some canny squib effects.

Above all, there are some great undercurrents to the movie. The way the drive-in deals with the unemployed seems to ring very true with the concept of ghettos. The controller of the drive-in cinema even provides them with drugs. Crabs becomes even more likable because - like us - he sees the drive-in as a huge prison infested with unfair racial divisions.

'Dead-End Drive In' is, naturally, a little rough around the edges. But by limiting the movie to the confines of a drive-in cinema, it creates a well realised world. It's also great to see everyone throwing their all into a movie. Maybe by focusing more on characters and a basic story of "me versus them" it simply doesn't overstretch. It's an enjoyable - and sometimes thought provoking - way to spend 92 minutes of your life.

DEAD END DRIVE IN is set in a sort of post-apocalyptic 1990. That's a bad thing, to date your movie like that. They should've known better, they're from Down Under, for god sakes. This is the land THE ROAD WARRIOR came from! So if you're going to take a chance on this film, try not to think of it as 1990. Also try not to think about the mid-80's synth soundtrack. There's nothing futuristic about it either. You really have to suspend your disbelief on this one.

After you've done that, DRIVE IN moves along a nice pace, getting in some required nudity, violence and car crashes. Crabs and his girl go to the Star Drive-In for some hanky-panky and realize they can't leave. It's a government program that traps the youth inside and shows them exploitation films and feeds them junk food. No reason why, guess it keeps part of the population off the streets. After awhile, social significance starts creeping in with allusions to welfare states and institutional racism. This is where it begins to falter. It's too heavy handed and frankly, quite embarrassing. Trenchard-Smith is a decent B-movie vet, and he should know better to pile it on like this. A great car jump saves the day though and takes you home, and you realize that even though you could've lived without DEAD END DRIVE IN, you really enjoyed the heck out of it. Look for the director's own ESCAPE 2000/TURKEY SHOOT playing on the drive-in screen during the film. If you enjoyed this, you'll dig that too.

This one has it all.There's violence,sex,car chases,explosions,cheezy '80s music,a '56 Chevy,and most importantly a drive-in! In a futuristic 1990 the government is keeping the unemployed youth locked up in a drive-in and giving them snack bar food,drugs,beer,and all night movies for free.Where do I sign up? Yes it's a bit silly at times,and the premise is unbelievable,but after all it's a "B" film.You just can't expect perfection in films like these,and I (for one) wouldn't have it any other way.There's nothing like stepping back to a simpler time and place.This fine little independent film from Down Under is just like taking a mini vacation in the way back machine.Pop this one in the DVD break out the popcorn and a cold Fosters and enjoy this blast from the past....8)

8/10 on the Drive-in-Freak-O-Meter...ya just gotta check this out!

Brian Trenchard-Smith is probably not a house-hold name even for B-movie fans, however, this Australian director has created among the wackiest and most original movies ever. While his work may not be of high quality (his two "Leprechaun" films are a good example of this), they are always creative as his wild imagination seems to be set loose every time he sits at the director's chair. "Dead-End Drive In", probably his best film, is a perfect example of this: writer Peter Carey constructs a very intelligent tale set in an apocalyptic wasteland, and Trenchard-Smith takes fully advantage of the plot to construct one of the best Australian b-movies. A cult-classic.

After the world's economy collapsed, Australia was turned into a wasteland where the unemployed youth uses the street as a battlefield and the law is forgotten. To fight this, the Government uses a Drive-In to lock them and keep them controlled using fast food and movies. A young man named Crabs (Ned Manning) is trapped in this way, but instead of becoming a conformist member of the nihilistic youth, he decides to fight back and escape no matter the cost.

Hidden under this sci-fi/horror tale of an apocalyptic society is a very well-written plot with social commentary included. "Dead-End Drive In" is a great story against the conformism. Crabs is trapped in an apparent paradise where he can get all the fast food he wants and do nothing but live each day, but instead he chooses to fight back and try to escape from the Drive-In and to return to his family. He knows this "paradise" is false, and that the only thing worth fighting for is real freedom.

Stretching the budget to the max, Trenchard-Smith manages to create very well done scenes with the very few resources he has. He makes a great use of his locations and the film is packed with high-octane action and a healthy dose of humor. Still, the film remains focused on its message and Carey makes a portrait of present-day society, as racist, conformist and violent as the youth depicted in the film. It is not a horror movie in the sense of being scary, but it is haunting in the sense that even when it is a fictitious scenery, it is not hard to believe that humanity will behave the way the conformist teenager do in the film.

Ned Manning is very good as Crabs, as he has the looks of a common young man trapped unfairly in a living tomb. His character is very likable and his performance makes the most of it. Natalie McCurry, playing Crab's beautiful girlfriend Carmen is also an important character, as she begins to lose hope in Crabs' idea and starts to behave just as the rest of the cattle. The rest of the cast is very good, but really nothing memorable.

The films's biggest flaw is the sad fact that the film looks terribly dated. The film has that distinct 80s feeling and look and it can't come up as "futurist" anymore. Anyways, that is not really a serious flaw as it adds up to the charm the film has. The movie still manages to be quite entertaining and some effects (like the use of explosives) still look great after 20 years.

"Dead-End Drive In" is a very interesting sci-fi movie from Australia that it's definitely worth a rent. With its 80s feeling, high-speed action and social commentary it still delivers the goods. This film is more than a cheap "Mad Max" rip-off, it is a terrific (and hopefully not prophetical) vision of the future. 7/10