Shredder Orpheus

I too have not seen this film since I was a teenager and I'm not going to go all out and call it a perfect film but I feel like it should be more of a "cult classic" than it is.

Shredder Orpheus is a retelling of the tale from Greek mythology where Orpheus sneaks down into Hades to reclaim his dead gf, Eurydice. Except this one is set in a dystopian (post apocalyptic?) future where everyone lives in a city of shipping crates except for the wealthy plutocrats who are connected to the government propaganda network.

I remember it having a great concept, some awesome costumes, a cool if dated techno/goth soundtrack and decent world-building given its low budget.

Drawbacks were mainly the acting abilities of the no-name cast and a story that only vaguely makes sense. I remember feeling like the climax of the film happens about 2/3 of the way into the tale and further story being somewhat pointless.

This film may qualify as a "vanity project", having been written, directed and starring... what's his name, Robert McGinley? But it's definitely watchable, more so than most films that qualify in that genre. I think he may have even done the music.

I'd recommend this to any fan of skateboard movies, techno/industrial/goth music and fashion, or anyone looking for a lost gem in the dystopian future genre.

In a bleak alternate world where urban skateboarding miscreants live in a shanty-town of metal shipping cars, young musician Orpheus and beautiful dancer Eurydice are in love. Meanwhile, the evil forces of Hell(broadcasting to televisions everywhere on a pirate network) have set their sights on Eurydice, and intend to have her for their own.

Here we have a smartly made low-budget production, surprisingly well handled for an obviously very minor-league project, and the largely amateur cast performs acceptably. The post-punk, otherworldly mien is variably redolent of oddball cult titles like THE DARK BACKWARD, FORBIDDEN ZONE, and LIQUID SKY. I found myself quite enjoying SHREDDER ORPHEUS and all its skate-punk nihilism, despite its forgivable shortcomings.

Certainly not for all tastes, but a worthy watch for fans of off-road amateur obscurities - 5.5/10.

Radical skate film full of nostalgic bits. The film's underlying message about corporate media mind control makes it's prescient and worth seeing today.

This movie is a masterwork of nonsense. It is the funniest movie I've seen in years. Of course, none of the humor is intentional, but that's why it's so great.

As for genuine positives, some of the shots looked kind of cool. One of the actors, the one who plays Orpheus' dad, isn't too bad. That's it though, everything else is pretty bad.

The low quality of this film is what turns an otherwise bad movie into a magnum opus. The "skate-rock adventure" to end all skate-rock adventures.

The story? Oh, no, no, no. There is no story. They skateboarded on camera and added the film around it. What little plot there is, it's really corny. Basically, it's a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but instead of ancient Greece we get storage containers in Seattle. No spoilers on the particulars, because I think if you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself.

The characters are laughable. There's a really offensive portrayal of a disabled veteran, three villains that look like Rocky Horror Picture Show was eaten by Son Of The Mask, a skater who has a weird whispery voice that isn't convincing, and an overacting producer character. Just to name a few.

The set design is nonexistent. It's bad skater gear and cheesy setpieces all the way, and I wouldn't change a thing.

The cinematography is the best aspect of the film, but it's still not very good. There are a few interesting shots, but there's no discernable personality to it. Also, the DVD copy is formatted so that the image is letterboxed on either side into a 4:3 aspect ratio. The film is closer to a 16:9 aspect ratio, so there are also bars on the top and bottom. The whole picture is slightly above the center, it looks bad.

This is why I'm officially asking whoever owns the rights to this film to please redistribute it on Digital and Blu-Ray. I know a remaster is probably asking too much, but the film must be seen. It needs the widespread love it deserves.

If I were rating it seriously as a film, I would give it a 2/10, but it's more than just a movie. It's an experience.

My review was written in May 1990 after watching the movie on AIP video cassette.

The Greek legend that produced arthouse faves "Orpheus" and "Black Orpheus" crashes to Earth in the idiotic punk sci-fi feature "Shredder Orpheus". It's for fans of in-jokes only.

Helmer Robert McGinley also toplines as Orpheus, a band leader (of the Shredders) in a post-apocalyptic world where hipsters live in shanty towns known as the Grey Zone. McGinley's underdeveloped script posits an easy enemy, the Euthanasia Broadcasting Network, which involves Cronenberg-style philosophizing) out of his "Videodrome") as weak satire.

Punk tv programmers want Eurydice (Megan Murphy) for their new show. The underworld in this sci-fi universe is a place where people's memories are shredded faster than you can say Oliver North.

Orpheus becomes a tv star playing an electronic lyre instrument supposedly invented by Jimi Hendrix. Heroine disappears after Orpheus violates the "Don't look back" warning and gazes at her; rest of the film is him searching for her. Finale involving skateboarders is stupid.

Apparently McGinley didn't watch Jean Cocteau's 1950 classic very closely since he leaves out the poignant role of Heurtebise (played eloquently in "Orphee" by Francois Perier). He also fails to find any equivalent to Cocteau's inspired anachronisms, and is instead content to littering the dialog with advertising slogans and catchphrases.

Acting is amateurish and technical quality, mixing film and video footage, subpar.