Survival Quest

I know its a cult classic so most people haven't even heard of it. But I like this movie been watching this flick since I fixed it while working at a video store. It has little story and mediocre acting so don't look for an award winning performances. Lance plays a wilderness guide and he does a good job, most other characters are just there. The exact same story is on an episode of Macguyver and there is a part of a far superior movie hidden in it. Oh yeah the premise is based on some kind of an Indian rite or some such. That is just filler there is no substance just turn your brain of and enjoy. Oh yeah assuming this ever got put on DVD or instant.

Survival Quest is one of the few Lance Henriksen starrers that happened during the eighties. This time he gives a great unexpected performance as a good guy, who runs a survival school and leads a group of assorted city people through the wilderness. Eventually they cross paths with a military man played by Mark Rolston who leads a survival class of his own. Don Coscarelli pulls out fine performances from everybody and the script is so well done that every character that's supposed to matter does. Aside from the acting, the film relies on such inexpensive things as breathtaking vistas and avoiding clichés (for the most part). The only thing that downplays the whole experience is the music one'd expect from a Hallmark family movie. Definitely the strongest Coscarelli effort outside of Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep.

SURVIVAL QUEST was Don Coscarelli's exploitation of my Merc School. I had advised on one of his earlier films, and he was interested in doing a film about paramilitaries chasing some tourists out west.

I have him actual info on my school, and his writers split our one school into two, a "good" survival course, and a "bad" paramilitary training course, in order to have a conflict between them.

Coscarelli even went so far as to recreate scenes of our training taken from "60 Minutes" videotape.

If you combine the good and bad schools of the movie, you have an idea of what Merc School was really like.

For Merc School grads, SURVIVAL QUEST is both tribute and comedy.

Frank Camper

"Survival Quest" has enough originality and inspired photography to maintain interest throughout. What separates this film from similar, inferior efforts, is the strong character development. At first, things move rather slowly, as we get to know the strangers from the city who have signed on for the survival course. Once the paramilitary squad begins stalking them, the action comes at a rapid pace. The acting is above average for a low budget film, especially Lance Henriksen and Mark Rolsten. This ranks right up there with a similar little known hunted in the woods film, "Hunter's Blood", and is recommended viewing for action fans. - MERK

Well, it's not "Phantasm", but it's still a good 1980's movie from Don Coscarelli, who is a very interesting author. Although the basic idea is looks like a remake of "First Blood" in which one John Rambo is replaced by a group of regular people and sheriff with his officers is replaced by a bunch of military, the story itself is quite good. We see how these two groups are moving from indifference to confrontation and then whole conflict becomes a run for survival for ones and hide-and-seek game for others. Lance Henricksen is good here - nothing special, but just a good actor in adequate role. Also, there's a lot of action, some shooting and fighting, but keep in mind it's a thriller first, not an action or horror, and I hope you'll not be disappointed.