Barb Wire

I'm a fan of the comic book series, Barb Wire (or was, until its cancellation). And I'm afraid I have mixed feelings about the movie. It certainly isn't true to the comic. Barb isn't a tough as nails, but guided by her morals woman. She's a cold blooded killer for hire, in this one. Still, it's difficult not to like Pam Anderson's role, if only because of her being sexy. There is a touch of humor in her campy portrayal. It's not spectacular acting, but it's fun. Pamela also resembles the comic book Barb to an uncanny degree, and the supporting cast is wonderfully cartoony. The story isn't well written, but it gives the cute one liners ("Don't... call me babe"), and action sequences, which are all fun to watch. I realize that it isn't high art, but this movie just has a level of silliness and seriousness that's hard not to like. The music, story, and dialogue all give the movie its cheesiness, and in some way, it's made to be entertaining.

Pam is extremely sexy in this movie, and great to watch. She has a scowl all the time, and is dressed to kill in low cut, tight outfits. Sadly, we don't get that much nudity (which alone could have carried the movie). The scenes where there is some, it's pretty clear, and we get a good look at Pamela's incredible body, and the atmosphere and her poses are always very sexy. But there isn't enough of this. It's a fun blend of action, silly dialogue, nudity, and... well Pamela Anderson. Go rent it. It's not a great movie, but it's not a terrible one, and one that's a heck of a good time. NOTE: I suggest the unrated version. It contains more nudity (there isn't that much to begin with) and a ten minutes of footage at the end with Pamela nude in a bathtub, which is really great.

I have a weird obsession....to see every film on IMDB's infamous Bottom 100 List. "Barb Wire" is currently #44....and my 94th film on this list! However, after seeing it, I am not sure that it really deserves to be on the list. Sure, Pamela Anderson got the Razzie Award for her performance and it is a dopey film...but unlike most of the films on the list it was never intended to be a good movie. It simply was made as an excuse to dress (and undress) Anderson in very revealing clothes! It's not what anyone would consider a masterpiece, not was it ever intended as one....just a film to show as much of the lady as she was willing to show. And, in places (such as the opening credits) you see a lot.

"Barb Wire" is based on a comic book by Dark Horse, a company known for characters such as The Mask, Hellboy and comics like "Sin City". Again....none of these characters or films were ever intended to be carried by the Criterion Collection nor to be up for Academy Awards!

In this story, Anderson plays the title character, a combination stripper, hooker and assassin. And it's all set in a dystopian and dark world...of the USA in 2017! She strips, turns tricks and leaves bodies where ever she goes! She also, interestingly, sounds like she's doing a Steven Segal impersonation in the film...softly mumbling most of her lines. Bad enough for a Razzie? I wouldn't say so...but it's not like I'm in charge of giving out these infamous awards!

You can probably assume that I thought the film was pretty dumb....and you'd be right. But it's exactly what many folks wanted in 1996...a chance to see Anderson at least semi-naked. It delivers this....along with a dark, silly and not especially enjoyable story.

If you actually JUST want to see Ms. Anderson's body, skip to the special features on the disc and select 'SEXY OUTTAKES'....then you can skip the silly movie entirely and just see what most folks who watch the DVD really want anyway.



By the way, the opening song was "Word Up"....an extremely catchy R&B/hiphop song by Cameo. But, oddly, some other folks perform it...and it's not nearly as good as the original. I wonder why they didn't just pay for the rights to the original....I can't imagine it would have been THAT expensive.

Although based in comic book series, the "Barb Wire" movie intends to be a remake o classical "Casablanca". It keeps the core elements of the 40's film, but adapts it to a distopic sci-fi action futuristic movie. Pamela Anderson plays Barb, a role similar to Bogart's Rick. The gender of the love affair from the past and of the third part of the love triangle have also been changed. The fictional town of Steel Harbor in the United States replaces Casablanca and the story is held during a futuristic Second Civil War rather than in the beginning of World War II. Both protagonists own a bar/nightclub, but Barb Wire is also a bounty huntress. As this remake is a sci-fi film, special contact lenses that cheat retinal scans substitute the letters of transit kept with Rick. As predictable, acting is worse in this remake, which has much more action. Off course "Casablanca" is much better, but surprisingly "Barb Wire" is not bad, in spite of the bad critics it has received.

While Barb Wire isn't an Academy style good movie, it succeeds wonderfully at what it is: a comic book translated to film. It's over-acted and over-the-top, but it's supposed to be. It's great eye candy and lots of fun to watch. I think Pamela Anderson did a great job being a two-dimensional comic book hero - think Clint Eastwood spaghetti western with tight leather. Keep in mind what the film is trying to be and you'll have a great time.

"Barb Wire" was pretty transparently designed as a showcase for both Pamela Anderson's body (too "artificial" for my taste) and her newly-acquired martial arts skills (which, I must say, are quite remarkable). Other than that, it has nothing new to offer to the sci-fi/comic-book adventure genre, although it has a few (too few!) well-executed action sequences and a more professional look than thematically similar crap like "The Demolitionist". (**)