Shredder Orpheus

Shredder Orpheus. Shredder. Orpheus. Shhhhhhhhredder Orrrrrrrpheus. What is a shredder, you ask? One that shreds, I would reply. Shredding is the subtle art of using one's skateboard to tear a path of gnarly tricks and bodacious bust-a-moves wherever one would go, a parking garage for example. Orpheus, well, he's the mythical figure that went down to hell to retrieve his dead girlfriend, Eurydice, and failed to avoid looking back at her while leading her out, thereby losing her once again to Hades. What do you get when you combine these two seemingly unrelated topics?

The most flawless cinematic masterpiece ever created by the hands of man.

Robert McGinley's ingenious social commentary on the effect of television on the emerging generation X of the world through the medium of The Euthanasia Broadcast Network is one of the many things that makes this film worth lobbying to be released on DvD. I would be willing to shell out any amount of cash just to hear McGinley's commentary on what it was like to film such scenes as "Thrashing the Euthanasia Garage" and "Today's used cars are better than ever", not to mention the prolific, heart-wrenching introductory war-torn speech by the Janus-influenced character of Axel.

The music to this movie is amazing. The sound that Orpheus produces from his futuristic, Hendrix created magical axe has such an effect on the people around him that the very reality around them is distorted, which you can see by the special effects that far surpass any that ILM or any computer could whip up nowadays. Rash's inspirational drumming shows that McGinley really has his pulse on the youth of today, or of the future for that matter. One can only imagine what sort of gruelling preparation that actress had to go through to learn the complicated sixteenth-note triplets and paradiddles that grace our ears from the rusty metal orchestra.

The film ultimately questions about what it is to be human and experience real life and true emotions. From the tear-jerking meeting of Orpheus with his dead parents (who sadly did not get to see their son's beautiful wedding ceremony in the Grey Zone) to the jaw-dropping, majestic finale of Orpheus' orgasmic confrontation with the chainsaw-wielding Furies, this film is a must-see, if not a must-own as well.

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.

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.

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.

I found this movie at the flea market for cheap. I was so psyched because I thought it was a skateboarding movie. I got home put it on, the previews rules and the opening scene with the old guy rolling down the street on the skateboard was awesome. At that moment I realized it was a post-apocalyptic movie but I still had high hopes for it. This movie was awful. A friend of mine was stoned out of his mind when we watched it and even he thought it was horrible and a waste of being high. I kept falling asleep during the movie because it was so boring and the music was utterly awful. I don't know if during the apocalypse all the good music, and all the music that is only kind of crappy is destroyed and everyones memory of how to play it is wiped clean but I think I would rather die than have to endure that crap. Also what the hell was up with the TV studio? I can only assume that this movie was adapted from an old Greek play, with the names and title, but some plays are not meant to be adapted into a futuristic sci-fi setting. Or at least not by the people who were involved with this movie. If you are forced to watch this movie, I can only suggest bringing a hand gun and finishing yourself off before the end. It would be a good movie to kill yourself too, everyone will understand why.