Megaforce

I remember this film, because its the first film I ever walked out of. And for this-then action film-obsessed 14-year old, for a film to be so utterly bad that he felt his lack of intelligence being insulted, well that was like a 2 year old telling his mother that the Teletubbies were stupid. I remember when I was first getting into movies, and I would keep a log of what films I saw, when I saw em, and what I rated em (I think I used a scale of 1-to-10), I recall this one getting my first ZERO. More recently I am pleased to find that when I ask others about the film that most people have never heard of it. A few months ago I saw it late night on cable and finally saw the film's ending, and I must say that is as that two year old would say, "stupid". Utterly, embarrassingly, mind-boggingly stupid.

This is one cool movie. Words can not describe how great this movie is. Barry Bostwick is a bad ass in this flick. I wish I could get a gold jumpsuit myself. Someday I will buy it on DVD and watch all day long. If you see one movie in your life see this one, you will not regreat it.

It has bad acting, bad stunts, bad sets and I love it. This is right up there with Rocky Horror Picture Show and Plan Nine from Outer Space. I have probably watched this 20 times. The only redeeming value is the line: "Life is a wheel, what goes around comes around." Words to live by.

One of the first jobs I ever had was with a catering company. Imagine our excitement being hired on for the desert-location filming of MEGAFORCE! Everyone involved with this production seemed quite confident that it was going to become a smash summer hit(*snicker).

Watching the filming at Nevada's dry lakes, it did feel like something monumentous was in the making, but nobody could have imagined just how negative a reaction this movie was going to receive. I almost didn't want to see it, but curiosity got the better of me. Truthfully, I don't think it's nearly as horrible as many have made it out to be, but nobody in their right mind would call it legitimately "good", either. There's enough vehicle stunts, random explosions, and weapons futurismo to keep average 12-year-olds very entertained, and I think that may be exactly what Hal Needham intended for this project.

I still have a box filled with t-shirts, ball-caps, and other promotional crap emblazoned with "DEEDS, NOT WORDS". It may not have the iconic carriage of, say, "MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU", but I'll keep these things for posterity, anyhow...

...and I hope everyone on the set enjoyed the food...

**EDIT, 7/28/23 I watched this again last night, for the first time in nearly 30 years. Amazingly, MEGAFORCE has ripened on the vine. The passing of decades has blessed it with an almost rapturous camp appeal...a big ol' wheel of cheese that entertains for (mostly)all the wrong reasons. I was smiling a mile wide.

Rest in peace, Mr. Needham...looks like you've succeeded despite yourself.

This movie was definitely a big, fat, fun time...If you're on a low protein diet, watch out, 'cause this movie is chock full o' cheese, cheese, cheese. I really enjoyed watching this movie. The special effects are ok, especially given that the movie was made in 1982. But the gadgets are way,way cool(I want them all!), and the people who made this movie never take themselves or the movie too seriously. If you can imagine Barry Bostwick w/blond hair, then this is the movie for you! As previously stated, the cheese factor is high, but that's the best part of this movie. If you're looking for ground-breaking cinema, don't look here. But, if you want a good laugh & a good time, this film provides you with both.