Sons of Steel

I had never seen this movie before, but I love home-grown Aussie films... so when I saw Umbrella were releasing it on blu-ray, I quickly parted with the cash and bought it. Is it a great movie, as in the classics of modern cinema? No. But it's certainly good fun. I also thought it had a great visual flair, reflecting the era in which it was made. I also thought the soundtrack was fantastic! It came with the blu-ray, so I have been listening to it ever since I watched the movie. I got the impression the actors enjoyed making the film as it looks like they're deliberately camping it up and having fun. Definitely worth a watch.

It was a had film to make. I had to rewrite the original script only six weeks prior to principal photography due to budgetary changes. In a lot of ways the film paid the price for being a first in Australia. It was the first film to be shot employing digital live sync sound and thus pathed the way for others. Sons of Steel was shot at night, at times a mile or more underground Sydney in World War II bunkers (Gen. McArthur's). It was a tough eight week shoot and in retrospect an difficult task for a first time director. I'm proud of what we tried to do with as little funding as we had. We put a lot of quality up on the screen. Those who I was fortunate enough to work with gave the film a first class look and me first class experience. Some find the story hard to follow and that would be because so much of it wasn't shot because of bad scheduling and plenty ended up on the edit floor for one reason or another. I'm sure that's generally taken as a directors excuse for a flawed film, perhaps so, but then again maybe I'm right. I did live through the experience of not only writing it a number of times but raising the finance, writing much of the music, directing it and selling it around the world. And for that experience I am eternally thankful.. I hope I can improve with the next picture and I hope those who see Sons of Steel are entertained enough to appreciate it and perhaps look out for my next film.

I get what they were going for, the creators obviously took a lot of time and effort into the production design and look of the film, and the world building, which was pretty decent.

But the script and the acting left a lot to be desired. A sort of cross between Mad Max and 12 Monkeys but both those films are many, many levels above this effort.

Some great ideas that just weren't properly thought out or realised to their full potential are there. The songs that are in the film are also pretty lacklustre and amateurish even for an 80s film.

I dunno, maybe I just need to watch this on as many "mind altering" substances as the screenwriters and director were.. lol.

To me, this is an essential "so bad it's good" movie. As per usual with such films, a friend dared me to watch Sons of Steel. After accepting the challenge, I gave it a watch. Wow.

The movie is a semi-musical sci-fi from Australia. The concept is interesting, and there is definitely some artistic value hidden in it. Trying to describe the plot is like playing cat's cradle while riding a bike sitting backwards, blindfolded. Most of the time it doesn't make any sense. What makes this movie good is the fun factor: the director obviously was having fun making the film. It's obvious that the jokes are cheesy, and are meant to be so. In my opinion, the cheese is the most appealing part of Sons of Steel. Some of the quotes stuck with me for over a decade, and I can sharply recall some of the weirdest scenes from the movie in a heartbeat.

I consider SoS an essential party movie, which you should watch with your friends amidst a constant mix of booing and laughing.

I have enjoyed showing this film to groups of friends for years who came to love it for the same reasons I do. It's fun! It's a time-travel, pre/post apocalyptic, anti-nuke musical with a few truly inspired moments. Yes, it's low budget and rough as guts, yes, some of the acting is weak or just plain weird. But the heart of the movie is its anarchic spirit, for it truly defies description. You get the impression that the people making it had a great time and that enthusiasm is infectious. Certainly I find it way more enjoyable than a slew of over-hyped, over-expensive, Hollywood block-busters that at heart have less originality to them than this low budget Aussie flick. Sit down with an open mind and a sense of fun and I think you'll enjoy this film.