Les Exterminateurs de l'an 3000

My review was written in January 1985 after watching the movie on Thorn EMI video cassette.

"The Exterminators of the Year 3000" is a weak imitation of "The Road Warrior" hit. In unusual fashion, it opened simultaneously in the theatrical (on 42nd St.) and home video market, with meager prospects in either medium.

After a plotless opening reel of old cars chasing around (though set in the year 3000, pic populated with well--preserved models from the 1960s and 1970s), story concerns the search for water in a post-nuclear wasteland. Teamed up are the handsome hero Alien (Robert Jannucci), a petty girl he used to know named Trash (Alicia Moro) and a cute bionic boy Tommy (Luca Ventantini). Tommy's dad was murdered by the big baddie Crazy Bul, who leads a gang of bikers whom he tastefully calls "Mother grabbers" in the poorly-dubbed dialog when not shouting out quaint expressions such as "Let's purloin that water".

When Tommy loses a biomechanical arm, they go to an ex-astronaut Papillon (Alan Collins) to fix it. Papillon has already fixed Alien's souped-up stolen car which is called the Exterminator. Baddies are defeated and pic ends with the star trio frolicking in the first rainfall in years, though the Earth's ozone layer has been destroyed by nuclear bombs making for cloudless skies.

Pic has little to offer beyond okay stunts and action footage. Oddly anticipating "Road Warrior II's" casting of Tina Turner, veteran black actress in Continental productions Beryl Cunningham is cast as a vicious killer in Crazy Bull's gang.

In Water World, they have too much water and are looking for Dry Land. In this flick, there's too much dry land and not enough water. If there is such a thing called a Road Warrior genre, you would find this film in that section. The screenplay to this film was probably 20 pages long. Most of the film has truck and car chases with explosions and gun fights. A typical post nuclear holocaust sci-fi film with bad actors. this film could have used ten more years of development.

This flick is SUCH a "Road Warrior" RIP OFF right down to the car crashing thru' a mobile home camper! George Miller probably should have SUED these film makers,but by looking at the budget for this film...he probably wouldn't have gotten much. I'm not going to bash this film TOO much. For what it's worth,it IS kind of fun. But when the bad guy calls his gang "Mother Grabbers",it turns into comedy GOLD! If you want a no brainer low budget action flick...check it out.

Insanely entertaining post-apocalypse garbage from those always dependable Italians is good for some excitement and *many* laughs. Robert Iannucci, looking like American actor Martin Kove, stars as sleazy lone wolf "Alien", roaming the desert landscapes and making trouble. He makes the acquaintance of the young Tommy (Luca Venantini), who was tagging along with others of his community on the quest to obtain water. You see, in this vision of the future, H2O has become the most precious commodity. What Alien really wants to do is turn a profit, and it remains to be seen if he'll really step up to the heroic plate.

Iannucci is an enjoyably gruff protagonist, and the supporting cast is just tremendous fun. Tommy, who definitely takes his lumps, turns out to have a most amusing secret, leading to some priceless gags. The movie co-stars the beautiful Alicia Moro as Trash, the excellent Luciano Pigozzi as "Papillon", Eduardo Fajardo as the Senator, Beryl Cunningham as Shadow, and the true scene stealer in this gloriously goofy escapist flick, Fernando Bilbao as Crazy Bull. Being made to utter some hysterically dumb lines, and looking like he wandered off the set of "The Road Warrior" to appear in this, he provides great entertainment value. Some viewers may find the sequence in which Tommy gets drunk to be in poor taste.

Production & costume design and music are good, if rather standard, for this sort of thing. This movie is far from being original, but it still manages to show its audience a good time. The action is often genuinely exciting (dig those vehicle stunts!), and there's one hilarious, amazing segment in which Alien and Trash infiltrate the building housing the water source and must contend not only with booby traps (shades of Indiana Jones), but mutated guards wielding flamethrowers.

If you can't get enough of the whole "post nuke" genre, then don't pass this one up. It's a *real* hoot.

Eight out of 10.

Everything you really want from this kind of film (minus nudity possibly). Alien is a hard headed but love-able warrior of the wasteland, who ends up joining a young cyborg in a quest for water to bring back to the boy's peaceful commune. The two are accompanied by Alien's (long time?) frienamie, the beautiful but rugged "Trash" and a lovable retired astronaut. The crew must face a roving car gang, who's leader uses the word "mudder" pretty frequently, as well as doomsday water cultists(?) and the unforgiving desert of the post apocalyptic future. The movie of course takes its cues from (read rips off) Mad Max as well as a few other Sci-Fi classics. There is plenty of possibly unintentional humor, corny action and entertaining 80s schlock. The dub falls out of place a little at times but its watchable all the way through.

In a world of TurboKid and Fury Road, its a little easier to get other people to watch these kind of fun trashy films. Getting them to stick around for most of it is another story. This title has great pacing for a film of its type and would make a great intro in to the genre for that friend who likes some of the Neo-Trash like Turbokid but maybe wouldn't make it through Battletruck or Bronx Warriors.