TekWar

I don't know how the books are compared to this movie, because I never read them. I hope their better though.

The basic plot of the story is Jake is a former cop who supposedly killed his teammates when they were trying to stop a drug lord. As a result, he's framed and sentenced to be cryogenically frozen. The character, Bascom, grants him early parole so Jake can stop the Tek drug from becoming an epidemic.

Although that plot sounds interesting on paper, it didn't work as well as I thought when I was watching it on YouTube. It wasn't given much praise by critics anyway. Here are some problems I had with it: The book setting is supposed to be portrayed in the 22 century. The movie setting ends up being a 90's semi-futuristic B-movie.

The acting and plot are okay, but fall short and become boring after a while.

The 90's B-movie tech and special effects often become a distraction from the acting and plot.

Being that this was a TV movie, its typical that it didn't have a big budget. However, I don't know if having a bigger budget would've saved it. Maybe if Hollywood decided to make this a stand-alone feature film, they could make it well enough that it becomes an A-movie and finally saves this franchise.

OK, I was expecting the worst, when I first heard about this on the Sci-Fi channel (when it first came out in 1994, I must've been hiding under a rock or something). I mean, based on the Shatner novels, it even has Shatner in it, I was expecting total barf-o-rama.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

Mind you, it's *not* a classic, nor is it destined to become one. But it's actually pretty good entertainment. Lots of action, lots of cool techno gadgets (the scene of 'jacking in' to the Net, a' la Neuromancer, made it all worthwhile), the acting is fairly good, and the premise is interesting. It managed to hold my attention. Hell, I can even tolerate Shatner's occasional guest appearance -- his character, Bascom, is a sort of enigma -- you never know if he is really "the good guy", he has a LOT of secrets and things going on behind his back, etc., an interesting change from Shatner's most famous role as the "do-gooder" Captain Kirk.

In summary, I wouldn't go out of my way to buy or rent this title, but if you happen to catch it on the Sci-Fi channel (or have a friend who has it on tape, etc.) it's pretty good way of spending the evening.

I really loved this! The effects was pretty good, and the ideas was fresh enuff. I may be some years old (and it shows, if not *that* much), but still really worth a look (and maybe a purchase). RECOMMENDED!

I thought this movie, and the series as well, was better than the previous reviewer gave it credit. For being made in 1994 it presaged the movie Matrix in a couple of ways; notably the term used-the "Matrix" (though it referred to different things) and the long coats worn by the stars. I thought it was technologically a pretty good production, and the sci-fi stuff was pretty cutting edge. I thought Shatner did a better job than he otherwise is given credit for. And the sets were nicely done. All in all, it held my interest, got me involved in the stories, made me like the characters, kept me wondering how things would turn out, and had me watching the entire series. And after they were all done, it made me wish they had continued the series with more episodes.

So I gave it a 7.

In the future, "Tek" is the powerful electronic drug that junkie people use to trip. The police officer Jake Cardigan (Greg Evigan) awakes after four and something years of cryogenic detainment despite his sentence of fifteen-year punishment. Jake was accused of killing his fellow partners in a raid, but he has always claimed that he was innocent. When he arrives home, he learns that his beloved wife Kate (Sonja Smits) has divorced him and disappeared with their son Danny (Marc Marut). Soon his partner Sid Gomez (Eugene Clark) invites him to meet the powerful Walter H. Bascom (William Shatner), who owns the security corporation Cosmos, and he hires them to find the scientist Prof. Kittridge (Barry Morse), who has developed a crystal to destroy the Tek chips. Meanwhile, Insp. Winterguild (David Hemblen) and the android Lieutenant Winger are chasing Jake since they want him to go back to the ice.

"Tecwar" is an underrated sci-fi movie from 1994. The plot is well-written, showing the criminal life in 2045. I saw this film first time in the 90's but watching it again in 2023, it is interesting to see that many futuristic stuffs in the 90's is reality these days. Tek is not reality yet, but electronic cigarette (e-cigarettes / vapes) is. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Tekwar"