Search - Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1983 DVD Release: 12/04/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Science Fiction, Space Adventure

In this weakly scripted, dull sci-fi adventure, three women have been shipwrecked somewhere in the galaxy on planet Terra Eleven and now Wolff (Peter Strauss), the pilot of a salvage ship, his friend Washington (Ernie Hudson), and the orphaned Niki (Molly Ringwald) are out to rescue them. Along the way, the trio face several life-threatening situations, and as they escape each danger intact, their final encounter with the evil Overdog McNabb (Michael Ironside) draws ever closer. With a wobbly storyline, one-note theme (people versus machines), and unintentionally funny dialogue, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone has a few things going for it: quick-paced action scenes, unusual sets, a 3-D format, a good musical score, and creative sound effects. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Peter Strauss - Wolff
Molly Ringwald - Niki
Ernie Hudson - Washington
Andrea Marcovicci - Chalmers
Michael Ironside - Overdog McNabb

Released theatrically in 1983 during a sort of renaissance of 3-D movies (Friday the 13th, Pt. 3, Comin at Ya!, and Parasite to name a few), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, like the other titles mentioned, failed to keep the trend alive. Alas, Columbia-TriStar Home Entertainment have opted not to release the film onto DVD in 3-D, which is probably a good thing considering how lackluster the disc for Comin at Ya! turned out. Until the technology evolves further, it looks like the 3-D process is still just an interesting experiment.
The disc is offered in both a widescreen (2.35:1 enhanced) and a full-screen transfer (1.33:1). The widescreen transfer, which is available on side A of the disc, is sharp and looks good overall. Colors seem a bit soft, but the picture is fine. Side B, which contains the full-screen version, looks overly tight and cramped. The picture also looks grainy and is definitely the inferior choice. The disc is available in its original English language, although a French-language soundtrack has been given as well. Multiple subtitle options and bonus trailers for other Columbia-TriStar releases are also available. ~ Derek Hill, All Movie Guide