Megaforce

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.

Ok, I will admit the special effects are cheesy and the acting really isn't that great. However this movie has some good qualities I have come to love in action movies. A hero who's hair stays in place no matter what hell he's been through. An absent minded genius who makes neat toys. And how can we leave out the beautiful woman who catches our hero's eye?

This movie does have some nice things. I liked the dune buggies and motorcycles that change color to match the terrain. I liked that the hero, Ace, was best friends with the villain. I liked the crazy character played by Michael Beck, especially the goofy thing he did with the holographic mission planner. This movie has some high tech things that militaries use today. Including the dune buggies. They're used by Special Forces and Navy SEALs. The room where conversations are monitored is like today's Echelon Dictionary Project. This movie has some good things that foretell future military advancements. Not to mention that this movie is meant for kids and shouldn't be seen as an adult movie. There isn't any profanity in it and it's funny.

I must not be the only one who liked this movie back then. I remember all the lunch boxes and action figures this movie sold. People who say this movie are bad must not have seen it when they were kids.

Rayvyn

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 howlingly absurd futuristic sci-fi actioner stars Barry Bostwick ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show", 'Spin City'), absolutely nobody's idea of an ideal action movie star. He plays the charismatic "Ace Hunter", leader of an elite fighting unit that is deployed whenever freedom is threatened. And this unit is set into motion when a fictional country begins to be terrorized by a flamboyant mercenary (Henry Silva, who's a hoot as usual). Among the people on Aces' team is easygoing Southerner "Dallas" (Michael Beck of "The Warriors" fame), who shoots at errant reptiles and delights in showing "holograms" to people.

This is the kind of movie you enjoy for its utter cheesiness and ineptitude. While it may not be quite as terrible as some reviews will lead you to believe, it sure ain't much good, either. Still, stunt expert turned filmmaker Hal Needham ("Smokey and the Bandit", "The Cannonball Run") and his merry crew do have some fun here. A lot of their set pieces are quite simply chaotic and over the top, as they just go for broke and refuse to worry about it ever making much SENSE. There are explosions and vehicular stunts aplenty, as well as some sky diving. Although there is a gorgeous leading lady in Persis Khambatta ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture", "Nighthawks"), romance is not really in the air, since Ace doesn't want to involve an "outsider" like her in his mission. He says his men are like a machine that moves and acts as one.

Bostwick is amusing, his miscasting be damned. He does seem to be enjoying himself. Silva, while not at his absolute best, is still in fine form as a smiling villain whom you can't really hate at all. The movie co-stars Edward Mulhare ("Our Man Flint", 'Knight Rider') as a military man and George Furth ("Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "Blazing Saddles") as a Q-style gadget, weaponry, and vehicle designer.

Despite the ropey "Introvision" effects, this utterly goofy entertainment does possess a certain oddball charm.

Five out of 10.

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.