You don't get any more hammy than this. Amongst all the trash of straight to video releases, you ocassionaly find a concept like this. A guy walks out of prison, and heads back to school to find that cyborg teachers are taking the code of the classroom a little to far. Schools in many American districts are regarded as "Free-fire zones" and the police won't even intervene in the deadly gang warfare that ensues whenever school is not on. No one ever asks "Why do these kids even bother going to school", but at this point, who cares? This is a gritty view of the future, with the kind of ironic humour that has made Verhoeven millions, if he had directed this it would have been the next Robocop. The cast shine with the likes of Malcolm MacDowell, Pam Grier and Stacey Keach and in the leading role is charasmatic Corey Feldman-clone, Bradley Gregg. Everyone is having fun with this movie and it is this attitude that makes it so watchable. A pumping rock soundtrack including Nine Inch Nails debut single pads this out even further. Great lines ooze from the script; I'll leave you with one of my favourites: "I'm going to go waste some teachers. Who's with me!"
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lost-in-limbo14 February 2006It's the year 1999 and the violence in schools is virtually now unstoppable with many gangs contributing to the war zone look. To control this problem in a Settle High school, a principal gets help from the board of Government Educational defence and three disguised androids are sent there. They are no ordinary robots that are just there to teach, but they have strong disciplinary actions to keep these savage students at bay. Although soon the punishment that these androids hand out becomes brutal and they decide to terminate the main problem by playing games on the students.
Director Mark L. Lester returns here to provide us with a sequel to his cult classic "Class Of 84". This really isn't a direct sequel and it's not up to scratch with the first. The original is basically far superior in every way. Though, that's not saying it's worthless, because it's not. Trashy, incredibly dumb and over-the-top, but it surely was an entertaining B-grade Sci-fi. Even if the characters and plot seem to lose out to the violence and special effects. They are executed very well by fusing together plentiful action and chaos. Just like the first it doesn't shy away from graphic violence, but the realistic and exploitive touch of the first is lost on this occasion. While, the special effects are very well conceived in this low-budget production. The robot designs were crafted with great detail and skill. Another notable thing that makes this worth a peek is that of the cast. What a stellar line-up it does boast. You got Malcolm McDowell, Stacy Keach, Pam Grier, John P. Ryan, Patrick Kilpatrick and Joshua Millar appearing. Now the big question is how did these names get involved in the production? The characterizations are weak, but Grier, Ryan and Kilpatrick spice it up as the hell bent androids and Keach gives a deviously cheesy performance as the cynical Dr. Bob Forrest, the creator of these robots. The teenagers here are basically paper-thin and lack the menace. Bradley Gregg plays the hero, and that's a very wooden and unappealing one too.
The predictable premise is more concern about keeping the eyes entertained with explosions, gunfire and dazzling effects amongst an apocalyptic background. The satirical comments are there, but it just lacks the venom in the context and it doesn't have the hard ass poetry of the original. It takes a look into the future to see how the higher officials would cope with this problem and it shows the hypocritical reaction that now aggression is the best way to defeat this problem. Like others have mentioned it adds a pinch of "The Terminator", "Westworld" and "The Warriors" to the story's set-up and viola - you got "Class of 1999". The hammy dialog is bad and seems to be on pun overload; with something being mentioned every couple lines. Stacy Keach is the one that drums out the campy dialog beautifully, though. The humour too is terribly off the rocker. The soundtrack sticks with the punk scene and rock grunge, but it isn't so enforcing and catchy. Because of the budget it does have very grimy look that works in well with the flick. Director Lester constructed adequate suspense and paces the film rather smoothly, with enough neat flashes of gore in the mix. Overall, I was expecting something very weak, but hell this was one bone-rattling ride.
Maybe it's not as memorable, interactive and shocking as its great predecessor, but this kitsch sequel, which could possibly stand-alone. Hooks you right in because of the profound visuals and strong cast. -
manitobaman8130 August 2014The setup: Robot teachers have been secretly placed in the schools where the students have run riot. The teachers do a good job of controlling the unruly youngsters, until they go too far and some students get suspicious.
The verdict: It is plagued by plot holes and inane dialog. Actually, the movie itself is nothing that special, but it has some good stuff. It is a pretty unnecessary film. If you are looking for a good movie with good acting this might not be for you. While this isn't a great film by any means, it is entertaining. It is difficult to watch and has no shortage of abuse and neglect. -
trevorhart14 March 2002If you've grown up with trashy no brainer films like this one and Lesters even poorer effort Commando, you'll love this. Its cheesy, over the top and light hearted enough to make for a great bored night in with illegal substances. The acting is hammy, the direction poor, but what saves this film is the exact things that make is a catastrophy. I mean, don't be expecting "Its a Wonderful Life" or "The Green Mile" when you watch this. Just expect a nice straight forward action flick about psychotic robot teachers. Everything about this film is great, its intense, dark and fun. Its not surprising to see people here have ripped it apart, but with a name like Class of 1999, what did you expect??
Summary: watch it for a giggle, its really not that bad. -
bronsonskull7218 March 2006In 1999 (I think) things have gotten so bad that as a last resort, robots have been brought in to teach students. This is all thanks to Bob Forrest (Stacy Keach) who hopes that he can sell his robots to other problem ridden schools, however when the robots (John P. Ryan, Pam Grier and Patrick Kilpatrick) starting killing students for being late and start pitting gangs against each other, it's up to Cody (Bradley Gregg) to reunite the gangs and waste the "George Jetson nightmare!" Also the robots have killed his brothers and kidnapped his girlfriend Kristi (Traci Lin) so Cody's looking for revenge in this exciting and admittedly silly actioner. There are few genres that amuse me more than deadly teachers whipping bad kids in shape. The Principal, Substitute movies and so forth are sources of guilty pleasures, Class 99 is no different, since the androids are played by cool actors such as John P. Ryan, Pam Grier and Patrick Kilpatrick. The teenagers themselves don't really convince as punks but there is lots of action and it's all directed with the most possible gore, this was after all from Mark L. Lester (Commando and Showdown In Little Tokyo) so despite the obvious fact that this movie is even more poorly made than it's own sequel (Which stars Kickboxer 2's Sasha Mitchell) the fact is that this far more entertaining and is perfect for those who hate teenagers and want to see them get disposed of in the most grisly way. I for one find that to be great entertainment.
3/5 Matt Bronson -
kclipper31 July 2011Pam Grier, Patrick Kilkpatrick and John P. Ryan have a laughably fun time playing three cybernetic military soldiers programmed as teachers in order to gain control of the widespread gang problem within the inner-city schools. Its 1999, and a 'Mad Max'-like environment is the stage for this violent science fiction shoot-em-up action film. Principal, Malcolm McDowell collaborates with crazy-eyed Stacy Keach to place robots disguised as the faculty to discipline juvenile delinquents, but the mechanical mentors eventually malfunction and revert back to their militaristic programming and target the gang-member youths as the enemy. Its a fight for survival as gang leader, Bradley Gregg and girlfriend, Traci Lind must kill or be killed while the trio hunts them down through the hallways and classrooms of the schoolhouse. Its an entertaining little romp with some good gore and non-stop action, and the effects get interesting when the cyborgs activate their "XT-6 Hardware" for the climatic battle. Class is definitely dismissed with Pam Grier as a real "bionic bitch", "killer Kilpatrick", and "raging robot Ryan" are prowling the campus, so you'd better have a hall-pass! The unrated version has a tad more gore, so true 'Terminator' students can get the most from their learning experience.
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littlesatanhooves24 November 2020Bunch of annoying and violent students in a (ahem) futuristic society get what they deserve (and more) from a trio of excellent cyborg teachers, who are, well, doing their darnedest to inculcate, into a bunch of unruly kids, the importance of education. When you look at how they behave, you wonder why they even bothered coming to school at all. So yes, the cyborg teachers did have a big role to play, and a heavy responsibility to shoulder in getting the job done to perfection. The best scenes feature Mr Hardin and Ms Connors giving three boys what they totally deserved - those scenes are not to be missed!
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merklekranz26 June 2019In what is otherwise nothing but mindless teenage mayhem, John P. Ryan absolutely steals the film as Robot #1. Patrick Kilpatrick and Pam Grier are barely noticeable next to Ryan's evil character. Forget the endless ridiculous automatic weapon gun play, and concentrate on John P. Ryan's memorable performance. Like in "Runaway Train", he is a no nonsense villain that completely dominates every scene he is in. I give this six stars not for the "Mad Max" goes to high school script. Not for the throw out acting from all concerned except Ryan. Not for the few welcome moments of "dark comedy". There is one and only one reason to sit through "Class of 1999", and that is the comanding performance of John P. Ryan. - MERK
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view_and_review20 March 2020If you were to take the worst parts of "Terminator," "Class of 1984," "Red Dawn," "Escape From New York," and "River's Edge" and made it into a movie then that movie would still be better than "Class of 1999."
The year is 1999 and gang violence in schools in major cities across the country has gotten so bad that police refuse to even go into areas which have a high school. Those areas are called "Free-Fire Zones" and it looks like something out of "Mad Max" where kids rule everything. The schools are an extension of the streets with drugs, violence, and mayhem, which begs the question: why even go to school? The school is literally just and edifice for more of the same barbarism that occurs in the kids' neighborhood.
One such high school that this movie decided to focus on was Kennedy High School in Seattle. A company called Mega Tech created robots called Tactical Education Units to be used as teachers and they were going to whip the school in shape. If the children did not respond to direct orders, then physical force would be used to ensure compliance.
Things got out of hand when the robots increased their violent tactics to control behavior problems. Much like the robots in "Terminator," they begin to adapt their own programming and use a more militaristic and punitive approach to education.
What I did not understand was: what was wrong with these robots? I mean, all they were doing was exterminating some cretinous killers and dope fiends to begin with. This entire area was rife with human filth who were only itching to kill themselves anyway. The droids were the good guys in this movie IMO.
I don't understand what's the point of making a movie where you have protagonists who are probably even more disgusting than the antagonists. I was rooting for the bots. They were already in a war zone. Were they bad because they were more effective killers? Or were they bad because they targeted minors? Or were they bad because their creator stood to get rich off of their killing?
The walking garbage in the Free-Fire Zone was unsalvageable in any case much like this movie. The robots just accelerated their disposable and it's just like people to be upset by robots doing a better job. -
Filmmaker Mark L. Lester has sure made a name for himself in cinema world, mostly being movies from the 1980s. He gave us some of the most homoerotic action films from that time, including 'Commando' and 'Showdown in Little Tokyo' to name a few. 'Class of 1999' is no different either and is a sibling sequel to his film a few years beforehand in 'Class of 1984'. With '1984', you had a new teacher come to a violent high-school where most of the kids are in gangs and try to make a difference. Things get out of hand for sure.
When we cut to 'Class of 1999', the same kind of setup is provided, but this time the gangs of kids are forced to deal with new teachers that are actually robots hellbent on not just teaching lessons, but taking lives too. You can see the similarities between 'Robocop', 'Westworld', 'Terminator', with a little 'Fury Road' throughout the film as a recent student named Cody (Bradley Gregg from 'Stand By Me'), who has just gotten out of jail and wants to change his ways, enters the high school with the new teachers who are in fact robots that look human.
These robots, played by Patrick Kilpatrick, John P. Ryan, and Pam Grier don't mess around and are not above beating students bloody, killing them, and in some of the more homoerotic scenes - spanking them hundreds of times in front of people. Don't get me wrong, these high-schoolers need discipline, but to what ends? The students must band together and fight these robot teachers, while trying not to kill each other. The nostalgic 80's wardrobe, one-liners, practical effects, and feel all comes to light in this one movie. It's a trip down memory lane and is still quite fun to watch, even if the whole story and premise is over-the-top and ridiculous.
The film always sticks to its guns and goes all the way, never afraid to turn away to violence or even its cheesiness. This is what the early 80's thought the future was going to be like as far as education and students go, which needless to say, they had no faith in us. It also gives us a satire on how far should the government and private companies go in showing discipline at schools. 'Class of 1999' is sure as hell entertaining, even to this day, and has some fun cameos, including Stacy Keach and Malcolm McDowell. The practical effects of the robots and gory wounds all look excellent with no sign of CGI yet. I still love this film. -
mat-fletcher27 March 2018I mean, things are so bad that the cope create free fire zones in which people are allowed to kill each other.
And yet kids still feel that they have to go to school. I mean, why bother?, whats the point?
They all show up for school on time everyday and afterwards go to their warzone homes with no adults and try to kill each other while making nonsensical wisecracks.
The whole premise make no sense.
The robots are pretty cool though, very life like. -
I hate the term guilty pleasure when it comes to discussion about movies. I mean if you like a film then why should you feel guilty about it? If you are sensible enough to know that a disregarded film is poor on production and story yet entertains you then that is all there is to it really. One such case for myself is with Class Of 1999, Mark L. Lester's loose sci-fi sequel to his own Class Of 1984. I really couldn't recommend this film to anyone with confidence, I just know that I love it, have done since I rented it out of curiosity on VHS many years ago.
The film basically is set in bad future Seattle where anarchy reins in our schools. So into the mix comes three robot teachers on a secretive trial basis, their form of discipline is tough but appears to be working. But things start to go wrong as the teachers start to revert to their battle droid beginnings and it all spirals out of control as they take on the might of the two warring gangs operating out of Kennedy High School.
Think of it as a mixture of Escape From New York and The Terminator and you will be in the same ball park. Tho for the record this is not even close to being as good as either of those movies. Lester's movie actually, in spite of its reviled reputation, comes with some good acting credentials. Malcolm McDowell, Stacy Keach and Pam Grier are the "name" actors, while Patrick Kilpatrick and the cool Bradley Gregg are familiar faces that have fun with the material. It's violent and sweary and full of cheesy dialogue, and naturally the sci-fi led effects are cheap and in keeping with the budget. It's the sort of film that now would go straight to DVD without so much as a blink of an eye. But once a fan of it, you are always a fan of it, because true love never dies.
Acquired taste? For sure. Coolly anarchic in a B movie way? Definitely. So "jump me in, jump me in now". 8/10 -
virek21329 October 2020In the 1982 cult hit CLASS OF 1984, the teachers were afraid of the pupils...or at least the punk ones. Eight years later, the tables turned with high-tech results.
In-between CLASS OF 1984, a kind of B-movie exploitation film about high school as seen in Orwellian terms, and its "follow-up" (not necessarily a sequel per se), 1990's CLASS OF 1999, the director of both, Mark L. Lester, had made forays into more mainstream film making with the better-than-average 1984 Stephen King adaptation FIRESTARTER, and the 1985 Schwarzenneger opus COMMANDO. Perhaps knowing that he was not ever going to be another Steven Spielberg (which is a fool's errand anyway), Lester decided at the tail end of the Eighties to revisit the high school theme of CLASS OF 1984. Not surprisingly, this meant reviving the same themes of extremely explicit violence, sex, and profuse profanity that characterized his '82 opus.
This time, however, he took it one step further.
The setting is Lincoln High School in the great Emerald City, Seattle. It is a place where even highly trained Seattle cops wouldn't set foot inside. But the new principal of the place, Dr. Miles Langford, portrayed by Malcolm McDowell (known for his role as Alexander DeLarge in director Stanley Kubrick's 1971 classic A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, one of those films that influenced CLASS OF 1984), has found a way to bring law and order and discipline. He has agreed to have a trinity of former military cyborgs serve as "educators". Unsurprisingly, the end result is typically over-the-top ultra-violent mayhem.
Needless to say, with CLASS OF 1999, we're not exactly talking about anything other than a cheesy bit of graphic, pre-CGI high tech violence. Still, Lester manages to get some good performances, not only by McDowell, but also by great actors of the previous two decades such as Stacy Keach, John Ryan, and Pam Grier, who might otherwise have totally embarrassed themselves. And as if that wasn't enough, CLASS OF 1999 manages to reference, among other films, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE, ROBOCOP, ROBOCOP 2, WESTWORLD, and even BLADE RUNNER. What else can it do? It's really nothing more than a higher-than-usually-budgeted violent B-grade film.
That said, as I did with CLASS OF 1984, I am giving CLASS OF 1999 a '7'-it is good for what it is. -
Tweetienator28 February 2022Take Escape From New York, Mad Max and Terminator, blend those stories and ideas and produce on a limited budget, voila you get something like Class of 1999. But on the Cheese-o-meter I can give this piece of "art" just a max rate of 3. Maybe in my teens I have loved this one more but as an adult this misses everything that makes an action post-apocalyptic movie interesting: action, violence, some interesting characters. Some kids in leather jackets posing as tough guys with guns and some shootings do not make an entertaining movie. Class of 1999 proves that.
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bti4usweet130 July 2004Recent teenage parolee Cody Culp returns to his anarchistic futuristic hood to find himself disgusted with his home life, alienated from his former gang(probably to his relief), and threatened by the school's newest bullies: three robotic teachers, implemented by the government to restore discipline, only consolation being his budding romance with the principal's daughter--perpetually gorgeous Tracy Lin. As always, whenever players take the material as seriously as these actors do, the potentially mediocre is propelled to a new level. The performance by vastly unappreciated and underused Bradley Gregg rivals that of the more experienced Ryan, Grier, and Kilpatrick(with McDowell typically good, but all too often idle).
I've always held that the reason there was and remains so much dissatisfaction with this movie is that too many people watched it with the wrong expectations. Preparing for some silliness and expecting some substandard effects is the starting point with one like this. Reason being: to get past the frequent implausibility is to put yourself in a position to recognize the uniqueness and innovation. Taking the deliberate cheese with a grain of salt, one can appreciate opportunities when it is earnest.
If anything truly hurts this movie, it's the boring pseudo-military battle scenes. They would have been wise to leave this stuff to the only films suited to do them properly--war films, but instead have introduced out-of-place time wasters in which neither side has evoked any sympathy anyway. That said, Class Of 1999 is still a shoulda-been camp classic not to be missed. Then again, should any movie featuring knockout Tracy Lin be missed? -
Most certainly this is a b movie, but with a few stars of note to give it a bit of punch. The story has the military testing out a series of cyborgs. Testing them out where you ask? Well a high school that has a reputation for being home to some of the troubled students that really need a stern teacher. Or a teacher that can really pack a wallop when he spanks a child. The movie has some humor as one might imagine and a bit of horror too. More science fiction and action though I would say. There are three cyborgs sent to this school and they quickly make their mark. A bit to quickly I might add as they turn rather fast from being super stern teachers to machines with murderous intent in them. A bit more set up may have helped this movie along a bit, as it is it feels like it was rushed to much. The characters are range from good as all the teachers are done rather well, to the typical dumb teens in the school. The movie also gets a bit over the top at times too, the conclusion is a bit to much "Terminator" for my tastes. They really could have used some more horror in this film. Still it has enough moments to keep one entertained and watching.
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gridoon202418 September 2016This sequel to the minor hit "Class of 1984" is more like a reversal (this time, the teachers are the true baddies), with a lot of "Terminator" and "Robocop" thrown in. The first half has some amusing satirical moments on "educational discipline", but the film soon reverts to action-explosions-noise-gunfire-corpses mode, as you might expect from the director of "Commando". Still, some of the special effects and stunts are indeed impressive, and although the main lead is a little weak, the supporting cast (including a still-superfine Pam Grier and a creepily white-eyed Stacy Keach) is strong. It's a junky but well-made film, with cult possibilities (just like its predecessor). **1/2 out of 4.
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AndyVanScoyoc19 February 2003I liked this movie, however I do stand by my assessment that it could have been better.
Dark (the weather was perfect in this film!) and utterly "underground" this movie was good from the get go.
With an all star cast of Malcolm McDowell, Stacy Keach, John P. Ryan, Pam Grier and Patrick Kilpatrick, the only thing amiss was the two "main characters," Bradley Gregg and Traci Lind. Never have I seen a movie where the supporting cast outshined the main cast.
Bradley Gregg was ok in the title role of this film, as Cody Culp, a gang banging loser who decided to turn his life around and straighten himself out. His acting wasn't bad but there was just something missing. Traci Lind was as well, just as mediocre as Christie Longford, daughter of Principal, Doctor Miles Longford. Both of these two actors did well with their parts, but there was still something *missing* and I'm not sure what.
Malcolm McDowell was lacking in his role which was a disappointment to me. He has always been such a great actor and I have a feeling that his status as a "good guy" in the movie had something to do with it. He should stick to bad guy roles.
I am not a fan of Stacy Keach and never have been, but I must say that as Dr. Bob Forrest, there could have been none better. With his white eyes and white hair, he was the perfect envisionment of a mad scientist, evil, disgustingly suave and all out coniving to put into effect his own agenda.
John P. Ryan was classic as the villanous and depraved Mr. Hardin. Never could a more nightmarish teacher be found, rivalling even the worst stories I have heard from my friends who attended Catholic school!
Pam Grier was as cold as ice as Ms. Connors and had no trouble showing who was the boss around her students.
What can be said about Patrick Kilpatrick except, that he was diabolical and would give any person nightmares if they thought they had HIM for a gym coach!!
I was sorry to see that Darren E. Burrows didn't have a bigger role in the film. As the son of prominent actor, Billy Drago, I would have figured him for a bigger and better role. As it was, he played (to perfection) the role of Sonny, a major loser who was more interested in where he could get his next round of Edge, the designer drug of the future, than learning anything in school.
I have always enjoyed this movie and own it. With just a few changes and maybe a little more depth, it could have been spectacular.
However, I would recommend it as a good movie. -
gothgirl7825 November 2005I watched this after The Class of 1984 looking for a similar dystopian sci-fi treat. I must say, that I was not disappointed. It's not bad at all for a straight to video cheese fest. The effects were actually quite good, and there were some reasonable actors in the film, including Malcolm McDowell and Pam Grier. John P. Ryan made a fantastically insane history teacher. Entertaining moments were to be had realising what the film-maker believed kids would be wearing in the dystopian hell of 1999 as well. Lots of bad makeup, shoulder-pads and hair-dye seem to be the norm. The effects were also surprisingly good However, I think most of the budget of this film probably went into blowing up cars. On the whole I would definitely recommend this film for a chilled night in to giggle to.
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monkey-man29 June 2005This film was OK but it could of been better the story is about how gangs take over parts of some cities and they closed down all the schools and then they reopened one and they use 3 robot teachers.The film stars actors like Patrick Kilpatri and Joshua John Miller if u like Joshua u should see rivers edge.The special effects are good in this movie and there is lots of action scenes with heaps of gun fire.I recommend this film to hire and to buy if under $10 dollars and u should watch this film if it comes on TV.Over all this film was good sometimes the film got a little crap but it keep me entertained for the hole movie.my rating is 4 out of 10
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Captain_Couth29 October 2003The future has arrived and it isn't pretty. Fifteen years after the
Class of 1984, the Class of 1999 is in an even more desperate state.
The school districts have become full blown war zones and the school
boards have thrown in the towel. Young punk gangs control the areas
around the schools and the students are under siege from the gangs in
and out of class. The schools' superintendent has a solution, a
cybernetic answer if you will. If you loved Class of !984 then I
guarantee you'll enjoy the Class of 1999. Watch the uncut version. I
believe you can still get it on video!
Highly recommended!
B+ -
FlashCallahan11 January 2015Robot teachers have been secretly placed in the schools where the students have run riot.
The teachers do a good job of controlling the unruly youngsters, until they go too far with their punishments, and some students get suspicious.....
Its proper exploitation stuff, and with a title like this has, what else were you expecting?
Well I for one was expecting something that was going to be a lot more fun, and although it does have the odd moment of genius, it gets just a little too serious, and a little too Red Dawn for its own good come the end.
The concept though is fantastic.
We have a hilarious looking Stacy Keach, finding eighties fashion in the late nineties, and getting Jackie Brown, The Sandman from Death Warrant, and so e old bloke to work in the school as wannabe Terminators.
There is a sub-plot featuring the guy returning to the school, from a ne'er do well family, who just happens to find out what is going on, who just happens to fancy the headmasters daughter, who just happens to be Malcom McDowell, who knows about everything, but seeing as he only did two days filming, let's just say he isn't in it for long.
On paper, it sounds brilliant, and I love the directors other work. He provided me with Showdown In Little Tokyo, but this waste just.........well, boring really.
It's all over the place, the one liners are bad, even for the eighties, and they have royally ripped off a certain Cyborg.
Back in the day, I'm sure it was essential viewing for the university student, but now, 16 years after the title suggests, it feels old, and generic. -
I've got a soft spot for sci-fi films that have already passed their sell-by-date—those movies set in a year that is now history to you and I (even more-so if the year forms part of the film's title, like this one): I just love seeing how these cinematic predictions of the future differ from reality.
Class of 1999 is a classic example: according to this film, by the year 1999 gang culture will have reached such a level in the U.S. that certain areas—known as Free Fire Zones—will no longer be protected by the police. Kennedy High School, situated in one such lawless zone, becomes the testing ground for three experimental robot teachers (played by Patrick Kilpatrick, Pam Grier, and John P. Ryan), adapted from military battle droids by unscrupulous MegaTech head honcho Bob Forrest (Stacy Keach).
Recently released from prison, gang-banger Cody Culp (Bradley Gregg) intends to give up his criminal lifestyle, but when the droid teachers begin to revert back to their military programming, dealing with their unruly students using extreme force, he and his gang, the Blackhearts, join forces with their rivals, the Razorheads, to try and stop the killing.
According to director Mark L. Lester (who also directed the superior Class of 1984), late '90s fashion hasn't moved on much from the decade before, the film's youths sporting some truly nasty attire (worst offender being Joshua Jackson as Cody's brother Angel, who wears yellow leggings and matching tunic and has the cheek to tell Cody "Man, you got to think about your image"). Also exhibiting zero sign of taste: Stacy Keach as freaky albino Forrest, whose hairstyle is a cross between a mullet and a rattail, and who wears zombie contact lenses for no apparent reason (I thought he was an albino at first, but his 'tache is black).
This version of 1999 also sees the art of robotics advanced to a level where machines can pass for human, something clearly inspired by James Cameron's The Terminator. As the droid teachers battle Cody and his pals, they shed their skin to reveal powerful weapons, which takes the violence up a notch and allows for some pretty impressive animatronic effects and gloopy cyborg gore, Grier opening up her chest (complete with prosthetic tits), Ryan having his cranium blown off, and Kilpatrick's head reduced to half human, half robot (before having his noggin separated from his body via forklift truck!).
Gloriously daft, a little cheesy at times, a lot cheesy at others, and packed with cartoonish violence, Class of 1999 is great entertainment for fans of exploitative '80s schlock. The fact that its vision of the near future is so wrong is just the icing on the cake.
7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb. -
Red-Barracuda28 September 2021This is a pretty lively follow-up to Class of 1984. Set in an inaccurately predicted 1999, schools in the USA are now completely over-run with delinquents which has led to the introduction of violent android teachers to control the classes. This one has a pretty good cast - Pam Grier (yay!) as a no-nonsense android chemistry teacher, Tom Atkins sporting a grey mullet and contact lenses and Malcolm McDowell as the high school principal. And for the first half, I was thinking it might be as good as the original, with good pacing and entertaining scenes a-plenty (my favourite being the uproarious part where two young hoodlums who were fighting in class are punished by android teacher by being taken over his knee and spanked - too funny!). In the second half the emphasis goes more squarely on relentless action and it did get a bit less interesting for me, however, on the whole this is a worthy follow-up which extends the original story in a different-yet-similar way.
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mwilson197618 April 2019Malcolm McDowell's high school principal attempts to demilitarise his high-school battle zone with android educators in this science fiction action thriller horror hybrid directed by Mark L. Lester, a follow-up to his controversial 1982 film Class of 1984. Stacy Keach (with albino eyes and hair) is Dr. Bob Forrest, the head of MegaTech who are experimenting by sending Terminator style robots in to High Schools which have been taken over by youth gangs. Pam Grier, Patrick Kilpatrick and John P. Ryan (who steals the show) are great as the out of control cyborgs. Featuring scenes filmed at an actual active prison, and practical effects done on set under the supervision of Eric Allard, who worked on Short Circuit, this is a fun picture that is way better than it should be. It even throws in an almost satirical look at the woes of modern education.