Tank Girl (1995) User Reviews (224)

One trick pony

[ufster-2 · 6/10 · 15 December 2015]

Interesting concept, creative art style, cute characters and a goofy tone throughout but that's about it. It's like the generic romantic comedy of light cyberpunk(ish?) movies, lacks real depth, has one gear and sticks to it and last but not least can't build on the universe. This is unforgivable in any movie which asks that little bit more from the audience to suspend disbelief, like one set in a post apocalyptic Australia ruled by the iron fist of a mega corporation in a fascistic regime. The creators probably thought the silly tone would make the audience overlook this lack of story building but as a result the movie ultimately falls short of the premise and fails to capitalize on the aforementioned positive aspects.

As a final note, this movie is not cyberpunk. It has some influences (just like the comic series) of cyberpunk but that is as far as it goes.

awful... and yet and yet

[kingderella · 6/10 · 19 March 2008]

the original comic book version of tank girl is a cheerfully nonsensical riot of sex, violence and awesome fashion. unfortunately, for some inexplicable reason, the filmmakers have decided that the film-version of tank girl has to make more sense and be more "deep". so they gave her an environmental motivation, a shy best friend she can empower, and a little girl whos mother figure she can be. none of this works, and it takes away a lot of the charming randomness that made the original tank girl so awesome. add some pretty bad performances, unfunny jokes and a boring plot, and you have a seriously awful movie. and yet and yet... i found myself enjoying it. is it because of my low expectations? or because of my weakness for ass-kicking female leads? the funky costume-designs? the high energy level? or was i just won over by that male strip early in the movie? (every movie should start with a cute dude getting nekkid!) whatever it was, tank girl is fun despite its frustratingly low quality - the way barbarella or xena warrior princess are fun.

It's bad- but it has some charm to it!

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 25 March 2005]

It's the year 2033 and Kesslee, the leader of Water & Power holds the World in his clutches as he controls all H20 after the meteor hit creating vast desert wastelands, though tank girl and Jet girl team up with some scientific kangaroo creations called Rippers who want to bring down Water and Power.

What you get is a very colourful over-the-top and in-your-face film on a British cult comic strip. I have never read any of these comic books, so I don't know how true the film is- but from what I mostly heard and read, it's not- but who cares it looked like it would be a fun viewing.

After watching this mess I don't know why? As I just couldn't bear to fully bag it out and that's why I gave it 5. I know it was trash- but still I found it visually good and kinda amusing… in a stupid way.

The script is awfully bad, the performances were mostly ludicrous and direction was quite tragic, as the scenes just seem to limp along without any panache. Though the film makes up for it with its upbeat soundtrack that was coordinated by Courtney Love and featuring the likes of Bjork, Hole, Iggy Pop, Bush and Veruca Salt, while it's vibrantly rich and bizarre comic backdrop is quite eye-catching, even though the sets do look kind of cheap. The added comic cartoon interludes throughout the film I found to be more satisfying at times than the actual live scenes, making you think it would have probably been better if they stuck to a cartoon version.

The performances I had mix feelings about. Lori Petty as Tank Girl was fair and brings a chirpy attitude- but the humour at times was a bit stale, especially some of her cringe-worthy one-liners and from what I grasp about the character she was playing she totally looked the part but was no where near what she acts like in the comic series. Namoi Watts as Jet Girl I thought was the standout, which isn't saying much- but she was far subtle and innocently sweet and that worked for me. Malcolm McDowell wasn't too bad, as he really hams it up as the villain Kesslee and Ice-T as a Ripper is unrecognisable and fairly irritating- but anyway what's new?

The direction was really muddled, mainly flashier- but no substance in the scenes to make it stand out from the average Sci-fi film and the pace of the film was a bit patchy in spots, such as the flat musical scene and when Tank and Jet girl were hanging out with the rippers at their base. The Ripper designs were reasonably good by Stan Winston, with each with their own personality and distinguishing features- but that didn't make them likable.

While the plot, if there was one was just basically a been there done that feel and lack any sort of detail and urgency. I thought the story started out alright and was quite lively but it kind of lost steam halfway through and especially when the annoying Rippers took centre stage. There are some interesting elements thrown into the mix, like the device that sucks water out of people.

For me it's one of those films that it's so bad, it's good entertainment. So it breaks even for me.

Even comics characters need at least two dimensions

[roarshock · 23 May 2002]

The main problem I had with this otherwise appealing movie is that Lori Petty's Tank Girl has exactly the same attitude toward virtually every incident in the movie... good, bad, otherwise. And while it's a really sharp and cool attitude, the movie might have soared if instead of merely being an attitude it had been a personality. Then, arising from this Tank Girl personality, a whole range of interesting emotions could have been emerged, adding variety and a chance for excitement to build instead of plateauing in the first few minutes. Because even in a romp of a pic, you still need to care about the characters. And it's a whole bunch easier to care about a person than it is to care about an attitude.

Still, I had good fun watching this movie. The "Feeling a little inadequate?" scene is a minor classic. And by chance I happened to watch this movie the same day I saw "Mulholland Dr." and I still have a very difficult time recognizing that Naomi Watts is the same person in both films. She's excellent in both, but so very different. Ice-T, Jeff Kober, and Reg E. Cathey do a surprisingly effective job of creating characters from underneath their Ripper make-up... they're so good that one of the best parts of Tank Girl is just watching and listening to them.

This isn't a movie to go into with high expectations. Read all the negative comments, take them to heart, and then watch the movie anyway. It will make Tank Girl a pleasant surprise.

Completely inaccurate to the comics

[clairefairy · 1/10 · 23 June 2006]

My poor Tank Girl, they ignored everything great about you. Why does it have as little to do with the comics as possible? I would have loved a movie that followed the plot, or at least had the characters right.

WHY WAS TANK GIRL American? She's Austrailian, dammit! And she's not living in a post apocalyptic war zone either, she lives in the outback with Booga like a savage. She does it because she wants to live that way, not because she has to because Malcolm Mc Dowell is acting the git. And why's she looking after those kids? The only children in the comics end up violently being choked by her, it's terrible that they made her into a lame mother figure.

And my poor Jet Girl and Sub Girl! In the comics, Jet is a sarcastic wisecracker and Sub girl is... another sarcastic wisecracker with a weird sense of humour. In the movie Jet is this mousy little thing and Sub is this ditzy middle aged hag. And Booga doesn't look or act anything like what he's meant to be either. Though maybe hot roo/human love was too much for the USA box office? The humour was so lame too. Whatever happened to all the stuff about the Smiths and that brilliant slang they used all the time? What sort of line is "Will this take long? I don't wanna miss Baywatch."? Even programmes for tiny children can come up with better material than that.

7 year wait ends in tragedy

[Jimbobobtel · 1/10 · 9 January 2003]

When this movie first came out there was a lot of hype and I was keen to see it. Unfortunately (at least I believed it was unfortunate at the time), I never got around to it and so it was consigned to the "I'll get the video out one day" bucket.

Recently, it was screened on TV so I recorded it. I was excited. I had waited a 7 years for this. And that is the why I forced myself to sit through the whole thing despite the signs being bad initially, falling to awful, then 'oh my god' and somehow still managing to sink further by the end.

This is the first time I've ever written a review of a movie for IMDB but was compelled to do so to try to save others from the suffering I endured as a result of this movie.

To name but a few of the very worst elements (and I really am skipping a *lot* of other bad things): i) Continuous "cool" "attitude" from the "sexy" heroine. Note the usage quotes to indicate those terms I believe to be woefully misused. By the end I really *really* wanted the bad guys to kill her. ii) Mutants (including Ice-T!!) dressed up as human kangaroos. Suspension of disbelief became challenging at this point. iii) "Humour" on a par with that of David Brent in The Office. For those who haven't seen The Office, David Brent is the ultimate exponent of not-funny-but-thinks-he-is and the point of the program is largely how cretinous he really is. Actually, Tank girl's writers were possibly worse. iv) No, sorry, can't really go on as the flashbacks are too painful.

Tank Girl has now taken the crown as the worst movie I have ever seen away from Highlander 2. I really didn't believe it possible, but there you go.

Fantastic Cult Classic!

[trouvere_2000 · 7/10 · 1 May 2005]

A lot of people tend to dismiss this movie because of it's "comic book" feel and comic-book (really) transitions.

I enjoyed this movie a LOT, as it has the same "feel" as the original comic books I remember reading, and the same style of humor. It's very well done for 1995, the dialogue is well-scripted for the intent of the movie, and the funny stuff is actually funny. Some of the action scenes are a bit "campy" - but then again, they're *supposed* to be that way in this kind of movie. In addition, I thought the acting was excellent, and that Lori Petty (who played "Kit" in "A League of Our Own) Malcolm McDowell (practically legendary) and Naomi Watts were excellent choices for their characters, as were the rest of the supporting cast. Lori Petty hasn't been in anything "huge" since this movie, which is truly a pity as she is an excellent and versatile actress. Look for some interesting supporting actors, including Ice-T, Iggy Pop, and James Hong.

Listen to the comedic dialogue carefully - most of the punchlines are funny on several levels, which I found most refreshing, and you'll encounter a lot of funny double-entendre.

Don't look for a bunch of CGI computer effects in this movie. However, well-designed and imaginative props and sets give a good feeling of "authenticity" to the scenes, and the visual and special effects are excellent.

Don't bother critiquing little details and spurious claptrap like that with this movie - it sets out to be a comic-book-style fun action-adventure and accomplishes that goal magnificently. (The funniest thing is that the plot precept of a mega-corporation in control of the world's water supply is becoming more and more of a plausible idea and leads one to think of a possible metaphoric reference to the world oil situation) This movie might have been rated "R" at the time for adult situations & violence (and a little nudity), but I didn't notice a whole lot of "foul language", and I didn't really see much in the movie that wouldn't be put on broadcast TV today.

This movie has everything - good acting, evil villains, cute heroines, mutants, cool vehicles, explosions, big sets, a huge supporting cast, hilarious humor, great stunts, and even a classic musical number with a full chorus line! ("Let's Do It" by Cole Porter) It even pokes fun at beat poetry. All-in-all, well worth seeing.

If you like stuff like "The Wizard of Speed and Time", "Flash Gordon", "Johnny Mnemonic", "Space Truckers", "Ice Pirates", or "Yellowbeard" then you'll definitely love this movie. Even if you don't, see this movie anyway - it may change your mind about this genre.

From personal experience: "Chicks dig this flick."

Get the popcorn & enjoy.

A masterpiece without equal!

[Herbiegreatone · 1/10 · 4 November 2010]

I believe that this movie is the Holy Grail of bad films. It has everything one would look for in the worst movie of all time. Most annoying protagonist ever. Check. Terrible acting. Check. Bad storyline. Check. This movie is undoubtedly the worst film I've ever seen which is truly saying something. For years I have scoured late night TV, Wal-Mart bargain bins, and On-Demand looking for a movie to bestow this title upon and I can now say that I have completed this task. This film has no redeeming qualities either. Most movies you can say the acting was bad but at least it had a good premise, but not here this film has nothing going for it. I highly recommend that everyone watch this film because every movie you watch from here on out you can say at least it's better than Tank Girl.

Underrated and ahead of its time

[mikeburdick · 7/10 · 14 September 2014]

A comic book with a female hero in a post-apocalyptic world with mutant kangaroos. I can see why this didn't go over big in 1995. But these days, with comic books being regularly made into films, it's worth taking another look at this little gem.

I can remember enjoying this film back then, but having viewed it fresh, there's a lot to admire: It's got energy. It's got a killer soundtrack. It's chock full of feminist grrrl power. The casting is interesting, from Malcolm McDowell and Naomi Watts to Ice-T and Iggy Pop. There's a seamless flow between the comic book and the live-action. The old-school, in-camera effects are pretty flawless—they dropped some serious coin. And Lori Petty really nails it, bringing a comic book character to life.

Look, there's no deep moral message or "hero's journey" here—it's based on a comic book, after all. It's just fun, escapist entertainment. I'm generally a fan of world cinema, and "Tank Girl" is by no means a classic. But if you appreciate films that take chances, break the mould and don't take themselves too seriously, it's worth a watch.

Atrocious

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 26 October 2016]

There are many bad comic book adaptations out there, but TANK GIRL ranks as one of the very worst. This is a horribly dated comedy-action film set in a post-apocalyptic world ruled over by an evil megalomaniac, played by Malcolm McDowell with maximum ham. Into this world comes Tank Girl as played by Lori Petty, a loud, bratty, and entirely overbearing young heroine who proceeds to kick plenty of backside as she takes the fight to the bad guys.

I remember thinking that Stallone's much-maligned JUDGE DREDD, which came out in the same year, was actually quite a fun film and TANK GIRL serves to prove that opinion; it makes JUDGE DREDD look masterful by comparison. This is a loud, brash, noisy, and stupid film, without an ounce of wit and plenty of stupidity instead. You have to wonder what possessed the producers to make such a derivative and dumb movie, filled with one-dimensional characters and no real plot amid the insanity. Modern viewers can only sit back and wonder at Naomi Watts in an awful early acting performance and the stupidity of the costumes of those kangaroo people which come straight out of a kid's film. So bad it's good? Nah, so bad it's plain silly.

seriously under rated

[binro-1 · 10/10 · 28 December 2004]

This movie seems to have gotten a bad rep on IMDb. Less than 5/10??? It ain't Shakespeare, but it's better than that.

This movie was unpretentious and fun. You could clearly see that everyone involved in this project was having a good time.

Tank Girl is a campy comic-book splashed up on your screen. The folks who take it too seriously should lighten up. It was well written (as camp) and I really enjoyed all of the characters. It's the ultimate "In your face" movie. The feminist subtext was interesting. I didn't notice it right off, I was too busy enjoying the ride. But if you look at all of the characters, it's the women who are strong, and all of the male characters are either villains or are defective in some way (1/2 human Rippers).

It was (and is) one of my favourite flicks and I can be very critical of badly done movies.

Whatever Happened to Lori Petty?

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 18 March 2015]

Based on the British cult comic-strip, our tank-riding anti-heroine (Lori Petty) fights a mega-corporation, which controls the world's water supply.

This film is a very unusual adaptation, comparable to "Super Mario Bros" in how bizarre it turned out to be. Perhaps luckily, the "Tank Girl" comic never had the level of followers as the Mario Brothers, so there were fewer people to complain.

The film has an interesting parallel with "Waterworld", coming out around the same time and both concerned with water: one film has too much and the other not enough. This one, however, has the great soundtrack. Not to mention Malcolm McDowell, Iggy Pop and a pre-stardom Naomi Watts. With all due respect to Dennis Hopper, this is the better lineup.

Should have been animated

[extravaluejotter · 3/10 · 25 June 2006]

Having enjoyed the comic strip Tank Girl, I was initially pleased when I heard that they were going to give the heavily-armed anti-heroine her own movie.

Unfortunately, the movie "Tank Girl" is a classic example of how Hollywood takes a great and original idea and *&@%s it up royally. Apart from some of the production design (namely TG's tank and Jet Girl's plane) the movie bears hardly any relation at all to its source material.

Rather than throw a shedload of cash at making humans up to look like unconvincing kangaroo mutants, the producers should have employed a group of Korean animators and made a feature-length cartoon. No-one would have had a problem with a talking kangaroo if he was animated!

Not content with deciding to restrict the imaginative depth of Tank girl with a live-action rendition, the producers cocked things up even more by removing any vestige of what made the eponymous anti-heroine such an attractive character in the first place. The comic book Tank Girl is an almost entirely selfish and amoral being who only ends up doing good by accident. The movie Tank Girl was no more than an Americanised female version of Mad Max, who arrived on the Post-Apocalyptic Movie Scene approximately 10 years too late to cash in.

Put simply, "Tank Girl" is another of Hollywood's missed opportunities.

Gotta love this movie

[nak15 · 13 August 2000]

IF your looking for a movie that is intellectual, smart, sassy and leaves you thinking you have found the wrong movie. If you're looking for a movie that has its own type of humor, some good laughs, and leaves you thinking that was one silly movie- you've got it. Although this may not be a movie for the average type of person, if you have a sense of humor and adventure you can admire Tank Girl for the work it is and admire Lori Petty's performance in the role she was born for.

Possibly the most irritating performance ever by a lead actress

[tonygillan · 1/10 · 4 September 2003]

I watched this film thinking it might be in the spirit of Indiana Jones, but frankly it was only the fact that I never leave a cinema before the end of a film that prevented me from heading for the exit. I actually became annoyed with it for not finishing sooner.

The main problem was Lori Petty and her grating speaking voice. Didn't it grate on the director and casting director too?

Silly I like. Stupid is rather different. This was stupid. The premise, the costumes and the scenery were fine. The dialogue on the other hand...

Avoid at all costs.

Less Suspense Than an Abandoned Train Crossing

[aimless-46 · 2/10 · 24 August 2005]

Ten years ago if someone had given you $25 Million dollars and challenged you make the worst flick possible with the money (stipulating that ALL the money had to actually be spent making the movie), it is unlikely that you could have deliberately matched Rachel Talaly's "Tank Girl". I blundered into a showing of "Tank Girl" during its short-lived (and basically disastrous) release and found it memorable for its comic page scene transitions (borrowed from television's "Wonder Woman") and its spoof of the action/adventure movie genre. Unfortunately the animation just makes you wish that the whole thing was animation while the moronic nature of all the live action scenes makes you question whether spoofing the genre was by design or by accident.

Ten years later it has some retrospective interest relative to the disparate career directions of Lori Petty and Naomi Watts. It is simply impossible to make Petty sexy; no matter how glamed-up, erotically posed, or provocatively scripted. Conversely it is impossible for Watts to not be sexy, no matter how hard they try to detune, grime-up, and disguise her.

"Tank Girl" poses the question, why do so many people dislike it, both now and at the time of its release ten years ago? Lori Petty is the most obvious answer. Petty's basic personality embodies the most irritating qualities of Lucille Ball with none of Lucy's humor and charm. She is irritating even in her low-key roles ("A League of Their Own"). Apparently she was cast as "Tank Girl" for exactly that quality and Director Rachel Talaly managed to bring her full irritating potential to the screen. But the producers forgot to connect the dots before they spent $25 Million on production, irritating is sometimes good in supporting roles (insert Stiffer here) but not as the main character.

About two thirds of the way into the story Petty and Watts fall into the hands of a group of genetically engineered fellows called "The Rippers". At first this appears to be going in the direction of "Dark Angel" meets "Captain Kangaroo". But Talaly switches direction a bit and ends up with a post-apocalyptic version of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". For a few minutes the movie is actually a lot of fun. Then it is time to get back to the basic story, which by this time everyone (viewers, director, cast, and editor) has pretty much forgotten. This does not pose the post-production problems it does in other movies because Talaly seems committed to insuring that no element of "suspense" is present to distract you from Petty's irritating performance.

The Tank Girl comic strip embodied a freewheeling anti-authoritarian anarchism, with some feminist and even lesbian themes. Although Talaly faithfully captures a small amount of this spirit she fumbles big time with the basic storytelling (insert no suspense). Which is hardly a revelation given her other directorial attempts (including "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" and "Ghost in the Machine"-arguably even worse than "Tank Girl"). If she actually liked the comic strip she should have yielded control to a competent director or at least someone with a basic talent for directing actors and for making feature films.

so bad that it hurts...

[Ghulert · 1/10 · 3 February 2002]

Maybe it's because I'm no fan of the comics (but if the comics are of the same "quality" as the movie, it's hard to believe there are any), but this has to be one of the worst movies ever made. Non-existent plot, laughable acting, dumb dialogue... This movie is so bad that it hurts. A lot. That some people actually gave this one 10/10 is an insult to any good or at least mediocre (or at least bad) movie. If you hate yourself, then watch Tank Girl! On another thought, if you hate yourself THAT much, maybe you should just commit suicide... My rating: -34/10

In 2033, justice rides a tank and wears lip gloss...

[Lady_Targaryen · 7/10 · 13 September 2006]

''Tank Girl'' is a funny movie based on Tank Girl's comics, and I think that the IMDb rating is very unfair with it, since you can have a very good time of fun watching it. Only now,after so many years, I noticed that the Jet Girl is Naomi Watts!She is sooo much better with black hair! Lori Petty is perfect as Tank Girl as well(In my opinion is her best role as actress)!

The animation used to keep in touch with the comic book, is another cool thing present in this movie, that the director Rachel Talalay had the creative to imagine.

The plot:

In the future, year 2033, there are 11 years that the planet doesn't receive a drop of water from the rain. Tank Girl,a punk and crazy girl, and her rebel group, are all attacked by Water & Power, a powerful force that controls the remaining water on Earth. Tank Girl is the only survivor, as long as Sam, her deceased boyfriend's daughter. The story revolves around Tank Girl's quest to save Sam and have her revenge against those who killed her boyfriend and friends, with the help of Jet Girl and the Rippers, creatures with a human DNA mixed with a kangaroo.

Horrible

[kaukau1 · 1/10 · 18 May 2010]

Horrible, horrible film. Scattered, frantic, with unlikeable characters and an uninteresting plot. The worst movie I've seen in a very long time. I watched about 2/3s of the way through because nothing else was on TV, and then turned the damn thing off and read a book. Nothing anybody does in the whole movie makes sense! None of the characters have coherent motivations, and the lead is especially bad - poorly acted, poorly directed, and poorly written. I'll never get that time back! I will say, though, that the costumes were "fun". How bad is that, when the only positive thing you can say about a movie is that the costumes were "fun"?

A Fun, Underrated Action Comedy

[OgreVI · 7/10 · 13 March 2006]

I saw this movie when it first came out years ago, and loved it. But it seemed like I was the only one who did; the reviews in the paper trashed it, my friends hated it, and it was out of the theater before most folks ever got a chance to see it. Now it seems to be having something of a renaissance on video. Its reputation is growing, but there is still an awful lot of silly hatred for this film out there, and I think folks are really being unreasonable about it. Okay, so this is a silly movie. So what? It was supposed to be. It's just an action flick. Check out the page for Die Hard, for example. That film rates an 8.0, while this poor movie is stuck at 4.6. Why? Sure, Die Hard had better effects; it had a slightly larger budget, too. But Tank Girl is funnier, smarter (no, really, I mean it) and has far more interesting characters. Lori Petty is sexy and mad-funny. Neither film is high art but this one is simply more enjoyable (and I like both), so why the huge difference in ratings? It seems like the expectations for this film were higher than they should have been, maybe because the feminist theme (good women kicking evil men's butts) misled people into expecting a work of serious political or social intent. But if anyone thought that, they obviously knew nothing about the film or the story coming into it. In the first place, the movie was based on a COMIC BOOK, for goodness' sake. For that matter, the comic in question was basically a feminized and humorized version of The Road Warrior, not all that serious a motion picture in itself. Also, the casting of Malcolm McDowell as the villain should have provided a clue; he's the most reliable bad guy in Hollywood, because you always know exactly the character you're going to get out of him. The trailer, with all the crazy outfits, ridiculous kangaroo costumes, and zany one-liners shouldn't have misled anyone. Plus, why on Earth would expect Citizen Kane from a film called "Tank Girl" in the first place? This movie is exactly what you want for kicking back and enjoying an evening: a fast-paced, engaging bit of semi-sci-fi which, surprisingly, really does achieve a few genuinely beautiful moments, especially the dust-shower scene (to Portishead's "Roads"). Ignore all the cynics. This film is a blast. It's pure entertainment with a good cast and zany, silly story…it's the closest you'll ever get to a live-action Bugs Bunny cartoon. Just lay back and dig it. P.S. The soundtrack is fun, too.

Gawd Awful

[postdocct · 1/10 · 19 February 2002]

Looking for the living definition of a bad movie? How about a film starring a woman whose career includes playing a whinny foil to Gina Davis, and Caligula? Is that not the classic definition of on-screen tension? The plot? Weak. The acting? Where? The special effects? An oxymoron for this film. In short, this movie is the living definition of "you'll never get back those two hours of your life."

Great fun and visually interesting, with some wonderful one-liners and buckets of attitude.

[Mephisto-24 · 8/10 · 21 June 2000]

One of the best films ever based on a comic, Tank Girl should not be taken seriously, but it's enormous fun, and a badly needed send-up of all those testosterone-pumped action movies. Instead of the usual male buddies, you have two sassy young woman, while a genetically modified and not very bright kangaroo plays the part of the Bond girl. All the leads perform well, particularly McDowell as the villain, and the script has some great one-liners, even if the plot is pretty dumb (it's a comic, ok? Get over it.)

It's Marmite*

[dannyshiro23 · 7/10 · 23 August 2019]

*other yeast extract products are available.

Loved it back in the day. About to watch it it again in 2019.

Not terrible, but not good either

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 18 January 2012]

That is my opinion of course. I noticed before sitting down to watch Tank Girl that it has got a bad reputation for being a Hollywoodised bastardisation of the cult comic. As someone who has a lot of fondness for the comic and as an admirer of Malcolm McDowell, I found Tank Girl neither a good or terrible movie. More the disappointing but sort of watchable neck of the woods.

I do give it plaudits for the colourful visuals, the upbeat soundtrack and decent performances from most of the cast. Lori Petty does have some cringe-worthy one-liners but I did find her surprisingly credible, and while Ice-T has some irritating moments he has moments where he is also fun. The best performances however come from Naomi Watts and especially Malcolm McDowell who is over-the-top but in an enjoyable way.

However, the script is pretty awful. The one-liners are enough to make you cringe, the humour is stale and it also lacked the sassy black-humoured feel of the comic. The story has a great concept but for me suffered from being too unevenly paced(mostly rushed) and predictable with many moments of dumbness, a couple of limply paced scenes such as the musical scene at the Rippers' base and a few too many moments where it steers off track.

Characters are a mixed bag. Tank Girl and Kesslee are fun enough, but Jet and Sub Girls are not as interesting personality-wise as they were in the comics and the Rippers more often than not are annoying. Another big disappointment is the direction, which is flashy but also too muddled, never knowing whether it is trying to handle a satire, comedy or futuristic action. Consequently the black, sassy humour could have benefited the satire and the comedy, but seeing as they were missing the humour to me seemed flat, and the more action-like parts looked clunky.

Overall, I was willing to judge it on its own terms and to form my own opinion, but while I don't think Tank Girl is as bad as people say and I have seen far worse movies there wasn't really anything especially outstanding about it. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Great movie!!!

[professorclint · 24 August 2002]

This one is destined to be a cult classic, if it already isn't. I have not seen the comic book but if you like your movies a little off kilter then, this one is great! Lori Petty was so perfect for the roll of Tank Girl it hurts. Not only does she look the part but she also manages to spout the one-liners in a way that has to make you laugh. I love the way they combine images from the comic strip with the live action. A kick-butt soundtrack, along with a great cast, and an awesome script makes this movie a must-see for any odd comedy fan.