cult film freak: EIGHTIES 3D 'SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE'

Molly Ringwald getting her mind sucked by the villain YEAR: 1983

One of those deliberate cult films without much of a following, shot in 3D in the early 1980's, and when formatted to 2D things zoom at the screen for what seems like no reason, which... like JAWS 3D and FRIDAY THE 13TH 3D and other gems from this era... is half the campy fun...

The sets, meanwhile, resemble a MAD MAX future combined with executive producer Ivan Reitman's nostalgically stylistic, homage-driven 1950's sci-fi b-movie aesthetic (with a Harold Ramis intercom voice-cameo). Then again, since Ivan's not exactly broke, there are gorgeous STAR WARS style matte paintings and theatrical-STAR TREK inspired ships, and the plot too is old school and pulpy, centering on a rogue bounty hunter, Peter Strauss as Wolff, sent to this not-so-desolate planet where three vixens have been kidnapped...

Planet urchin Molly Ringwald as Niki in SPACEHUNTER Rating: ***

He's aided by local brat Molly Ringwald and then Ernie Hudson: basically Lando to Strauss's Han Solo while Ringwald's Niki is both a reluctant sidekick and chagrined urchin. What's most fun is searching the canyon-ridged desert, not exactly sure of what's coming next...

It's that kind of desolate "wandering and discovering" movie... until we go underground where Michael Ironside, as a gigantic robot-altered mutant, hosts a do-or-die match where Strauss must save the girl on time. But what should draw in rabid exploitation fans is Andrea Marcovicci (who appeared with Ringwald in the TV-movie PACKIN' IT IN) as Chalmers, our hero's faithful, sexy fembot; and young Molly that the now-grownup male audience can feel pleasurable guilt as her skimpy clothes get even skimpier. Hell, if she was ready enough for Raul Julia...