Movie Review: America 3000 (1986)
Synopsis: Hundreds of years after nuclear war, Colorado is now a matriarchal society ruled by female tribes, known as Frau, who kill and enslave the men. Two escapees, Korvis and Gruss form their own all-male tribe, educating and civilizing themselves with the help of children's books and fighting the women to free others. When the Frau gain a new Tiara (queen), Vena, Korvis attempts to use the Frau legend of the "Prezeedent" to get her alone and negotiate peace. However, Reya's second in command, Lakella, influenced by the leader of another tribe, decides to wipe out the men once and for all.
Who's in it? The movie stars Chuck Wagner, Laurene Landon, William Wallace, Sue Giosa and Victoria Barrett.
Review: I attended another one of my daughter's community theater performances last night and didn't have an opportunity to pick out this morning's movie in advance as a result of that. So, I pretty much went with the first film in my library that caught my eye and that turned out to be America 3000.
This film had been in my library for a while because, while it sounded somewhat interesting, it was also one of those movies that could just as easily be terrible. As it turns out, it wasn't as bad as I feared but I find it difficult to describe it as a "good" movie.
One thing I found I liked about this movie is how it added a bit more depth to the story than I would have expected. The women being the dominant gender wasn't random; it was the result of a religious movement that saw men as unclean destroyers and women as being the ones who saved the human race. The use of primitive weapons was a choice because more modern weapons could lead to another nuclear war (something that factors heavily into the movie).
The Frau hierarchy also added some extra drama because it was unclear if they would accept the soft-spoken Vena (Landon) as their ruler or if the much-stronger Lakella (Barrett) would find a way to gain control, especially as Vena chose to negotiate rather than fight. The same was true of Korvis (Wagner) and his group, which didn't have the same strict hierarchy and could easy choose to abandon his cause. This in turn led to a film that wasn't as predictable as it could have been and was interesting as a result.
My biggest problem with this movie is the decision to make it a comedy because it just doesn't work as one. It would be different if the men and women's battles were more slapstick in nature, with nobody getting seriously hurt. It is a lot harder to laugh at the jokes when the characters are stabbing, slicing and blowing each other up. The comedy, at best, felt forced as a result of this and weakened what could have been a solid movie had it been purely a dystopian drama with a Romeo & Juliet-like love story between Korvis and Vena.
Final Opinion: The movie has some solid elements and was an OK watch as a result. Had the writers taken the good plot seriously and not tried to turn it into a comedy, it would have been a better movie.
My Grade: C+
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Here are some reviews of other dystopian movies:
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