Week 14 (Sept. 20 – 26) – THE END! Post-Apocalyptic Cinema: Make sure to pull the ladder up on the way out
Do you think Cirio H. Santiago ever got tired of making post-apocalyptic movies?
As a spiritual successor to Equalizer 2000—it has the same star, director, and dystopian DNA—Raiders of the Sun may not have an awesome gun like that movie, but let’s not hold that against it.
A democratic society known as the Alpha League rises from the ashes of nuclear war. Opposing them is the traitorous Colonel Clay (William Steis), who wants to crown himself supreme leader. Outgunned and on the run, Clay suffers heavy losses thanks to key Alpha League operatives Brodie (Richard Norton) and Talbot (Blake Boyd). Once the dust settles, Brodie is sent off to hunt down a fresh stash of gunpowder, while Talbot looks to quietly retire. His plans for a peaceful reunion with his wife, Vera (Brigitta Stenberg), are ruined when a gang of Mad Max wannabes led by a maniac named Hoghead (Rick Dean) raids his village. Vera is captured and locked away in Hoghead’s stockade. Brodie—passing by just a moment too late—catches sight of the abduction, fills Talbot in and the two head straight for the notoriously rough town of Valentine.
Colonel Clay isn’t done yet. Having lost hundreds of men, he recruits his brother Hoghead to bolster his ranks in exchange for a cut of the stolen gunpowder. Brodie goes to look for gunpowder and runs into Sierra (Lani Lobangco), whose father has a stockpile of the stuff and an army of little people. Also: Brodie and Sierra totally fire meat missiles at one another, as they say. And Talbot acts like he’s a henchman looking for a job, leading both back to Valentine.
With Clay loaded up on stolen gunpowder and ready for round two against the Alpha League, the stage is set. The movie bounces from one fight to the next, using recycled b-roll from Equalizer 2000 and Wheels of Fire. The final battle hits all the right notes: bad-guy raiders attack the good-guy base, local tribal allies pitch in, and Richard Norton fights low-level baddies before a final showdown with the final boss deep inside the base.
It’s not the best end of the world, but it’ll do the job.
You can watch this on Tubi.
