I'm way, way overdue on my reviews of Megaforce and Dark Angel. I blame it on Diablo III, but I solemnly vow that I will sit down at some point and do a write-up on each of these. I have at least viewed all of Dark Angel. Again. I'm pretty sure I've only seen it once before way back when it was first released on video or made it to cable. I was interrupted in my viewing of Megaforce by hostile influences, so I need to get back to it.
Why am I reviewing these two movies in particular when there are so many others that could attract my attention? It's simple, really. I blame it on my daughter. She texted me one day to ask, "Where did the phrase 'I come in peace', 'You go in pieces' come from?" I remembered immediately that it was a Dolph Lundgren actioner from many years back, but I was conflicted over the title. I was thinking the actual title of the movie was "I Come in Peace," but that may have just been on the movie poster or video cover or something.
In any event, that launched the project for me to find a copy of this bad movie blast from the past.
But how is that connected to Megaforce? I'm not sure where the term was originally coined, but I first saw the phrase "Megaforce bad" on Harry Knowles' Ain't It Cool News web site many years ago. It describes exactly how bad a movie is. Ain't It Cool News, by the way, is a great place to go for news about upcoming releases as well as reviews of new releases, mostly in the SF, horror and superhero genres. I'm happy to say that the site hasn't changed much over the years.
Megaforce was considered such a bad movie that it became the measuring stick by which all bad movies released since would be judged. In a sneak peek he offered of an upcoming release, Mr. Knowles stated emphatically that it would be "Megaforce bad." And we all knew that was really, really bad.
So when my daughter asked about "You go in pieces," I couldn't help but launch into a long description of this "megaforce bad" movie from before she was born. Being the curious sort I am, I couldn't help but wonder, "Exactly how bad is 'Megaforce bad'?" The only way to know for sure was to subject myself to the very film that led to the coining of the phrase.
These days it's usually pretty easy to find a movie. You just hop over to Amazon.com, plug in a title and order the DVD—or stream it if it's popular enough to warrant that treatment. Megaforce isn't. The only copy I could locate on Amazon was in some odd, obviously foreign, and likely subversive format called VHS. I think I have an old device in the closet gathering dust that might be able to translate VHS's cryptic runes, but I decided that ought to be a last resort. For crying out loud! This is the 21st century, after all.
So I kept looking. It also was unavailable on NetFlix and Vudu. I like Vudu a lot. Beautiful HD streaming on your high-def TV. Crisp picture, no lag. But I digress.
Eventually, I did in fact find a DVD copy of Megaforce at Sasquatch Video. It somehow seems appropriate to me that the namesake of a mysterious creature whose existence is known only from possibly faux footprints, grainy photographs and hoaxed videos would be in possession of a rare and forgotten gem of filmmaking badness believed by many to be mere legend.
After watching about 35 minutes before I was rudely interrupted, I can say that I have a feeling Megaforce is going to be deliciously, enjoyable bad with a heaping helping of cheese and hammy acting. In short, it may be the very definition of cinematic perfection.
Meanwhile, out of the blue as I was taking my morning walk, thoughts of an old '70s Saturday TV show I used to watch sprang unbidden into my mind. I really have no idea what prompted me to think of it, but I found myself suddenly pondering Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp. No, seriously. I thought it could be something really hilarious, so, yes, I searched Amazon and found it's being released on DVD at the end of the month. And I did in fact order a copy. I should probably seek counseling for whatever condition it is I have. In the meantime, I'll continue watching weird stuff and writing about it.
The reviews of Dark Angel and Megaforce are coming soon. Whenever I can tear myself away from Diablo III, that is.
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