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Saturday, January 27, 2018

'Robot Wars' DVD: Bringing Cogswell Cogs/Spacely Space Sprockets Feud to Next Level


The Breaking Glass Pictures DVD of the 2016 film "Robot Wars" shows that Breaking does dystopoian post-apocalyptic sci-fi thrillers as well as it does gay-themed films and other quirky indie art-house fair. In other words, art richly trumps commerce with these guys.

The best way to describe this awesomely unique film is that it is a successful mash-up between the cult classic '80s scifi film/television series "Max Headroom" and the space-age cartoon "The Jetsons." Human existence is comparable to the world of "Max" in which large corporations control every aspect of our lives, fringe elements of society aptly live in a harsh desert wasteland on the edge of the "civilized world," and invasive Borg-like tech. allows us to be monitored.

The overall brighter world of "The Jetsons" comes into play regarding the ruthless corporate espionage that makes the dirty tactics employed by business rivals Spacely Space Sprockets and Cogswell Cogs look like child's play. In the case of "Wars," the Milipore corporation is the target of the nefarious doings.

"Wars" starts out like more traditional caper/government shenanigans flicks in that Billy is serving a torturous prison sentence for a heist gone wrong. Salvation with a price comes in the form of ladder-climbing "suit" Jules approaching him with an offer of release from his unfortunate incarceration in exchange for participating in the theft of undisclosed tech. from Milipore.

Billy learning that the nefarious Decker who is his Fagin is part of the rogue's gallery that is committing the crime solves the "why him" mystery regarding the recruitment of Billy. The other participants are security tech. whiz Kyle and innocent Natalie, who aspires to be like Jules.

The typical things that go wrong during such ventures leads to our gang taking off across the aforementioned wasteland with the bulky (and still undisclosed) tech. in tow. The motivation to continue hauling booty under these adverse circumstances include the promise of an unpleasant termination in the case of a failure to deliver the goods.

The resulting mayhem includes threats from without and within, a shaky alliance with a former literal partner-in-crime of Billy, and discovering the true nature of the purloined tech. In other words, another day at the office in this bleak reality.

Increasingly frayed nerves, frustration regarding the aforementioned betrayals, shifting alliances, and entertainingly limited budget effects add to the fun of this homage to the scifi of the '80s and the early '90s before advanced CGI established the norm.

It is equally refreshing that, famously ala "Seinfeld," no one in "Wars" is particularly likable and definitely is not someone you would bring home to meet the parents. At the same time, like "Seinfeld," you feel sympathy when someone literally gets fried.

The extras include a "making of" feature and a trailer for the similar "The Men Who Fell" film by "Wars writer/director William L. Stewart.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Wars" is welcome either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.






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