DAMNATION ALLEY (Shout Factory, 1977) D: Jack Smight, w/ George Peppard, Jan-Michael Vincent. Rating: NNN DVD package: NNN Rating: NNN
Nuclear war turns the U.S. to desert. In the aftermath, four military guys in California jump in a battle wagon and head for Albany, where there might be other survivors. Encounters on the way include giant scorpions, killer cockroaches, rape-minded yokels, violent storms and a massive flood.
By far the best of the generally effective old-school effects is the irradiated sky with its bursts of flame, strange lightning and cloud formations. It’s beautiful, and conveys a disturbing sense of the world gone wrong.
The extras have a resigned and slightly defensive tone. The producers think they blew it. True, but it’s still modest fun for genre fans.
EXTRAS Producer Paul Maslansky commentary, producer Jerome Zeitman, writer Alan Sharp and vehicle designer Dean Jeffries interviews. English audio. No subtitles.
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