Well, let's start off by saying this film has redeeming qualities, but it's not as good as it's predecessor Class of 1984. Put this one into the CYBORG ROBOTS GOING BAD category for sure. Mark Lester follows his cult hit teacher-gone-vigilante favorite with a futuristic Seattle setting. Here we find that the students have still managed to completely take over and create "free zones" where police have no jurisdiction.
The film stars some A list name actors for it's time: Malcolm McDowell as the pricipal of a High School gone really bad; Stacey Keach, as he leader of a cyborg robot teacher program, holding it's experiments at the school; and a pretty bodacious Pam Grier as one of 3 robot teachers programmed to keep order on a kaotic student body, as well as teach chemistry.
Grier steals the movie, I think, bringing her Foxy Brown-esque personality to her role as, simply, a bitch ya don't wanna mess with. There's also some decent special effects in the film's climactic ending, not CGI which was NOT a common use when the film was shot in the late 90's.
This cult favorite also sports some great one liners:
- (after blowing up the History teacher) "You're history, teach!"
- "Now be careful! These things are like a bad, fucked up, George Jetson nightmare!"
- "Do you trust him?" "Like I trust a vampire to give me a blow job."
The only WTF? moment I had regarding the script was Lester's intent. Was he shooting for a whole Empire Strikes Back feeling? I guess I'll have to run out and rent the 3rd film in the trilogy - Class of 1999 II. Why they didn't call it Class of 2000, I guess I have yet to find out.
If you're looking for Class of 1984, you won't find it. However, if you don't mind a fun Class of 1984 meets Mad Max with a dash of Terminator this flick's for you!
There's not a trailer I can find for this movie just yet. I posted a little of Pam Grier on my YouTube page. I'll let you see more when you rent the film.
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