Blu-ray Movie Review: Mindwarp
Mindwarp, a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi gore film produced by Fangoria Magazine in 1992, is a cup half-full, cup half-empty proposition. In the plus column, it stars Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead) and Angus Scrimm (Phantasm), two genre icons who give it their all no matter how low-budget or poorly conceived the film around them happens to be. And despite being the brainchild of a publication dedicated to glorifying the grossest moments in movie history, Mindwarp surprisingly chooses to emphasize ideas over shock effects.
Yet there’s no mistaking Mindwarp for anything other than an ambitious copycat slogging through the direct-to-video ditches. And it’s an odd release choice for Twilight Time, who usually focus on lesser known but more widely respected classics from studio back catalogs. But for those with an affection for the material – or Bruce Campbell in particular, who never quite got a fair chance at being a big-screen action hero – this Blu-ray debut will likely be an unexpected treat.
Campbell plays a rugged survivor living on Earth’s surface whose hermetic existence is interrupted by the arrival of Judy (Marta Alicia), a “dreamer” exiled from her safe but boring existence jacked into a virtual reality supercomputer that tends to her society’s every need. Their Adam and Eve moment is cut short by an attack from Morlock-like cannibalistic creatures, who drag them to a secret lair beneath the local landfill where they mine for treasures from the previous civilization.
The cause of the Earth’s current situation is never discussed in detail, but the effects are circumstantially interesting, including bands of stratospheric radiation, glaciers, and frequent sinkholes. Much of the future-tech on display (spinal computer inputs, virtual reality, and robotic vacuums) beat substantially bigger movies to the punch. But, unfortunately, director Steve Barnett didn’t have quite the budget to do things justice. Being a Fangoria production, the film compensates with plucked eyeballs, frequent dismemberment and drinking fountains of blood….literally.
Admittedly, it’s still a rush to watch Campbell – who plays it mostly straight here – go toe-to-with the “Tall Man,” Angus Scrimm. And the set design, which looks like it was in storage since Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 wrapped in 1986, creates a claustrophobic world on the cheap. But Mindwarp’s good intentions only go so far. Ultimately the film succumbs to the visceral demands of the audience it was aimed at, going for the throat instead of picking your brain.
Twilight Time’s limited edition Blu-ray (only 3,000 units are available exclusively at http://www.screenarchives.com) is eye-catching in the “surface scenes” but gets a bit murky when we get to middle-Earth (although that murk might be completely intentional on the part of the filmmakers). Extras include the usual isolated score track and a 1:30 second TV spot.
