How it is that I lived through the 80's and never chanced across this bit of sci-fi tomfoolery is beyond me. Cherry 2000 is one of those rabidly 80's movies dashed off by a small studio to cash in on the trends of the day.
This one seems to have more than a wee bit of Road Warrior post-apocalyptic atmosphere blended with tiny morsel of The Stepford Wives amorality topped with a sprig of Christine auto-erotic confusion wrapped up in some classic television production tropes.
Spoilers ahead...
The tale sets up that a man loses his specially selected robotic "wife" and is reluctant to choose another model, preferring his "Cherry 2000" over all others. To get another he has to head into the badlands to find a nigh-mythical robot factory where according to legend a batch of these models are stored. He hires a woman "Tracker" to help him find his way across a mish-mash of desert terrains and oddball societies. He runs afoul of one giant goofball in particular who hates "Trackers" and tries to get everyone to chill out in his dome city. There's a bunch of shooting and running around and whatnot, and eventually they find the factory buried under the sands of Los Vegas and some of the most meager sets I've seen on screen. He finds his prized Cherry 2000 but has to give her up to save the Tracker he's fallen in love with.
...Spoilers done
Melanie Griffith plays the Tracker and she's all 80's in her look here, impressive rack and all, though the acting is strictly Z-grade. Ben Johnson shows up to play a crusty old galoot and is the only character in mess I give too hoots about, showing how strong his personality can be even in a terrible movie. Tim Thomerson plays the despotic goofball who chases after our hero and his guide and he supplies a few good lines, giving his typical bravura performance, but it's not enough to save this hopeless movie.
As a diversion Cherry 2000 is okay for a one-time sitting, but I'd not really want to see it again. It seems to want to be more than it is, but seems to get confused all the time. For a glimpse check out this trailer.
Rip Off
I rather enjoyed this movie, despite the fact it's very silly and deeply flawed. It was on the list of possibles for inclusion in "150 Movies You (Should Die Before You) See," and I will get around to reviewing it one of these days. Everything you say about is is dead-on, though.
ReplyDelete"Silly and deeply flawed" is a great way to describe it. Maybe in time I will want to see it again, if only to catch that sequence where they blow up the mesa again. Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteRip Off