(1973)
2.5
Todd Kristel
This low-budget film was made to cash in on the disco fad, but it's so dreadful that you have to wonder if it was secretly funded by rock fans who wanted to discredit the disco movement. Granted, Disco 9000 is similar to several other 1970s blaxploitation films in certain respects: the hero is a fearless, self-made African-American who is smooth with the ladies; a large percentage of the other actors are also African-Americans; the white actors tend to play unsympathetic characters (including a junkie, a drug dealer, and the rival mogul); music is featured prominently in the film; and the movie is noteworthy more for historical interest and campy nostalgia than for artistic merit. Unfortunately, the music is far from disco's best and the film looks somewhat drab, although the movie is highly recommended to connoisseurs of bad 1970s hair. The main problem is that Disco 9000 is so boring that many viewers won't care enough to laugh at the gaudy clothing and stilted dialogue; indeed, the movie is so dull that the final showdown actually involves paperwork. At least Disco 9000 lacks some of the more unsavory qualities found in blaxploitation films (e.g., blatant misogyny), but it also lacks some of the genre's more appealing traits (e.g., action, humor). The acting is wooden, the fight scenes and noteworthy one-liners are limited, and the filmmakers managed to place Johnny Taylor and his number one hit "Disco Lady" in the same movie without letting him perform the song himself. Even if you're just looking for a quick fix of campy nostalgia, you're better off looking elsewhere.
Disco 9000 on AllMovie
Disco 9000 (1973)
