(1982)
1
John Gonsalves
The closest thing to a live-action version of the G.I. Joe cartoon series -- but less sophisticated -- Megaforce, from Smokey and the Bandit director Hal Needham, envisions future desert warfare fought with motorcycles that pop wheelies and launch missiles in slow motion. When one fictitious country menaces another, Ace (Barry Bostwick) commands an "elite fighting force" of code-named buddies in sparkling tights, operating from a secret base. He also woos sexy Major Zara (Star Trek: The Motion Picture's haunting but often-slumming Persis Khambatta) in a romance that operates strictly at a first-grade level. In a scene meant to awe the preteen audience, Ace flies his motorcycle through the air, thanks to the Zoptic special effects process created for Superman, but somehow less believable here. This quickly forgotten box-office bomb is corny and infantile enough that South Park co-creator Trey Parker has spoken of buying the rights and resurrecting the franchise in a joke sequel.
Megaforce on AllMovie
Megaforce (1982)
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