Review of Death Machine (1995) by Julian T — 08 Dec 2011

Like with many other horror movies, this flashes just enough potential only to dash your hopes, and realize how awful it is. Pretty much just a mish-mash of already seen films ('Robo Cop', 'Alien', 'Terminator', etc) and it adds nothing of its own.

It actually starts out alright, but at about the 1/2 hour mark, just plummets out of control into flat out horribleness. The script is simply put, awful. It might have been written by a kindergartener for all I know. The acting is just as bad, with the exception of Dourif, who manages to turn in a frightening and unsettling performance. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find out that Heath Ledger incorporated Dourif's performance into the Joker, as they come across as very similar characters.

Its cinematography isn't bad. It does manage to capture a creepy vibe of claustrophobia at times. This gets 2 stars due to the fact that it is terrible, but entertaining and hilarious. If you're into cheesy/campy sci-fi and horror, its right up your alley.