Review of Survival Quest (1989) by Timothy S — 20 Jan 2012

Don Coscarelli made a name for himself as one of the most unique horror film directors of the '70's and '80's, but with "Survival Quest", he tries to do something a little different. It's bland, which is not something that you can say about his "Phantasm" films, and it's also a more character driven film than we're used to from the filmmaker.

It sounds weird to say, but Lance Henriksen plays the most normal person in the film, but in this case, it works. It's a likable performance and the center of the picture. Indie queen and future Oscar nominee Catherine Keener keeps her talents well-hidden in her feature film debut, but she is kind of goofy-looking.

I enjoyed the film despite of myself because as B-movies go, this is one of the better ones I've seen in a while. It takes a while to get going, as the first hour is virtually conflict free. But the characters are enjoyable and the film is never boring, and that kept me watching. Along with Keener, a young Dylan McDermott makes for a unusually mysterious hero. His badass, James Dean wannabe performance is hilariously misguided.

Despite the overly simplistic plot and mostly no-name cast, there is some real suspense here and I was surprisingly captivated by this little movie. I had a lot of fun. "Survival Quest" is a pretty ordinary movie, but it gets a lot of mileage out of this well-worn story. Don't write this one off too early because Coscarelli manages to make the most out of this routine picture.