Future War
Encyclopedia
Future War is a 1997 direct-to-video
American
science fiction
film about an escaped human slave fleeing his cyborg
masters and seeking refuge on Earth. It was lampooned in a 1999 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
enslavers and the dinosaur
s that they use as “trackers.” Having been kidnapped from Earth’s past, the Runaway has some familiarity with the English language and the King James Bible and regards Earth as a literal heaven.
The Runaway finds refuge with an ambivalent novitiate played by Travis Brooks Stewart, who had formerly dealt drugs and worked as a prostitute. Together, they band together to fight the dinosaurs and their robotic masters, seeking aid from a street gang.
Future War makes use of star Daniel Bernhardt’s skill at kickboxing
and features several kickboxing
fight sequences, particularly against the Cyborg Master character, played by Robert Z'Dar
.
After being arrested by the police for being a suspect in a rash of recent deaths due to strange animal attacks, The Runaway is interrogated by several federal agents where they present him with a collar that was found on the beach. The Cyborg Master, however breaks into the police station, and the Runaway manages to escape in the confusion. He teams up with Sister Ann and her friends from the street to attack the dinosaurs where they live, as Runaway explains, "Near Water". He is successful in dynamiting a water treatment plant and killing the dinosaurs, but the Cyborg Master attacks him once more while he watches Sister Ann make her solemn vows to become a nun
. After he kills the Cyborg Master, he becomes a counselor for runaway teens along with Sister Ann.
and the Carnosaur
films. The actual "tracker" feet and mechanical tracker from Future War were taken by Doublin for use in Carnosaur 3.
(Future War was released in 1997, while the MST3K episode mocking it aired in April 1999). Mike Nelson
and his robot friends mocked the low-budget look of the movie (several scenes are filmed at a warehouse where people are stacking apparently empty cardboard boxes), the use of forced perspective
for the dinosaur sequences, and the generally nonsensical nature of the film. As Crow T. Robot
remarks at one point, “You know, I could point out that it’s not the future, and there isn’t a war, but you know me; I don't like to complain.”
During production several crew members remarked that the film should end up on Mystery Science Theater 3000. When Doublin finished his work, he turned in a director's cut of the film that ran about 40 minutes of mostly dialog. Future War was screened for several key members of the crew. After the screening a discussion was held where Doublin quit, forcing a "Damage Control Unit" to be put together. Johnny Saiko from Steve Wang FX was brought in to take over the "trackers" and the film was completed and screened at AFM.
on January 28, 1997 by Screen Pix Home Video. It was later released on Region 1 DVD by Trinity Home Entertainment on May 4, 2004.
The film was also released on DVD as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition DVD set released by Shout! Factory
on October 8, 2008.
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film about an escaped human slave fleeing his cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
masters and seeking refuge on Earth. It was lampooned in a 1999 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
Plot
Future War begins with a sequence aboard a spaceship where a revolt is under way. We see someone enter an escape pod and then jettison it from the ship where it crashes in the Pacific Ocean on Earth. The pod contains “The Runaway,” a nameless human slave played by Daniel Bernhardt. He is being pursued by his cyborgCyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
enslavers and the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s that they use as “trackers.” Having been kidnapped from Earth’s past, the Runaway has some familiarity with the English language and the King James Bible and regards Earth as a literal heaven.
The Runaway finds refuge with an ambivalent novitiate played by Travis Brooks Stewart, who had formerly dealt drugs and worked as a prostitute. Together, they band together to fight the dinosaurs and their robotic masters, seeking aid from a street gang.
Future War makes use of star Daniel Bernhardt’s skill at kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
and features several kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
fight sequences, particularly against the Cyborg Master character, played by Robert Z'Dar
Robert Z'Dar
Robert J. Zdarsky , better known as Robert Z’Dar, is an American actor and film producer, perhaps best known for his role as Matt Cordell in the cult horror film Maniac Cop and its two sequels. Due to his unusual facial structure, he is often referred to as "The Chin".-Early life:Born in Chicago,...
.
After being arrested by the police for being a suspect in a rash of recent deaths due to strange animal attacks, The Runaway is interrogated by several federal agents where they present him with a collar that was found on the beach. The Cyborg Master, however breaks into the police station, and the Runaway manages to escape in the confusion. He teams up with Sister Ann and her friends from the street to attack the dinosaurs where they live, as Runaway explains, "Near Water". He is successful in dynamiting a water treatment plant and killing the dinosaurs, but the Cyborg Master attacks him once more while he watches Sister Ann make her solemn vows to become a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. After he kills the Cyborg Master, he becomes a counselor for runaway teens along with Sister Ann.
Cast
- Daniel Bernhardt as The Runaway
- Robert Z’DarRobert Z'DarRobert J. Zdarsky , better known as Robert Z’Dar, is an American actor and film producer, perhaps best known for his role as Matt Cordell in the cult horror film Maniac Cop and its two sequels. Due to his unusual facial structure, he is often referred to as "The Chin".-Early life:Born in Chicago,...
as Cyborg Master - Travis Brooks Stewart as Sister Ann
- Ray Adash as Captain Polaris
- Kazja as Cyborg
- Andre Scruggs as Fred Burroughs
- Mel NovakMel NovakMel Novak is an American character actor who is best known for villainous roles in action, martial arts and occasionally horror and science fiction films. He is also known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes.-Career:...
as SWAT Leader - Forrest J AckermanForrest J AckermanForrest J Ackerman was an American collector of science fiction books and movie memorabilia and a science fiction fan...
as Park victim
Production notes
This was the directorial debut of Anthony Doublin, the award winning special effect/miniature model maker from films like Bride of Re-AnimatorBride of Re-Animator
Bride of Re-Animator is an American horror film released in 1990. It was directed by Brian Yuzna and was written by Yuzna, Rick Fry and Woody Keith. H. P. Lovecraft wrote the original series of stories, titled Herbert West–Reanimator, from which the characters were derived. The plot roughly...
and the Carnosaur
Carnosaur (film)
Carnosaur is a 1993 horror film starring Diane Ladd as a mad scientist who plans to recreate dinosaurs and destroy humanity. The film is loosely based on a the novel Carnosaur by John Brosnan that was released in 1984, but the two have little in common...
films. The actual "tracker" feet and mechanical tracker from Future War were taken by Doublin for use in Carnosaur 3.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Future War was ridiculed in an episode of the last season of the movie-mocking television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
(Future War was released in 1997, while the MST3K episode mocking it aired in April 1999). Mike Nelson
Michael J. Nelson
Michael John Nelson is a U.S. comedian and writer, most famous for his work on the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's 11-year run, and spent half of that time playing the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson...
and his robot friends mocked the low-budget look of the movie (several scenes are filmed at a warehouse where people are stacking apparently empty cardboard boxes), the use of forced perspective
Forced perspective
Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It is used primarily in photography, filmmaking and architecture...
for the dinosaur sequences, and the generally nonsensical nature of the film. As Crow T. Robot
Crow T. Robot
Crow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Crow is a robot, who, along with others, quips and riffs upon poor-quality B movies.- Overview :...
remarks at one point, “You know, I could point out that it’s not the future, and there isn’t a war, but you know me; I don't like to complain.”
During production several crew members remarked that the film should end up on Mystery Science Theater 3000. When Doublin finished his work, he turned in a director's cut of the film that ran about 40 minutes of mostly dialog. Future War was screened for several key members of the crew. After the screening a discussion was held where Doublin quit, forcing a "Damage Control Unit" to be put together. Johnny Saiko from Steve Wang FX was brought in to take over the "trackers" and the film was completed and screened at AFM.
Release history
Future War was released directly to home videoHome video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
on January 28, 1997 by Screen Pix Home Video. It was later released on Region 1 DVD by Trinity Home Entertainment on May 4, 2004.
The film was also released on DVD as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition DVD set released by Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
on October 8, 2008.