BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

George Taylor Based on a much better novel by Roger Zelazny, this is one of the worst damn science fiction movies ever made. I'll repeat that - ONE OF THE WORST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES EVER MADE. The only damn thing worth seeing in this is the vehicle, the Landmaster. Other than that, Peppard seems to walk through his role, Jan-Michael Vincent isn't that great of an actor to start with, and this has virtually no relation to the novel other than the vehicle or the title. It has no science to it at all - oh earth shifts on it's axis and that cures the entire world of the nuclear war that wrecked it in the beginning? Let me also point out that when Paul Winfield's character is eaten by cockroaches - he's not only the only black character - no one even tries to save him. So along with the poor story, bad direction and horrible special effects, there isn't much else to say about this loser of a movie. Again, do yourself a favor and read the book.

mrb1980 "Damnation Alley" didn't win any Academy Awards and it's not on any list of the greatest movies, but it is a gritty tale of survival in a post-nuclear war world and has several good scenes.Lt. Tanner (Jan-Michael Vincent), Keegan (Paul Winfield) and Maj. Denton (George Peppard) are Air Force personnel who survive a nuclear war in their California bunker. The nuclear explosions have tilted the earth's axis, causing the sky to change colors and flash bright lights. The group receives transmissions from Albany, New York so they take off through dangerous "Damnation Alley" in a futuristic vehicle (a so- called Landmaster) to reach civilization. Along the way they pick up an obnoxious teenager (Jackie Earle Haley) and a young woman (Dominique Sanda). Keegan is unconvincingly killed by mutant cockroaches and the group battles hillbilly survivalists along the way. Eventually the four survivors reach Albany and safety.The film's producers should have spent more money on the special effects, because they're pretty bad in places. Giant scorpions and cockroaches are almost laughable, and the models of the Landmaster just aren't very well done. Still, this is a pretty good film if you forget about its shortcomings. Peppard was at a career low when he made the film but is good anyway, and Jan-Michael Vincent does his "young rebel" routine quite well. The film suffered because it was released in the shadow of "Star Wars", and was quickly forgotten but I think it's very watchable.

Leofwine_draca This cheap but effective sci-fi yarn acts as a precursor to the wave of post-apocalyptic movies that would sweep the world in the early '80s as a result of the success of MAD MAX 2, and this film is indeed ahead of its time. There are many similarities between this film and the ones that came later, but the most obvious is the custom-designed all-terrain vehicle in which our heroes travel across the deserted nuclear wastes; such vehicles would become a staple of the post-apocalyptic genre in later years.DAMNATION ALLEY is one of those films in which our heroes embark on a perilous journey and encounter many obstacles and dangers in their path. This kind of story harks back to the classic tales of Homer and his hero Odysseus battling the Sirens and the Cyclops, and has been a staple of the genre since cinema began and those silent adventurers took part in A TRIP TO THE MOON. DAMNATION ALLEY is certainly no classic film, and there are definite pacing problems in the second half, but there is enough excitement and danger to make it worthwhile viewing.The initial advent of nuclear war is portrayed in a tense, frightening way, even if all you see is some old stock footage of mushroom clouds. Once our heroes embark on their journey in their armoured truck, the fun begins, and the film is solid entertainment for about forty minutes. At around this time, the pacing does flag a little, but events are wrapped up neatly for an upbeat ending. The special effects used are limited but they still work. For instance, the images of skies glowing blue, green and red are crude yet colourful, and impressive due to their consistency.The acting is fine for a B-movie like this; not brilliant but passable. George Peppard is fun as the older, leading man, to whom everybody else looks up; he has just the right balance of authority, pomposity and charisma. In comparison, Jan-Michael Vincent has the young, handsome square-jawed hero type role and fits the bill well: his acting may be poor but he's a likable screen presence here. Dominique Sanda lends a bit of sophistication and is a pretty face to have on board, while Paul Winfield (THE TERMINATOR) shows up as the token black guy. The only miscasting, in my mind, is that of the young boy who joins our travellers; future star Jackie Earle Haley is one of the most irritating, snotty child performers I've ever seen.The perils our heroes encounter are numerous and varied. Things start off with some cheesy giant scorpions which are actually real scorpions, just enlarged. In the film's best scene, our heroes arrive in a deserted ghost town where they discover rusting cars and skeletons that have been picked clean; this scene offers up a real sense of fear and foreboding, something that runs throughout the film but is strongest here. Eventually it turns out that the town is infested by flesh-eating killer cockroaches which proceed to devour one of our heroes in a spectacularly gruesome scene (turns out that this was only a PG film, but they were definitely pushing the boundaries of the rating with the brief bloody scenes on display here). Later, they must face freak storms, a sudden flood and a gang of diseased rapists while on their way to Albany. These things make DAMNATION ALLEY a lot of fun to watch, and recommended to anyone with an interest in these types of pictures.

AaronCapenBanner Based on Roger Zelazny's novel, film tells the story of a sudden nuclear war that breaks out between the U.S. & Russia, leaving a devastated world which has tipped on its axis. Despite this calamity, a group of survivors at a missile bunker(among them George Peppard & Jan Michael Vincent) must take to the road in armored RVs after the bunker is accidentally destroyed, where they encounter weird weather, hostile people, and killer cockroaches...all the while trying to reach the safe haven of New Jersey.Strange film has a good cast, and effective action scenes(not to mention an impressive RV, the film's highlight) but an ultimately silly and absurd story, that doesn't bother with things like plausibility and scientific accuracy. A real shame, because the elements were there, it just doesn't come together satisfactorily.