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Exterminators of the Year 3000 (1983)

Comparing this with “Mad Max 2” in terms of quality is akin to a cage match between a donkey and a grizzly bear; the outcome is a foregone conclusion. If however, you were to compare this with “New Barbarians”, or “1990 The Bronx Warriors” where technical ratios are more equal, then “Exterminators” isn’t a bad yarn.

The premise concerns a post apocalyptic world in which water is scarce, and various territorial tribes emerge to claim what little water there is in isolated wells. Crazy Bull is the main adversary and his vicious sidekick Shadow (Cunningham) packs a claw that commands respect. It’s a shame that Cunningham didn’t find greater exposure in her film career, as she showed a lot of promise and has a decent cinema legacy.

The visual effects, as expected, are the heroes, including the trailblazing stunt-work in which dune buggies leap and pirouette in the air, while bodies are flung around like rag dolls. There’s plenty of gruesome carnage in keeping with the sub-genre. Scripting is minimal, although as most of the story is essentially borrowed, grafted and re-imagined, it’s not altogether critical for success. I’ve seen a few of these post-apocalypse biker pictures, some with more recognisable faces and more sophisticated production values, but “Exterminators” holds its own and so if this is your cup of tea, drink up.