Desert Warrior (1988) User Reviews

I do not like this movie about gladiators.

[mark.waltz · 2/10 · 2 February 2022]

Someone involved behind the scenes in this movie liked movies about Samurai Warriors too much, and the visuals of them with gladiator Lou Ferrigno turn this World War 3 apocalyptic film into something genuinely horrendous. A poor quality sound track is immediately noticeable, and you know that's going to make it a challenge to try to get through. Kenneth Peer represents evil, and Ferrigno represents a style of method acting that requires a lot of meth. Shari Shattuck, an actress I knew only as a brief replacement as Ashley Abbott on "The Young and the Restless", is the bland and the wasted as Ferrigno's leading lady. Peer is your stereotypically cliched villain. The special effects are disturbingly gross, representing a post apocalyptic world where you can rip off the scalp and nobody feels pain. The audience can avoid the pain by simply skipping it.

A Low Budget Success For Directer Jim Goldman's One And Only Directed Film.

[mikecanmaybee · 4/10 · 2 June 2020]

Even the Rookie Director Jim Goldman could figure out that a Beautiful leading lady Shari Shattuck (Racela) combined with a handsome leading man Lou Ferrigno (Zerak), and a fun screenplay adds up to a winner. Director Jim's Post-Apocalypse (PA) low Budget effort has the look and feels of an Italian PA however it's another in a long and distinguished line of Filipino PA films. Veteran low budget movie stalwart Mike Monty gets a solid "B" for the part of the compassionate Dr. Creo while veteran Mike Cohen ( For Your Height Only) as the head of the Governing Commission (Pres. Antarius) is his usual commanding self. Big Lew is tactfully low key in this one which is great as it gives very sexy Shari room to contribute the emotional tenner and carry the film with her obvious acting talent. I really enjoyed Desert Warrior.

Got Obnoxious friends, and some beer... rent this.

[marcus-58 · 4 October 1999]

I like really bad movies, if you do too this movie is a great movie to watch with a bunch of obnoxious friends and a twelve pack of beer. When you go to the movie store and look for a really bad movie to watch with those obnoxious friends, you see TV's The Hulk and you think "this has GOT to be good". And Lou Ferrigno does not disappoint, part Conan part Terminator; all Ferrigno.

On top of Lou's real bad acting, and a canned post-apocalyptic plot, this movie offers a bountiful supply of bad special effects that would make Ed Wood proud.

Oh my god..

[adam_harding · 1/10 · 24 February 2005]

This is probably the worst thing that I've ever seen. Yeah, I'll give some credit to Lou Ferrigno, I guess.. But the acting is horrible, the special effects make me want to punch a hole in my wall. I watched it over to my friends house because I had heard it was so cheesy that people in the room passed out from laughing so hard, but it made me more angry then humored. The storyline is senseless, and serves basically no purpose what so ever.

I could probably roll up toilet paper, paint it yellow and pretend to shoot it out of a gun and you'd have better Lazer gun ammo then you see coming out of these semi-plastic guns that they're using in this movie. This is guaranteed a first take movie. I'm almost 100% positive that they never did more than 1 take.. I wonder what the director was thinking.. Ed Wood is said to be the worst director of all time, but after seeing this movie, I think I appreciate him more.. My god.. Brace yourself if you decide you watch this.. Although, you might find it hysterical. I laughed through some of it, haha.

The Value of a Lifetime

[bigscreenbo · 1/10 · 25 November 2007]

I just bought this movie at the dollar store, and there is a reason for it.

With movies these days, it can be hard to choose from the R rating for $15.99, or the Unrated Version for $19.99, or perhaps even the Ultimate two disk Collectors Edition at $25.99.

With this movie I know all that doesn't matter, for the one low price of .99 cents I get all the gruesome action of Road Warrior and the creative genius of Star Wars mixed with some of the best acting I have ever seen.

I must say this is one of the greatest reasons to waste 89 minutes of ones life. I think I might watch it again.

I've seen lightning strike itself

[jessegehrig · 5/10 · 1 June 2014]

Not to be confused with Dessert Warrior, an entirely different kind of movie involving pastry chefs, also don't confuse this Desert Warrior with the two other movies named the same. No, its this one, this is the right one, not the others. I would say this movie has a lot of nudity, but it does not. I would say that this is a science-fiction action movie but I feel if I did say so I would be lying. It is a fighting movie, not because it shows fighting but more so because the movie fights you to keep watching. This is a very combative movie, Desert Warrior challenges you to keep watching, constantly, its in your face, Desert Warrior is all like " What punk? You think you can watch a movie? ". You can't, you're not that tough, no one is.

Low budget sci fi .....

[barbosavive · 5/10 · 25 February 2018]

Low budget sci fi that could had been a good movie if they had simplified its script. Like many low budget films it does not have many choices or virtues to capitalize on. A good script can help almost any film including this one regardless of budget.

Perfectly Awful!!!!

[dgbd19 · 10/10 · 25 April 2006]

This is hands down the greatest film ever created. I spent nearly 4 years searching through bad movies attempting to find the worst (and subsequently the greatest) film ever made. Desert Warrior is the summation of that quest. I have seen literally thousands of the worst movies ever made, and Desert Warrior has risen to the top. The cream at the top of the sewage barrel. In case anyone is interested the #2 worst movie ever IMHO is Octaman. If you get a chance enjoy Octaman, it is truly a "gem". But always pay homage to the "Cullinan" of movies--- Desert Warrior! As a credit to it's greatness, I have watched Desert Warrior more than 30 times. I hope you are lucky enough to see it once.

Now THAT'S a happy ending!

[HaemovoreRex · 6/10 · 8 September 2006]

Not to be confused with Enzo G. Castellari's earlier film of the same name which starred Mark Harmon, this effort features the Incredible Hulk himself, big Lou Ferrigno.

Things get off to a thumping start with a curiously happy sounding (and not very good) opening soundtrack after which an on screen narration informs us that a nuclear war has devastated society and that the remaining people have subsequently resorted to barbarianism....well aside from the nuclear war bit, it sounds not too dissimilar to the behaviour in the town in which I live - but I digress....

Anyhoo, the story centres on one such nomadic tribe who it transpires are searching for new, uncontaminated females with whom to procreate. Big Lou is apparently second in command in this group and in addition to leading search parties for females his role also involves standing as the leaders champion during combative arena matches.

As it happens, not all of humanity exists in the above primitive manner, for we are shown that there is also a secret society of uncontaminated men and women who reside in hi-tech underground complexes where they ostensibly bicker the finer points of law and order whilst simultaneously searching for a cure for radiation sickness......Fair enough.

In a nut shell, matters become complicated though when a woman from this hi-tech world gets captured by the tribe (after Lou liberates her from some fierce competition). It is around this time however that Lou sees the error of his ways and helps her to escape, having by this time fell in love with her.

In return she sneaks back and frees Lou the very same night as for his troubles our hero has been sentenced to death by his leader!

Jump forward a bit and Lou's new girlfriend is planning on introducing him to how the other half live in her underground home. Alas, all is not to be happy ever after just yet for upon arriving back they are immediately apprehended and she is sentenced to death! (Great Scott!!!) Big Lou gets a better deal and is miraculously cured of his radiation wounds (which have necessitated him to wear an eye patch up until now) and has his sight restored! Hallelujah! Seeing this miracle the council who had previously ordered the woman's death suddenly feel more charitable and seem to forget about such harsh sentences...well most of them do at least for one member absconds with her at gun point (erm...why?) and takes her outside (again...why???)

Matters come to a climax with our Lou pursuing his girlfriend and her captor whilst the tribe he originally belonged to launches an all out assault on the base (having followed Lou back to its location).

As some other reviewers have pointed out, this was quite obviously made on a very small budget and it shows. What sets and designs there are, are generally rather poor thus it is probably just as well that a lot of the action takes place in the sand dunes of the desert. The acting to, never rises above average from most of the cast members and it is especially surprising to see respected B-movie actor Mike Monty give a rather poor performance in his part. In fact I would say that the best performance here comes from Lou who acquits himself rather well in his limited role.

I've also just got to make a mention of the music in this....Ye Gods - it is truly dire and is furthermore intrusively noisy throughout.

But, despite the above criticisms, I must say that the film is actually fairly watchable in a non-demanding sort of way. In fact, if you're a fellow fan of the post apocalyptic genre then you to may well derive some not inconsiderable enjoyment from this.

As a final note, I must make mention of the hilariously optimistic, happy ending in this which caught me completely by surprise and furthermore had me in stitches at it's gormless audacity!

After a ferocious final pitched battle involving laser guns and explosions galore, our hero calls a ceasefire and meets, man to man with his former leader. I was expecting a final one on one fight but no! - After showing him his cured eye, Lou asks his adversary to give him a hug!!!! Yes, you read that correctly! - I had to rewind the scene again just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming!!! And they all live happily ever after, yes, just like that!!!

Well, how can you not warm to any movie which boasts such carefree optimism?

Lou Ferrigno's acting may be the best thing in this movie.

[mrarchiegoodwin · 3 June 2001]

Lou Ferrigno fans will not be disappointed--he is the best part of this dismal production. Lou is far from being in his best physical condition (similar to the way he looked in the movie Cage). He wears a Hercules-type outfit throughout, but does not show off in any muscle-flexing events. Even when he runs (and this happens surprisingly often) there are no close-ups or slow motions. Obviously he was not selected for his pulchritude. Perhaps the director was trying to showcase Lou's acting ability instead. Lou is fairly good at pretending to be sad and not so good at acting angry (also similar to Cage). Yet his acting is better than anything in the rest of this movie. It is even better than that of most of the other players (or were they customers selected at random from a Walmart parking lot?)--one could not enunciate his lines enough to be heard and another's slight accent undermined the authority of his character. The sets are truly cheap without any redeeming innovations. The equipment is pathetic and contributes to the farce. And there is barely any continuity or logic to the story line--a pity because the basic premise is decent sci-fi and the ending both uplifting and conclusive of the opening scene.

A not half bad, although very cheap 80's post-nuke sci-fi/action flick

[Woodyanders · 7/10 · 25 December 2007]

Twenty years after a devastating Third World War, the nuclear fall-out has reduced the landscape into a vast harsh, desolate, infertile wasteland with feral radiation-contaminated nomadic hordes scuttling about. Among the many scattered tribes populating the planet are a pair of warring factions: the barbaric, slowly dying above ground dwelling Tyrogs and the more civil, untainted subterranean Drones. Ordered to capture an uncontaminated Drone woman to prevent the Tyrogs from becoming extinct, scruffy, but decent Tyrog super warrior Zerak (a surprisingly credible turn from the Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno, who sports a black eye-patch and a studded black leather outfit) captures and subsequently befriends benign Drone lady Racela (nicely played by the gorgeous Shari Shattuck). Uncomfortable with having Racela being used for desperate last chance procreation purposes by his grubby tribe, Zerak, assisted by a rescue party led by Racela's father, decides to spring her and go on the run, therefore starting a bloody feud between the Tyrogs and the Drones.

Although quite obviously made on a paltry two-cent shoestring budget and technically real rough around the edges, "Desert Warrior" ain't half bad for a no-budget cheapie. Director Jim Goldman keeps the pace galloping along at a zestful clip. The action scenes are fairly violent and staged with a reasonable amount of vigor (said action includes lively gun-play, a few down'n'dirty sword fights, and brutal hand-to-hand grappling). Marita A. Manuel supplies a bouncy, rousing synthesizer score. The generally grim tone only becomes repellently mushy at the very end. Cinematographer Fred Conrad gives the film a convincingly spare, grainy look. The other tribes are neatly varied; the black clad sword-swinging ninjas and hairy hatchet-wielding caveman midgets are especially cool. The rather uneven acting is mostly up to snuff, with solid performances from Ferrigno and Shattuck. The script by Carl Kuntze and Bob Davies has a pleasingly thoughtful subtext on man's deep-seated need to survive, draws the characters in unusually complex shades of gray, and offers some intriguing insights into both civil and primitive ways of life (the Tyrogs are crude, but hearty and honest people while the Drones hide their true rigid fascistic nature behind a polite, polished veneer). All in all, this movie sizes up as an acceptable and pretty enjoyable entry in the 80's post-nuke sci-fi/action genre.

Embarrassing Ferrigno vehicle for "Mad Max" fanatics

[lor_ · 1 April 2023]

My review was written in March 1989 after watching the movie on Prism video cassette.

This Filipino-lensed action pic is something of a fiasco, providing unintentional humor and inept filmmaking technique to video fans.

Shot in 1987 under the title "Sand Wars", pic has been retitled "Desert Warrior", but is unrelated to Cirio Santiago's 1985 Filipino film of that name.

Lou Ferrigno plays the beefy hero of a post-nuclear war society whose corrupt bossman (Kenneth Peer) needs uncontaminated women for mating purposes. Shari Shattuck is just the ticket, and most of the pic consists of Lou, clad in a Roman gladiator outfit, trying to help her escape from the bad guys' clutches.

Film unfolds like a bad parody of this overworked genre, with a very poor sound mix and ridiculously cheap-looking vehicles for the "Mad Max" fans to ogle. Poor Ferrigno, dubbed in his "Hercules" epics, uses his own voice here with embarrassing results.

It falls under the "so bad it's good" genre....

[kingofdepew2003 · 12 February 2009]

...but still not even THAT good. It has its moments, but the entire thing is horrendously padded with endless shots of people walking through hallways, walking through deserts, driving through deserts, etc. There's honestly about 6 scenes in the entire movie, I'd say literally about 80% of it is time wasting coverage scenes, with no dialogue. There's some hilarious scenes, and the acting is a riot. My favorite guy is the doctor with the glasses. I was so sad when he died. Half of the cast and the Drones look like the directors' neighbors. They don't even bother to do another take when they trip over their lines.

Overall, not bad but there's better bad/good movies. Like Never Too Young to Die!