Class of 1999

3 Ratings: 3.7

Class of 1999 is a 1990 action sci fi, directed by Mark L. Lester

The time is the future and youth gang violence is so high that the areas around some schools have become "free fire zones," into which not even the police will venture. When Miles Langford (Malcolm McDowell), the principal of Kennedy High School, … see full wiki

Tags: Movies, Action Movies, Science Fiction Movies, Cult Movies, Sci Fi

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Cult Movies, Adventure, Fantasy

Release Date: May 11 1990

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Class of 1999 - Forget study hall, these kids going to the morgue!

Jun 11, 2011

by Madpenguin
posted in Movie Hype

Rating:

Beginning in 1992, local gangs began to rise and take over schools. By 1999, some have taken over entire communities. Some of these areas were dubbed "free fire zones" due to their lawless nature, and the complete evacuation of police presence. One school named Kennedy High, which is ran by Principal Miles (Malcom McDowell) is in a free fire zone ruled by two opposing gangs.

In an attempt to restore order in the school. Miles volunteers to take part in a test project ran by Dr. Forrest (Stacy Keach). Forrest test runs three androids named Mr. Hardin (John P. Ryan), Ms. Conners (Pam Grier), and Mr. Bryles (Patrick Kilpatrick). Their purpose is to work as teachers, with the mission being to enforce discipline by any means necessary. This includes using physical force. Miles begins to rethink his decision when students are being brutally killed. -summary

Ever wonder what would happen if the Terminator put on a suit, and began trying to teach hostile students? No? Well me neither, but it would probably resemble Class of 1999 directed by action guru Mark L. Lester, which was released in 1990. Class of 1999 is an action sci-fi flick before anything else, but forces one to ponder on; who really are the bad guys here? The film is supposedly the sequel to Lester's earlier work Class of 1984. Since, I still haven't seen the film. I can't comment on it or make comparisons between the two.

Class of 1999 attempts to be a little more than an all out action film. There is a bit of character development taking place, by diving into the personal life of the main character Cody (Bradley Gregg). Cody happens to be a recently released crinimal with goals on changing his life. The settings are well done depicting a post-apocalyptic world which has a rather grim feel, with the towns resembling battle fields, as well as the schools being equipped with metal detectors and heavily armed guards. This is obviously meant to disarm students carrying heavily armed weaponry, and they are definitely packing. I do feel this world could have been a little better analyzed, but the point was still well made.

Many of the characters are meant to fill typical roles and nothing more than that. I really wasn't interested in most of them. Either they were too cliche even for that time, or simply lacked some type of charisma for me to really cheer for them. The androids on the other hand, are rather interesting because of their robotic personalities. Their only goal appears to be accomplishing the mission by all possible means. They're cold and merciless, most importantly, they're programing reflects their surroundings. "Fight fire with fire", it may not be the most noble of methods, but it gets the job done.

The plot takes a while to get going. However, it eventually finds its groove and moves at a good pace. Things become interesting when the androids begin to plan their violent offensive. The action scenes are decent at best. There are plenty of shootouts and brutal kills to keep action junkies happy. I found the special effects, and make up to be rather good as well. Especially, when the androids begin to reveal their other abilities.

The acting is decent at best, excluding the androids, none of the performances really stood out for me. The soundtrack which is pretty much 80's rock fits the energetic and rowdy atmosphere of the film. On the other end, I found some of the songs overly dramatic to the point of being funny. The dialogue at times can be too flat. The hero dishes out some very cheesy lines, which caused me to roll my eyes a couple of times.

Although, Class of 1999 is a fun and entertaining trip. It can become too predictable, and I saw almost all of the plot twist happening very early on. The ending was also too predictable, and followed a done to death formula. I still like this film though, because it sticks to what works, to include, the themes do not feel forced.

Class of 1999 is an action film at heart, which delivers mild comedy and never became a chore to watch. If only the film contained just a bit more action and a higher body count, then it would actually rank higher on my list. Still, I recommend the film mainly to action junkies. The gore isn't too over the top, and it's free from mindless sex along with rape scenes. The film is 96 minutes with no extras.

Pros:
-Some good action scenes
-Good premise and good antagonist

Cons:
-Some cheesy lines
-Cliche characters and interactions even for that time

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