This low-cost Canadian produced presentation is reasonably ordinary, but for its type not as terrible as it's made out to be. This is one of those films that the cover artwork always made it look quite interesting, but the synopsis on the back had less of an affect. A friend of mine convinced me to watch it, after the first half-hour I could see why because the story does such a great job setting up the highly-charged, innovative predicament (three astronauts in space watch on as world war three erupts with nuclear attacks on Earth) to only lose its way when a couple months later they crash-land back on earth then it becomes a very vanilla-like post-apocalyptic Sci-fi wasteland survival outing (of the very cheap, rancid b-grade kind) with some very unbelievably trite villains that come off more as joke than anything truly threatening. The head honcho played by Kevin King seemed more suited in a "Save by the Bell" episode, than as a ruthlessly imposing leader. At times I was waiting for cued laughter from an audience whenever he was on screen, as he came off more so a brat. Just as poor was Tim Choate in the leading role. Well more so eccentrically annoying. I found the support to be much better; Kate Lynch, Lenore Zann (running around in a school uniform), Maury Chaykin and John Walsch. The opening first half-hour is very well pulled off; with some striking visuals, solid set-designs and usefully gripping details. You could see where all the money went in to, but that could probably explain its weakly conceived abrupt ending. Maybe that had run out. Anyhow during its grounded action, it does create some nasty touches, edgy activity and cement an ugly intensity. Too bad it just too daft (simply lacking the colourful craziness) and at times incoherent. The story is straight-forward, although the script is flimsy and too black and white to make it completely fulfilling. Minimally junky and grim, if particularly plain post-nuke entertainment.

DEFENSE CONDITION FUN! Yes, sorry for the cheesy summary title, but I enjoyed this cheeseball 80's post-nuclear holocaust flick from our good friends at New World Pictures (They who brought us the immortal 80's vampire-stripper film 'Vamp' and some other goodies). It's a fun low-budget ride about a trio of astronauts manning a U.S. Star Wars defense satellite as World War III/nuclear Armageddon breaks out between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Following this rather well done sequence, they are quickly brought down and then one of them is just as quickly devoured by starving, irradiated homeless teenagers... and it just gets campier from there.Turns out a sadistic, well-connected college student has somehow managed to takeover this local chapter of post-Armageddon society, so alas, even in the event of nuclear war, it appears we're still destined to be ruled by idiot frat brats. The two shuttle survivors, a hilarious survivalist pervert in a kilt, and the college dude's ex-girlfriend try to make their way out of this easily-led, two-month-old dictatorship society to an uncontaminated area of the globe.Completely lacking in logic, and desperately in need of some good post-nuclear holocaust landscape imagery, it's nonetheless an enjoyable 80's b-movie-action-sci-fi-thriller-comedy, or backfillerdy for short. Watch for the "areolae" scene...

I bought this film at a used movie sale. I remembered the title and the poster from way back, and for some reason I had it mixed up with another apocalyptic flick called "Twilight's Last Gleaming". Also I saw the name Tim Choate. I recalled he was "Zathrus" on the show "Babylon 5". I should have saved my money. Very poor production values, although the orbital weapons platform parts looked pretty good for a bad film, the rest of the film is hazy and crappy, and poorly lit. There is no real dialog, it is just bad. The film was made with Canadian Government tax dollars and they put in several things to show the flag, like the weirdo in the kilt who made booby traps with Canadian Government issued Social Insurance cards. Go figure! The characters are terrible, the acting is laughably bad, this film just stinks. You can't even say that it is so bad it's good, it is a lazy effort that makes no sense at all. And Tim Choate's best work was on "Babylon 5" under all that make up.

I have seen many movies on the Third World war and the apocalyptic future that waits for us. And as interested party in the topic, I decided to see this movie. Fat mistake. Friends, do not see a movie for reading simply the synopsis.Originally, the treatment of the astronauts (that they look like truckers) directing a space station with nuclear weapons in orbit it is an interesting idea. Even when the war begins it is original enough that put it from the point of view of the three enclosed in the station.But later, when they come to the devastated Earth, everything changes. There is no society in reconstruction, not even the radioactivity looks like a problem for the survivors. Not. What matters is that a teenager has an army of teenagers who has dominated the population of a village. And they are wicked and blablabla and some Mad Max' aesthetic and more blabla. Mediocre action, absurd script. Bad lighting. Horrible.