Through my love for the game Gaslands, the book and movie Damnation Alley were both recommended to me via Twitter. Luckily enough, I'd picked up the book at a library book sale and had it sitting on a shelf. I loved reading the Roger Zelazny classic and did so in only a couple days. So I thought, why not check out the movie?
The most frustrating thing about the movie is that it got a lot right, so the potential is evident. Movie adaptations of books are notoriously not as good so I tried to keep expectations low. But with George Peppard (A-Team) and Jan Michael Vincent (Rick & Morty) taking center stage, it was hard for me not to feel giddy. They're pretty good and the rest of the cast is fine, too. Although every time Peppard came on screen, with a funny little mustache, I kept imagining him as his character Hannibal Smith in a disguise.
For 1977, the effects are good enough, despite being kind of weird... actually just the giant scorpions are overly weird. Whatever, though. I wanted to get into this movie so badly, I even thought that worked okay. Also, the truck is pretty badass, which I was concerned about, and is actually the perfect vehicle for this movie.
So, the unfortunate part of Damnation Alley is that the script sucks bad, especially if you've read the book. Without the book under my belt, I'd have probably liked this movie better, but instead I just saw what it could have been. If the story followed the book, the scenes that took place while they traversed the US would have not only made more sense, but would have been more interesting. Also, the characters would have had relationships with at least a little depth, and some motivation. And the biker vs vehicle scenes from the book would have been cool to see on camera. The makers of this movie had all the ingredients and budget they needed, they just messed it up anyway.
The movie is entertaining enough, but scenes come across feeling disconnected, like little short movies that don't make much sense when put all together. And the movie drags in places. All together it's a mediocre affair. Why was a kid added? And the pockets of civilization they encounter don't seem plausible even in the least. It's annoying when you see what this movie could have been. Oh well. Read the book.
