Why So Blu?

Exterminators Of The Year 3000 (Blu-ray Review)

I knew nothing of this film’s existence until Scream Factory announced their acquisition of it.  Looking at the original poster artwork, I sort of immediately knew there was a good chance I was going to get a kick out of it.  Exterminators Of The Year 3000 is an Italian post-apocalyptic desert car crashing action movie.  Basically, some Italian filmmakers saw The Road Warrior and said “Gee whiz, I wanna do THAT!”.  Then, they searched through Italy’s couches for change, counted up just enough and went out and just shot the thing.  And to be quite honest, there’s a certain joy and charm that comes with it.  And with the passage of time, I’m sure there’s a modern day appreciation for this film that may not have been there when it came out in 1983.  But, look at this…its on Blu-ray now where something like True Lies STILL is not here.

Film 

In a post-apocalyptic future where the earth is a desert and water is the most precious substance of all, a band of survivors must turn to a mysterious stranger to battle a ruthless gang of motorcycle psychos for control of the wasteland and the water. A glorious crash of guns, nuclear fallout, and synthesizers.

Let’s get this out of the way.  Exterminators Of The Year 3000 is nothing more than a cheap, knock-off/cash in of The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2).  There is no way of getting out of that.  However, this movie doesn’t hide that fact and doesn’t care.  Its a terrific piece of B-level, trash cinema that is entertaining as hell from start to finish.

If you’re a fan of practical effects and stunt work, especially that involving motor vehicles; you’re gonna thoroughly enjoy Exterminators Of The Year 3000.  This movie has some lightly woven, post-apocalyptic plot about the importance of water in the future.  But, mainly that is what strings together a lot of our car action.  The film also features some of that same costuming ideals we see in the Mad Max films as well.  Hell, this film could just be some film that takes place in the same universe, but just without the lead if you wanted it too.

There’s not really an ounce of originality in this film, but it really doesn’t care about that and neither should you.  Because, its fun.  This also has the feeling of a film that would be made if you were a fan of Mad Max and tried to make your own and somebody decided that they would fund it.  Exterminators Of The Year 3000 was definitely in my wheelhouse and I really enjoyed the crazy, trash, low budget, go for all fun of it.

Video 

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Clarity/Detail:  Try their best, I’m pretty sure this one was going to have a more rough image as its end result.  The exterior scenes are a bit soft and detail can be light.  Interiors serve much better and look pretty solid.  Overall, I’m sure this was a tough one to transfer without having to spend a fortune on something this niche.

Depth:  Not really this transfer’s strongest suit.  There are some moments that look good, but overall its a bit flat.

Black Levels:  Blacks are average.  No really bad crushing issues or anything present, but in some instances detail is hidden.

Color Reproduction:  Colors are pretty faded and shoddy.  This unintentionally helps with the look of the story.

Flesh Tones:  Consistent if not a bit faded.  Detail is high in close up shots.

Noise/Artifacts: Specs and grain with some very minor blocking.

Audio 

Audio Format(s): English 2.0 DTS-HD MA

Subtitles: English

Dynamics:  The 2.0 track is okay.  There are some good moments of destruction.  But, most of it is a little blended between voice, effect and score.  Its loud and active, doing everything it should do.  Its fine, but nothing extraordinary.

Low Frequency Extension:  N/A

Surround Sound Presentation:  N/A

Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue sounds a bit analog and worn.  Its not awful by any means, but does sound like the dated and dubbed track that it is.

Extras 

The reverse side of the cover features an addition poster art and promotional images.

Audio Commentary

• By Robert Iannucci

Boogie Down With Alien: Interview With Robert Iannucci (HD, 17:43) – This appears to have been taken from a previous release.  The actor is pretty open and honest about the production on the film and what it was like to make an Italian film intended for American audiences.

Trailer (HD, 3:51)

TV Spots (HD, :43)

Summary 

If you are a fan of The Road Warrior and don’t feel there were ever any movies like it, check out Exterminators Of The Year 3000.  No, its nowhere near as good as those movies, but its entertaining enough.  If you know how to watch movies, or can appreciate something like this, you’re in for a nice time.  This Blu-ray features a decent/average presentation and a nice interview and commentary with the film’s star.  I mean, the fact that this goes beyond just including a trailer is pretty impressive.  Recommend for those of us who “get” and appreciate this kind of B-movie trash.