After the collapse of Empire Pictures, Charles Band returned to the US and started its successor company: Full Moon Entertainment. While most of the Empire library went to other studios, Band released some under his new studio. The first three films released under this new company were Puppet Master, Meridian: Kiss of the Beast, and Shadowzone. Unfortunately, one of the films Band lost when Empire collapsed was Robot Jox, which went to Triumph Pictures. Since it took so long for Triumph to release the movie, Band decided to capitalize on it. Much like how Roger Corman made movies capitalizing on his previous successes, Band took a similar approach with this. Using much of the same crew as Stuart Gordon’s giant robot epic, Band churned out his own big robot movie. While Gordon’s movie hit theaters in November 1990, Band’s Crash and Burn arrived on video store shelves in September.
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Synopsis
In 2035, the powerful corporation Unicom is controlling the world after a massive economic collapse. Most of the earth is desert, and massive “thermal storms” caused by a depleted ozone layer are a daily hazard. A Unicom agent named Tyson (Paul Ganus) is delivering some freon to one of the last remaining TV broadcast stations. He meets the station manager Lathan Hooks (Ralph Waite), who instantly distrusts Tyson due to his resentment towards Unicom. Tyson also meets Lathan’s granddaughter Arren (Megan Ward), schoolteacher Parice (Eva LaRue), and technician Quinn (Bill Moseley). Unfortunately, Tyson has to stay the night at the station due to a thermal storm, trapping everyone else inside. To make matters worse, Unicom sent a “synthoid” to kill the station manager and anyone who gets in its way. Who is this mysterious killer, and who will be left alive to fight off the assailant?
Review
While not one of the better early Full Moon titles, Crash and Burn is a pretty entertaining mash-ups of genres. At its core, it’s a slasher film with a cyborg, a cross between Friday the 13th and The Terminator. What makes it stand out is its post-apocalyptic setting and how an economic collapse causes it, which is unique. You can tell that this was when Full Moon had extra capital through Paramount, given the production values. Despite its low budget, the set design and visual effects are surprisingly effective, though it helps they had talented artists. Future Oscar winner Greg Cannom, who also worked on Vicious Lips, Cherry 2000, and Meridian, designed the makeup effects. Empire/Full Moon regular David Allen handled the stop-motion alongside Chris Endicott, who later managed visual effects on Avengers: Endgame. It shows that a talented crew can compensate for a meager budget.
On top of having a sweet mullet, Paul Ganus makes for a decent leading man and has plenty of charisma. Future Full Moon regular Megan Ward is fun as the young Arren and has tons of charm to spare. Cult actor Bill Moseley easily steals the show, especially when he goes full Nicolas Cage in the second act. Jack McGee is appropriately gross and slimy as the movie’s Rush Limbaugh stand-in, and he works as the comic relief. Ralph Waite brings some class to the production and Eva LaRue has decent chemistry with Ganus. While not exceptional, Band’s direction works, using low lighting and shadows to create an effective mood. Despite teasing some giant robot action, we only get five minutes worth towards the end of the movie. Overall, Crash and Burn isn’t quite as good as later Full Moon productions, but it’s a decent ninety-minute watch.
Buy Crash and Burn from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3whJ52L.
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