Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Terminal Force, Brigitte Nielsen's Magnum Opus

Overshadowed by "Cobra" and "Red Sonja," 1995's "Terminal Force" (aka "Galaxis") might be Brigitte Nielsen's best movie.  This film mixes the best elements of "Mad Max," "Battlestar Galactica," and "The Terminator," and throws in the darling of Denmark clad in black leather.  Who needs plot and character development?  With modern day critics deceiving all of you to go see "Gravity" and "12 Years a Slave," do yourselves a favor and see a really enjoyable flick.
The plot: Kyla, portrayed by Richard Moll ("Night Court" and "Ghost Shark") seeks to rule a far off solar system, so he has his ships decimate the peaceful planet of Sintaria.  During the invasion, he steals a sacred crystal which gives him powers to spread his rule to all the planets in the vicinity.  Ladera (Nielsen) knows another crystal exists, and if Kyla possesses that one, he will be able to rule the universe.  Ladera takes advantage of a time warp and jettisons to Earth where some poor schmuck named Jed (a very poor man's Indiana Jones) has just come back from Peru where he found the Eye of the Incas (the other crystal).  Ladera gets to the bar where Jed is doing shots just a little too late, as she had to break up a gang rape on the way.  Unfortunately for Jed, some two-bit mobsters are seeking to collect a debt from him, and figure they will settle for the crystal.  Even worse, Kyla is not satisfied with a solar system (who would be?) and arrives on Earth searching for the crystal, too. Ladera rescues Jed from the evil ones and together they must protect the crystal, defeat Kyla, and get her back to Sintaria.
  As they all converge on the bar, a huge battle erupts, and the bar is blown up, thus calling the attention of the police.  Cindy Morgan ("Tron" and "Caddyshack") plays Detective Kelly (see picture below), and she is terrific.  Smart, tough, aggressive, and brave, she is never more than a step behind Ladera and Kyla.  The battlefield extends to the apartment of Jed's friend, an alley, a seedy gambling joint, and the police station, as all the aforementioned converge on each one.  Gotta give Kelly credit, she is able to arrest Ladera and Jed.  However, in one of the saddest moments ever put on film, she is vaporized by Kyla when he then invades the police station in search of this crystal.
As Jed and Ladera escape once again, an epic final conflict is set up, tearfully, absent the deceased Kelly.  Will Ladera defeat Kyla, ensuring safety for her home planet?  Will the geeky Jed end up with this beauty from Denmark?  Will the deceased Kelly be resurrected for her own crime drama on network TV?  This movie is action-packed times ten, and Ladera's strength and sympathetic plight keep us involved the whole way.    

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