I guerrieri dell’anno 2072 [The New Gladiators aka Warriors of the Year 2072] (1984)

(On Cable TV, November 2020) While it’s terrible and derivative in almost all aspects of its production, there’s an occasional ambition to parts of The New Gladiators that almost make it worth a look. An Italian film from celebrated shlockmaster Lucio Fulci, it seems happy to regurgitate Rollerball, Deathsport and Death Race 2000 with added dollops of very light cyberpunk elements. The story features a futuristic fatal reality TV show manipulated by its producers to bring in a likable main character (stop me if you’ve heard this before). Clearly written by people without any experience or interest in science fiction, the script blends together conspiracies with super-powerful AIs, and echoes other movies before and after it. (I found unusually strong echoes with 1987’s The Running Man, for instance.) The production values are shoddy, and there isn’t a whole lot of fun to be found anywhere. Occasionally, though, you do get a few rough unpolished ideas—they act as beacons of interest and dissatisfaction, since the film does nothing with them. There are some surprisingly ambitious special effects (the Blade Runner-inspired miniature portraying a futuristic Rome is more interesting than expected, for instance), a few intriguing plot points and an imposing performance from Fred Williamson. But even the most interesting elements aren’t handled with any interest, and the result is almost instantly forgettable.