Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Sam Panico Directed by Lucio Fulci, it's all about a future world where criminals battle one another on motorcycles for TV ratings. But really, it's an excuse for Italian film fans to get another chapter of Mad Max and Escape from New York. From 1990: The Bronx Warriors to The New Barbarians, Exterminators of the Year 3000 and so many more, post-apocalyptic films replaced westerns, slashers and sword and sorcery films, so of course, Fulci would make one.This one's written by Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti, who also worked on all of Fulci's classic films like House by the Cemetery, The Beyond and City of the Living Dead. It was originally part of a two picture deal, followed by Blastfighter (Lamberto Bava ended up taking over), but Fulci had issues with the producers and had to go to court. In fact, Fulci had issues with the producers from the start, as he envisioned a futuristic Rome covered by domes instead of the skyscrapers that ended up in the finished film. Really, this is a film beset by issues — it's the last time Sacchetti would work with Fulci.Read more at bandsaboutmovies.com/2017/08/03/warriors-of-the-year-2072-1984

smittie-1 Out of all of Fulci's films, this and CONQUEST get derided most frequently. It's a rather unfair reputation, considering the joys to be had from both movies if one is willing to suspend their more critical faculties. THE NEW GLADIATORS operates as a mashing of BLADE RUNNER and ROLLERBALL, with a neon skyline rising out of Rome's antiquities (there's even a giant flashing ad a la BLADE RUNNER) and a populace addicted to and placated by a non-stop stream of reality TV, with prime time fodder like Killbike! mopping up the competition. The personal dramas and motivations of the characters are uninteresting and sometimes unfathomable, though the actors are fun to watch, Fred Williamson in particular. The dialog is often laughable - "He's no murderer, he doesn't have it in him!" said of the main character, who is in fact champion of Killbike! and spends his first few minutes on screen murdering his competitors. The real interest is in the constant dropping of futuristic pop-culture and the filmmakers' invective towards the media. Fulci's cynicism and idiosyncrasies shine through, making THE NEW GLADIATORS a thoroughly watchable B-movie.

Woodyanders Framed for the murder of three guys who killed his wife by an all-powerful megalomaniacal master computer, nice guy reigning "bloodbike" champion Drake (the ruggedly appealing Jared Martin) is forced to engage in a ferocious only one winner allowed mass televised old Rome-style gladiatorial combat game called "The Battle of the Damned" that offers just the right amount of nasty and copious real-life bloodshed the jaded future TV audiences need in order to get their violence fix. Whipped into fierce fighting shape by sadistic trainer Raven (a robustly evil Howard Ross) and befriended by token compassionate chick Sarah (the lovely Eleanor Gold), Drake has to mix it up in lethal combat on elaborately made-up motorcycles with a savage bunch of barbarians who include Al Cliver as a scruffy ape, Hiruiko (Al) Yamanouchi as a feral mohawked chopsocky demon, and almighty blaxploitation bad-a** Fred "the Hammer" Williamson as a cool, composed, cocky and swaggering smooth dude.A most uncharacteristic self-criticizing sci-fi/action picture departure by famed Italian horror movie specialist Lucio Fulci, this suitably violent and gory outing offers a barbed, cynical, corrosive commentary on the bloodthirsty gorehound viewers who enjoy watching Fulci's gruesome fright features by showing a bleakly amoral futuristic society where warring TV stations try to score high ratings by broadcasting excessively brutal and barbaric fare like "The Danger Game," a particularly gross simulated atrocity offering which crassly caters to the lowest common denominator by going heavy on the mondo fake bloodspilling. Fulci co-wrote the acrid, biting script with frequent screenwriter Dardano ("Zombie," "The Beyond") Sachetti, Cesare Frugoni and Elisa Briganti. Riz ("Don't Torture A Duckling," "Cannibal Holocaust") Ortolani supplies a booming, wildly wailing, hard-grooving Goblinesque score. Joseph Pinori's gaudy, luminescent, loud bright color-saturated cinematography gives the film a garishly ornate, glittering, dazzling look that's in equal parts florescent Christmas tree lights glow and blinding pinball machine arcade high-gloss sheen. Fulci stages the killbike sequences with wired, heart-racing gusto, with guys astride motorcycles slicing'n'dicing each other with swords, lances, spiked clubs and hammers. Unique in its genre due to its pointed, self-recriminating exploration of using violence as a cheap titillating device and an obvious precursor to "The Running Man," this funky item makes for a refreshingly unusual and oddly thought-provoking addition to the sci-fi/action genre.

HaemovoreRex Well with Lucio Fulci in the directors chair you can count on two things straight away; Excellent visuals including an inordinate amount of Fulci's trademark extreme facial close ups (especially the eyes) and a confused story that will leave you scratching your head. You can also count on a third staple present in most of Fulci's work and the factor for which he is probably best remembered; His predilection for incorporating extreme gore scenes into his films (even his non horror efforts such as the film in question) In relation to all of the above, sure enough and true to form, Fulci yet again delivers the goods.The story set in the future, depicts a world where deadly gladiatorial contests take place for the TV viewing audiences' pleasure. The said contests take place on motorcycles whereby the combatants are required to batter their opponents off of their bikes with the last man standing being declared the winner.Jared Martin (Yes Dusty Farlow from Dallas!) plays Drake, the Kill Bike champion who along with the likes of B-movie regulars Fred Williamson, Al Yamanouchi and Al Cliver must fight for their lives in this cruel sport.Sadly it has to be said however, that there are far too few scenes of the sport in question with the vast majority of the films running time being squandered on a boring conspiracy storyline (and lots and lots of shots of peoples eyes!). Luckily things do pick up commendably in the final 30 or so minutes though and we get to see some admittedly excellent battle scenes involving motorbikes and sidecars in a futuristic take on the famous chariot sequence from Ben Hur.Overall, whilst not one of Fulci's best works, this is certainly far from his worst and provides a fairly entertaining watch. It's just such a pity that the sheer energy of the final third couldn't have been more abundant throughout.