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Barb Wire (1996) blu-ray

The opening moments of Barb Wire, a critically panned film that is based on the Dark Horse comic book series, is thankfully filled with a whole lot of Pamela Anderson.  She is on stage, dancing, and being sprayed with champagne from a hose.  The scene, especially Anderson in a rubber suit with her boobs hanging out, definitely gets our attention.  We are all ready for what's next as she teases her viewers with fleshy twin peaks. 

Who could guess that this siren of the stage and the screen is hurting for a man she believes to be lost to the battlefield in the second civil war?!  As the catcalls begin to reach her, demanding that she take it all off, we get to see just what her assets are.  The pointed shoe quickly slides off her foot and embeds itself in the loud man’s fat face. The crowd quiets and she slips backstage, careful not to slip on the wet ground.

"Okay, okay, so yeah the movie sucks a whole lot, but there is something unique in its dystopian vision of 2017 and that is a fearlessness to show women in power, an energetic approach to its hammy material, and an unwillingness to offer anything but a FUN b-grade picture."


The year is 2017.  It is the worse year of Barb Wire’s life in Steel Harbor, the last free city in America.  And she is about to explode into fire and fury and a whole lot of well-placed bubbles from her bubble bath.  Starring Clint Howard, Temuera Morrison, Victoria Rowell, Xander Berkeley, Udo Kier, and Steve Railsback, Barb Wire is a FUN film that needs no introduction.  It has a longstanding hatred by most and, outside of Anderson’s starring role, is celebrated for its Golden Raspberry Awards as one of the worst films ever made by Hollywood. {googleads}

Okay, okay, so yeah the movie sucks a whole lot, but there is something unique in its dystopian vision of 2017 and that is a fearlessness to show women in power, an energetic approach to its hammy material, and an unwillingness to offer anything but a FUN b-grade picture.  Barb Wire, in spite of its reputation, definitely has its fans and, yeah, I am one of them. 

Anderson, fully loaded with an arsenal of weapons she hides in her office at her nightclub called Hammerhead, kicks a whole lot of ass as Barb Wire.  She’s a mercenary and, because she needs some extra dough from time to time, she hustles Johns off the street to make it through her assignments.  This adds an element of scuzzy danger to her normal routine.  Thankfully, she can handle herself well with big paddle boards (for the naughty types), big explosions, and even bigger guns. Barb Wire (1996) blu-ray

The gunfights in this action-packed retooling of Casablanca, as Barb Wire hopes to make her way to Canada by double-crossing, extortion, and secrets about bioweapons, are loud and incredibly well-staged.  Characters are established and past love interest revealed.  Anderson pulls it off, too, kicking legs out from tables and ducking and diving as she blasts her way through a barrage of men and sweat.

Boom, boom, boom.  The film is a riot.  Go in with the right attitude and you can appreciate it for what it is: a B-grade love story with guns, plastic surgery, and lots of boobs.  From the dog biting the man’s balls to the constant threat of Colonel Pryzer and his armies of goose-stepping storm troopers, Barb Wire is one constant wink to its audience.  No one takes this shit seriously and yet, thanks to the energy involved in the shots, we can never dwell for very long on anything but Anderson’s impressive assets. 

And, yes, it is all by design.  Barb Wire is back on the streets with its blu-ray debut from Mill Creek.  Just don’t call her babe.  She WILL kill you.

3 beers

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[tab title="Details"]

Barb Wire (1996) blu-ray

MPAA Rating: R for violence and nudity/sexuality.
Runtime:
98 mins
Director
: David Hogan
Writer:
Chuck Pfarrer and Ilene Chaiken
Cast:
Pamela Anderson, Amir AboulEla, Adriana Alexander
Genre
: Action | Sci-fi
Tagline:
Don't call me babe!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Barbara Kopetski died in the war. I'm Barb Wire."
Theatrical Distributor:
Gramercy Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
May 3, 1996
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
February 19, 2019
Synopsis: Pamela Anderson is Barb Wire, the sexiest, toughest woman in Steel Harbor -a city marked by chaos and crime -providing a home for a new kind of mercenary. If you’ve got a problem, Barb Wire is the solution. She’ll use any dangerous weapon (including her body) to take what she wants, crossing the line for no man. When her ex-boyfriend, Axel Hood, hits town, Barb is the only one who can get him out alive. Will Barb help the man who once betrayed her? There’s only one thing you can be sure of...she can get anything you want, for a price. Are you ready to pay...?

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Barb Wire (1996) blu-ray

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Mill Creek Entertainment
Available on Blu-ray
- February 19, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: None
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Scream Factory continues to roll out their catalog of horror releases just in time for the scares this Halloween.  Presented in a crisp 1080p transfer, Carrie’s new 4k scan of the original negative is a thing of pristine beauty.  The film is dominated with reds and greens that absolutely burst with color.  It’s a dark film, for sure, but the costumes are detailed and the simple backgrounds burst with new details and a nice level of clarity.  Black levels are solid and skin tones are natural.  Shadows are defined and the film has a new depth previously unseen.  Audio wise, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 mono soundtrack is clear and the dialogue is never lost or hard to hear.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

  • None

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[tab title="Trailer"]

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[tab title="Art"]

Barb Wire (1996) blu-ray

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