While Survival Quest is a film that does not fit with the theme of the site, I still decided to review it; mainly because Phantasm Director Don Coscarelli also directed this picture. So I figured why not, the man has given us some of the graced us with some of the best horror films in the past thirty years.
Survival Quest is an action film that takes place in a remote location in the Rockie Mountains. There are two sets of groups that are going to be drooped off in the middle of no where to attend a survival school. One group is a bunch of young guys who are learning paramilitary skills. And the other group is a full of people from all over the country who are pretty much doing it for the fun and the experience. Except for one guy; an ex-convict played by Dermot Mulroney who’s character is sent to the class by his probation officer as a means of rehabilitation. The two groups eventually cross paths where one of the guys from the military group decides to take control of the area. Now the group of adventurers lead by an ex-convict must try to survive in the wilderness and outrun ands outsmart a vicious group of militant misfits who are out to kill them one by one.
Believe it or not, I actually really enjoyed watching this film, it took me back to the days of my youth when my father used to take me to the movies every Friday night to see the latest action flick that was playing. Survival Quest was released in 1989 around the time that the great action films of the 1980’s were starting to die down. However Survival Quest is a gem that many either probably missed or don’t remember it. The script is decent as well as the plot. There is a lot of simple writing and easy dialogue in the script, but it’s effective, and the pacing is set perfectly.
The acting in the film has that feel of a great eighties comedy however, but does not come off as one at all. what I mean by that is; well you know how some of the acting in eighties comedies all seem very cloche. The good kids all have that goodness to them while the bad kids all have that sneaky feel to them. The same goes in this film, but this film is obviously an action-drama. Not to say that the acting was bad, because it was ok; it just seemed like that was the method acting used in the late eighties As always though Lance Henriksen was the actor who stood out as the survival instructor for the group of adventurers.
There is not much in terms of production value or special effects. I mean the whole film took place in the wilderness, and the only effect that were involved was some fake blood and a few cut’s bumps and bruises and some of the cast members. There were however some decent stunt work and some nice shots of the mountain backdrop that helped improve the overall production value of the film.
Overall, Survival Quest is a neat little gem that seemed to have been lost in the time that was the eighties. Hopefully it will get some good exposure on DVD and people will be able to rediscover this lost gem that time has forgotten. It’s a fun tale of teamwork and survival.
– Horror Bob
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- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
