Future War

For the anthology of science fiction short works, see Future War (anthology). For the literary genre sometimes called "future war", see invasion literature.

Future War is a 1997 American direct-to-video science fiction film about an escaped human slave fleeing his cyborg masters and seeking refuge on Earth. It was lampooned in a 1999 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Future War
VHS cover
Directed by	Anthony Doublin
Screenplay by	Dom Magwili
Story by	David Huey Dom Magwili
Produced by	Dave Eddy Tim Ubels
Starring	Daniel Bernhardt Travis Brooks Stewart Robert Z'Dar Mel Novak
Narrated by	Travis Brooks Stewart
Cinematography	Cory Geryak Ed Tillman
Edited by	Dave Eddy
Music by	Arlan H. Boll
Distributed by	Screen Pix Home Video
Release date	January 28, 1997 (1997-01-28)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

A spaceship is undergoing a revolt. A man enters and activates an escape pod which travels to Earth and crashes into the Pacific Ocean. The pod contains “The Runaway”, a human slave played by Daniel Bernhardt. He is being pursued by cyborg slavers and dinosaurs that they use as “trackers”. Since he was kidnapped some time from Earth's past, The Runaway is familiar with the English language and the King James Bible, and he regards Earth as a literal heaven.

The Runaway finds refuge in Los Angeles with novice nun Sister Ann (Travis Brooks Stewart), whose past involved dealing drugs and prostitution. Together, they fight the dinosaurs and their robotic masters, seeking help from a street gang. Future War features star Daniel Bernhardt's kickboxing skills in several fight sequences, including against the Cyborg Master (Robert Z'Dar).

After being arrested as a suspect in a rash of deaths due to strange animal attacks, The Runaway is interrogated by federal agents. They present to him a dinosaur collar found on the beach. The Cyborg Master breaks into the police station during the interrogation and The Runaway manages to escape in the confusion. He returns to Sister Ann and her gang friends with a plan to attack the dinosaurs where they live, as Runaway simply explains, "Near water...".

Using dynamite, The Runaway successfully destroys a water treatment plant, killing the dinosaurs. Later, though, the surviving Cyborg Master attacks The Runaway while he watches Sister Ann make her final vows to become a nun. After The Runaway finally kills the Cyborg Master, he becomes a counselor for runaway teens, working closely with Sister Ann.

Cast

• Daniel Bernhardt as The Runaway
• Travis Brooks Stewart as Sister Ann
• Robert Z’Dar as Cyborg Master
• Mel Novak as SWAT Leader
• Forrest J Ackerman as Park Victim
• Solly Assa as Cyborg Dominic

Release history

Future War was released directly to home video on January 28, 1997 by Screen Pix Home Video.

It was later released on DVD in 2002 by EVG Digital Entertainment. This release contained no bonus materials. Despite the film itself being unrated, the Film Advisory Board rated this DVD EM or "Extremely Mature"^[1] (the equivalent of an R rating from the MPAA).

It was released on DVD again on May 4, 2004 by Trinity Home Entertainment, also with no bonus materials.

The film was also released on DVD as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition DVD set released by Shout! Factory on October 8, 2008.^[2]

Legacy

In 2015, the film was featured on an episode of Red Letter Media's Best of the Worst, together with The Jar and White Fire. The film was positively received by the hosts, who named it as the episode's "Best of the Worst".^[3]

See also

• List of films featuring dinosaurs