HORROR DVD/BLU-RAY REVIEWS

The Galactic Marine Infantry is large and in charge with a 1-2-punch as Recon 2020: The Caprini Massacre and Recon 2022: The Mezzo Incident join forces for a fun time of shoot ‘em to hell action with a touch of campy humor. And don’t forget about the nudity and explosions.

Goddamn why do I find the Recon movies as entertaining as I do? I mean, the special effects are sometimes atrocious, although they definitely progressed quite a bit with Part 2 - Recon 2022. It is still very clearly a campy low budget sci-fi flick and they fixed a few of the originals problems. Luckily, with this brand new release from Anchor Bay and Critical Mass, you get two films for the price of one. As for RECON 2020 (READ MY REVIEW HERE), I found some of the acting really weak and the special effects below sub-par. But for a small film like that, it certainly had its charm. It is truly a fun, shoot ‘em up action flick with nudity and gore and big guns. It was fueled by testosterone and some really funny bits of dialogue. Basically, fun times for all in the mood for a cheapie sci-fi flick.

But how can they top 2020? Well you can add better acting and more gore, action and nudity. While 2022 has some of the same flaws as the original when it comes to the effects side of things, it is still a big improvement over the first. But it is a strange f*cking film though. While the first had enemies that looked like a haunted house video game, like zombies and werewolves, this one sticks more to the original baddies. And by that I’m talking Ma’hars muther f*cker! And while The Arrow (John Fallon himself, who also co wrote the film, had some fun in the first one, it was nothing compared to his second time around.

I was rolling on the floor as his machine like zombie role (great make up effects by the way) CyberMerc kept letting people know that he didn’t just killed his enemies…he raped them! HA HA! He was basically given a very limited vocabulary, only the last few lines his character said in 2020 when human. And he had a drill that came out of his hand with which he would make a few new holes in his victims. What a sick and twisted sense of humor! I loved it! I am not just saying that because I work for the guy. Damn good stuff my man. While 2022 is a big improvement, it does take a little time to get into gear. But luckily it has nudity and some really ridiculous sexual innuendo, including one scene where a hottie is stroking a gun. And once Recon reaches a snowy winter landscape, they have to fight off a bunch of machine zombie peeps, including a little lady with deadly boobage. You know, it looks a whole lot fake, and it really isn’t a turn on in any way, but it sure is kinda clever.

Either way, this sequel looks and feels better than the first, and once it gets down to the Starship Troopers-ish kind of action, all sorts of fun is to be had. Director Christian Viel continues to make some solid, if flawed, low budget science fiction flicks that don’t play it safe and have a sense of humor. While they are not great works of art, they are exactly what they are trying to be. And as the actors continue to get better with their roles, everything seems to be clicking to make some dirty, fun entertainment.

Video: This 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer is surprisingly good,.

Audio: The Dolby Stereo 2.0 is fine, but it sometimes the low budget is evident in the audio quality.

Um… there are two movies. I guess that is all the extras we get. Where’s the love Anchor Bay?

I had a blast with both Recon 2020 and 2022. It was nice to have them on a single disc to compare and contrast. While the quality is definitely getting better, both films have their strengths and weaknesses. I do prefer 2022 as it looks all kinds of better when it comes to effects even with a slow start. Yet both are still fun times as shots are fired, breasts are bared and a bunch of Canadian actors kick all kinds of monster/robot/zombie and more arse.