Cert:

Cat.no: 15916 DVD

Running time: 101 minutes

Year: 1995

Pressing: 2001

Region(s): 2 (UK PAL)

Chapters: 16 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: 5 languages available

Subtitles: 12 languages available

Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Super 35)

16:9-enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: No

Disc Format: DVD 9

Price: £15.99

Extras: Trailer

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Directors:

Rachel Talalay (Nightmare on Elm Street 6, Tank Girl)

Producers:

Pen Densham, Richard Barton Lewis and John Watson

Screenplay:

Tedi Sarafian

Music:

Graeme Revell

Cast:

Tank Girl: Lori Petty
Kesslee: Malcolm McDowell
T-Saint: Ice T
Jet Girl: Naomi Watts
Sgt. Small: Don Harvey
Sub Girl: Ann Cusack
Rat Face: Iggy Pop

What started off as a comic strip character became one of the most ill-conceived big screen ventures of all time: Tank Girl

It's the year 2033 and courtesy of a huge meteor, the world is left without water, television and all the other things in life that are good for you. All of the H2O in the world is controlled by chief villain Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell) and the 'gurl' with attitude, Tank Girl (Lori Petty), is out to get him and restore the supply along with her friends T-Saint (Ice T, dressed as god-knows-what) and Jet Girl (Naomi Watts) along with static animation shots dropped in like a 'Kapow' in a Batman cartoon.

I expect the idea must have looked good on paper, but the loud, outrageous behaviour of its lead character is put across with such a lack of conviction. Also, the once-attractive Petty - well, in Point Break and A League of Their Own at least since Free Willy wasn't exactly my kind of film - looks like she's had any trace of brain removed and has worked herself out to look too thin and muscly for her own good... a bit like Geri Halliwell now. I bet she's wondering what's happened to her career now too, given that she's done nothing of worth since any of those and the Hollywood casting couch has stopped calling her name.

The film is also not helped with Rachel Talalay in the director's chair after the mess she made with the execrable Nightmare on Elm Street 6 and the female side of the Cusack family prove that there's no beginning to their talents when John and Joan's sister Ann Cusack turns up as Sub Girl.

Lori ponders where her career went.

The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and mostly looks fine but some scenes are dogged by a lack of sharpness for no particular reason. The filming process was Super 35 and the average bitrate is a high and static 9.1Mb/s.

While the content may be a complete mess, at least the sound makes things up a little with Dolby Digital 5.1 in all five languages: English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. The many action scenes - and the brief occurence of Portishead track "Roads" during a dusty shower scene for Petty - make good use of your speakers. I wouldn't have said no to the DTS 5.1 soundtrack that was made for the theatrical release though and hasn't been used on this nor the Region 1 DVD either.

The only extra is a 90-second Trailer, there are subtitles in 9 languages: English and German (both with hard of hearing options), French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. The menus are all static and silent.

"Listen to me, I used to make *good* films once, you know..."

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001.