Tank Girl

The main problem I had with this otherwise appealing movie is that Lori Petty's Tank Girl has exactly the same attitude toward virtually every incident in the movie... good, bad, otherwise. And while it's a really sharp and cool attitude, the movie might have soared if instead of merely being an attitude it had been a personality. Then, arising from this Tank Girl personality, a whole range of interesting emotions could have been emerged, adding variety and a chance for excitement to build instead of plateauing in the first few minutes. Because even in a romp of a pic, you still need to care about the characters. And it's a whole bunch easier to care about a person than it is to care about an attitude.

Still, I had good fun watching this movie. The "Feeling a little inadequate?" scene is a minor classic. And by chance I happened to watch this movie the same day I saw "Mulholland Dr." and I still have a very difficult time recognizing that Naomi Watts is the same person in both films. She's excellent in both, but so very different. Ice-T, Jeff Kober, and Reg E. Cathey do a surprisingly effective job of creating characters from underneath their Ripper make-up... they're so good that one of the best parts of Tank Girl is just watching and listening to them.

This isn't a movie to go into with high expectations. Read all the negative comments, take them to heart, and then watch the movie anyway. It will make Tank Girl a pleasant surprise.

IF your looking for a movie that is intellectual, smart, sassy and leaves you thinking you have found the wrong movie. If you're looking for a movie that has its own type of humor, some good laughs, and leaves you thinking that was one silly movie- you've got it. Although this may not be a movie for the average type of person, if you have a sense of humor and adventure you can admire Tank Girl for the work it is and admire Lori Petty's performance in the role she was born for.

This one is destined to be a cult classic, if it already isn't. I have not seen the comic book but if you like your movies a little off kilter then, this one is great! Lori Petty was so perfect for the roll of Tank Girl it hurts. Not only does she look the part but she also manages to spout the one-liners in a way that has to make you laugh. I love the way they combine images from the comic strip with the live action. A kick-butt soundtrack, along with a great cast, and an awesome script makes this movie a must-see for any odd comedy fan.

A lot of people tend to dismiss this movie because of it's "comic book" feel and comic-book (really) transitions.

I enjoyed this movie a LOT, as it has the same "feel" as the original comic books I remember reading, and the same style of humor. It's very well done for 1995, the dialogue is well-scripted for the intent of the movie, and the funny stuff is actually funny. Some of the action scenes are a bit "campy" - but then again, they're *supposed* to be that way in this kind of movie. In addition, I thought the acting was excellent, and that Lori Petty (who played "Kit" in "A League of Our Own) Malcolm McDowell (practically legendary) and Naomi Watts were excellent choices for their characters, as were the rest of the supporting cast. Lori Petty hasn't been in anything "huge" since this movie, which is truly a pity as she is an excellent and versatile actress. Look for some interesting supporting actors, including Ice-T, Iggy Pop, and James Hong.

Listen to the comedic dialogue carefully - most of the punchlines are funny on several levels, which I found most refreshing, and you'll encounter a lot of funny double-entendre.

Don't look for a bunch of CGI computer effects in this movie. However, well-designed and imaginative props and sets give a good feeling of "authenticity" to the scenes, and the visual and special effects are excellent.

Don't bother critiquing little details and spurious claptrap like that with this movie - it sets out to be a comic-book-style fun action-adventure and accomplishes that goal magnificently. (The funniest thing is that the plot precept of a mega-corporation in control of the world's water supply is becoming more and more of a plausible idea and leads one to think of a possible metaphoric reference to the world oil situation) This movie might have been rated "R" at the time for adult situations & violence (and a little nudity), but I didn't notice a whole lot of "foul language", and I didn't really see much in the movie that wouldn't be put on broadcast TV today.

This movie has everything - good acting, evil villains, cute heroines, mutants, cool vehicles, explosions, big sets, a huge supporting cast, hilarious humor, great stunts, and even a classic musical number with a full chorus line! ("Let's Do It" by Cole Porter) It even pokes fun at beat poetry. All-in-all, well worth seeing.

If you like stuff like "The Wizard of Speed and Time", "Flash Gordon", "Johnny Mnemonic", "Space Truckers", "Ice Pirates", or "Yellowbeard" then you'll definitely love this movie. Even if you don't, see this movie anyway - it may change your mind about this genre.

From personal experience: "Chicks dig this flick."

Get the popcorn & enjoy.

Okay, okay, I'll admit it---the ONLY reason I rented this movie at all was because my favorite band sung on the soundtrack (which, by the way, is awesome). I had no idea what the movie was about, although I did know that Lori Petty and Malcolm McDowell were in it. i also knew that it wasn't exactly a masterpiece of a film, either, so I went home, started watching, and just tried to have a little fun and enjoy myself.

And, for a while, I did. The introduction was cool, the characters were funny, and it was actually interesting to watch. Lori Petty totally rocked as Tank Girl---although I heard that Tank Girl's character in the comic book was a lot more intense. Her sidekick, Jet Girl, was just as awesome. They should have had a lot more scenes with Malcolm McDowell, though, especially between him and Tank Girl. Those were some of the best parts. You can't help but love all the campy humor.

But sometime after Tank and Jet hook up with the Rippers, or whatever theyr'e called, the movie just seems to go downhill. Take out the Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-style truck sequence with Tank, and the entire middle is pretty boring. The Rippers--I mean, okay, they're half men, half kangaroos. Why not at least get mutated into something useful, like, half man, half shark or bear or cheetah or something? Ice-T was just plain annoying, as was Tank Girl's kangaroo man boyfriend, Booga. The beatnik poetry thing was cool, but the dancing thing and everything else were so stupid they weren't even funny.

The ending makes up for it a bit. Even the Rippers had some funny moments ("Count Chocula--he's the guy on the laundry detergent box, right?"). Tank Girl eventually saves the world in the end, Jet Girl gets revenge on her "boyfriend" from Water and Power, and the world has water again. Yay! Like I said, though, they should have had more scenes of McDowell and the bad guys. It's great to watch him ham it up as the evil villain (as always).

So, if you're looking for senseless fun and recklessness with no point or reason, watch Tank Girl. It may not be Lawrence of Arabia or Gone With the Wind, but it's a lot better than SOME of the movies I've seen. Oh, yeah, and don't pay over $1.50 to rent it.