History Film / FutureWar

If someone were to combine ''Film/TheTerminator'' and ''Film/JurassicPark'', with a fraction of the formers' budgets, while [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic throwing in religious overtones]] just to spice things up a bit, you'd get something close to ''Future War'', a [[DirectToVideo direct-to-video]] gem ([[SoBadItsGood for a given value of "gem"]]) featured on [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S10E04FutureWar a season ten episode]] of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''.

Not at all to be confused with the incredibly obscure film ''Anime/FutureWar198X''.

** The art director for the film actually said he felt MST3K was ''too lenient'' on the film! Talk about CreatorBacklash!

For the ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' version, please go to the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S10E04FutureWar episode recap page]].

** To be fair, plaid is stereotypically associated with gangbangers. Of course, that doesn't explain why everyone else is wearing it, too. The Film was actually filmed in 1994. It wasn't relased until 1997. So it make sense since '94 was the heyday of the Grunge era.

If someone were to combine ''TheTerminator'' and ''Film/JurassicPark'', with a fraction of the formers' budgets, while [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic throwing in religious overtones]] just to spice things up a bit, you'd get something close to ''Future War'', a [[DirectToVideo direct-to-video]] gem ([[SoBadItsGood for a given value of "gem"]]) featured on [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S10E04FutureWar a season ten episode]] of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''.

* [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs Everything's Better With Dinosaur Puppets]]: Probably a subversion. The dinosaur puppets don't really help the film, unless you count by adding NarmCharm.

* GenderBlenderName: According to the credits, the actress who played Sister Ann is named ''Travis''.

* IWorkAlone: Sister Anne uses this line on the Runaway, which makes no sense.

* MindScrew: This film makes absolutely no sense with random jump cuts, confusing flashbacks, plot holes a mile wide, and dialogue that borders on incomprehensible. Mike and the Bots think that the director was trying a bold new filmmaking technique in which you don't actually look at what your filming.
* {{Motifs}}: Empty boxes, obese males, redressed parking ramps, plaid. Seriously, just about every good guy in the cast is wearing some sort of plaid. [[RummageSaleRejects Even the grizzled, overweight gangers]].

* NoNameGiven: The Runaway is never even given a nickname to be referred to by for convenience's sake; even the credits only list him as "The Man". And that doesn't make any logical sense, he is clearly not cool enough to be the Man.
* NonindicativeName: It's not set in the future, and there's no war.

* TakeOurWordForIt: The Slave Rebellion happens off-camera, while the audience gets static shots of generic sci-fi sets.

* TerminatorTwosome: Kinda-sorta-not really. As a film "inspired" (ahem) by ''TheTerminator'', this movie uses it, but there isn't necessarily time travel involved, and there's three humanoids plus an unknown number of dinosaur puppets.

* WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture: Apparently the whole reason "the Masters" need slaves is because they lack opposable thumbs. How exactly they managed to enslave anyone ever isn't made very clear. Presumably the cyborgs aren't "the Masters," nor does the species that created them feel like using robotic servants instead of captured humans.

Not at all to be confused with the incredibly obscure film ''FutureWar198X''.

* EstrogenBrigadeBait: Daniel Bernhardt has a ''lot'' of shirtless scenes. The workout scene in the jail cell is particularly blatant.

* ExecutiveMeddling: For once, probably justified, considering that the original director turned in a cut that was 45 minutes long and consisted mainly of people sitting around and talking, with the occasional dinosaur thrown in here and there.
** An arguably less justified (or at least more conventional) occurrence; the film's original ending involved Sister Anne leaving the convent to team up with the Runaway and help deal with any more Cyborgs that might come back from the future. As it turned out however, one of the film's main backers was a devout Catholic, and he demanded that the ending be changed so that Anne did join the convent after all. This also resulting in the ending which shows the Runaway becoming a counsellor.

* FanNickname: ''Future Wax''. Due in large part to how the title scrolls onto the frame in the opening (left-to-center zoomed in, then pulled back so the title fills the frame) so that the "r" is the very last letter to be revealed. Due in larger part to the bots misreading the title as one of the jokes on the MST3K episode.

* NoBudget: None. See Mary Jo Pehl's comment about the ''cardboard TV camera''.

* PoorMansSubstitute: The Runaway, Daniel Bernhardt, is a European martial artist with a thick accent.
** Doubles as ActorAllusion, as Bernhardt was also the PoorMansSubstitute for Van Damme in the Film/{{Bloodsport}} sequels.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: There's a lot of religious subtext and overtext, but mostly, it's confusing.

* FlatEarthAthiest: Ann seems to heavily doubt the Runaway's story even after ''a dinosaur bursts into her house and kills one of her friends''.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The film's star Daniel Bernhardt plays one of the upgraded agents in ''Film/TheMatrix Reloaded'' (the one who fights Morpheus on the truck). It's both frightening and uplifting to know that this movie didn't kill his career.
** Robert ''Kabuki Cop'' Z'Dar, who is an [=MST3K=] [[Film/{{Soultaker}} repeat offender]].
** The old guy with the Hawaiian shirt is legendary science fiction fan and ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'' creator Forrest J. Ackerman. He was apparently too distracted reading a copy of "Famous Monsters of Filmland", the magazine he edited for 25 years, to notice the dinosaur that killed him.

* FanNickname: ''Future Wax''. Due in large part to how the title scrolls onto the frame in the opening (left-to-center zoomed in, then pulled back so the title fills the frame) so that the "r" is the very last letter to be revealed.

* CrashIntoHello: A rare example involving a vehicle and a pedestrian. And a nun. Sister Vehicular Homicide to the rescue, I guess.

** To be fair, plaid is stereotypically associated with gangbangers. Of course, that doesn't explain why everyone else is wearing it, too. The Film was actually filmed in 1994. It wasn't relased until 1997. So it make sense since '94 was the hay day of the Grunge era.

!!''FutureWar'' contains examples of:

* ExecutiveMeddling: For once, probably justified, considering that the original director turned in a cut that was 45 minutes long and consisted mainly of people sitting around and talking, with the occasional dinosaur thrown in here and there.

* GenderBlenderName: According to the credits, the actress who played Sister Ann is named ''Travis''.
* HeyItsThatGuy: The film's star Daniel Bernhardt plays one of the upgraded agents in ''{{The Matrix}} Reloaded'' (the one who fights Morpheus on the truck). It's both frightening and uplifting to know that this movie didn't kill his career.

* [[PoorMansSubstitute Poor Man's Substitute]]: The Runaway, Daniel Bernhardt, is a European martial artist with a thick accent.

* UnexplainedRecovery: The Master Cyborg that the Runaway beats up in the police HQ and left pinned under ''an exploding dinosaur'' later ambles into the dam for a rematch with the Runaway.

* WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture: Apparently the whole reason "the Masters" need slaves is because they lack opposable thumbs. No, really. How exactly they managed to enslave anyone ever isn't made very clear. Presumably the cyborgs aren't "the Masters," nor does the species that created them feel like using robotic servants instead of captured humans.
** Or, you know, giving themselves prosthetic opposable thumbs...
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: Dinosaurs! Cyborgs! Kickboxing! Gangs! Cardboard boxes!

* NonindicativeName: See Crow's quote at the page top.

If someone were to combine ''TheTerminator'' and ''JurassicPark'', with a fraction of the formers' budgets, while [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic throwing in religious overtones]] just to spice things up a bit, you'd get something close to ''Future War'', a [[DirectToVideo direct-to-video]] gem ([[SoBadItsGood for a given value of "gem"]]) featured on [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S10E04FutureWar a season ten episode]] of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''.

** The old guy with the Hawaiian shirt is legendary science fiction fan and ''{{Vampirella}}'' creator Forrest J. Ackerman. He was apparently too distracted reading a copy of "Famous Monsters of Filmland", the magazine he edited for 25 years, to notice the dinosaur that killed him.

** Robert ''Kabuki Cop'' Z'Dar, who is an [=MST3K=] [[{{Soultaker}} repeat offender]].

* LanternJawOfJustice: A villainous example, thanks to Robert Z'Dar of ''{{Soultaker}}'' fame.