Vestron releases the next film in their Collector's Series with Class of 1999, another great selection packed with extras!
“The time is the future, and youth gang violence is so high that the areas around some schools have become “free fire zones” into which not even the police will venture. When Miles Langford (Malcom McDowell), the principal of Kennedy High School, decides to take his school back from the gangs, robotics specialist Dr. Robert Forrest (Stacy Keach) provides “tactical education units.” These human-like androids have been programmed to teach and are supplied with weapons to handle discipline problems. These kids will get a lesson in staying alive!”
When Cody Culp (Bradley Gregg) gets out of prison, he is determined to try and turn over a new leaf, as one more strike will get him sent away for good. Because of this, he must stay away from the gangs that have run rampant over his school , and the gang which he was a part of. Starting off the new year, Principal Langford turns to a robotics company to employ three android teachers that specialize in various subjects, namely, discipline. As the punishments become worse and worse for minor infractions, the students begin to realize something isn’t right, as the teachers begin to develop beyond their programming and hatch a plan to eradicate all the troubled teens once and for all.
Class of 1999 has a wild premise, with a dystopian look to the future and especially of the younger generation. With real locations such as Detroit in mind, the film paints an exaggerated yet dim picture of the possible future of areas such as this that fall behind and let crime run rampant. As sad as some of the scenes are, witnessing families torn apart by violence and drugs, this is about as far as the social commentary goes, as Class of 1999 isn’t so much about trying to relieve the suffering of desolate cities through the power of film, but using it as a setting to unleash some messed up robots hell bent on killing a bunch of high school kids.
The premise is wildly unrealistic, acting is totally over-the-top, but damn this film is fun as hell to watch. Stacy Keach playing an albino for no reason, Pam Grier kicking ass, and Malcom McDowell proving that yes he will play in anything. There is a great cast here that makes this film way better than it should be. From a Horror standpoint, the kills start off mild, ramping up as the film goes along, which includes the practical effects used for each one. This does reach a tipping point where the small budget severely limits the effectiveness of the third act as these machines take more and more damage, looking like a very cheap knockoff of the T-800. Despite this, it’s one of those films that could never be made today, and exists in an era where over-the-top horror from small production companies were everywhere.
Video
Class of 1999 is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. Although there are some scenes that are a bit heavy on the grain, this transfer looks pretty good. Colors have a good balance, but you aren’t going to see any vivid and bright colors, which helps with the tone of the film. There is an occasional blemish on the source print but thankfully those aren’t very frequent, leaving the film in good condition for fans.
Audio
The audio is presented in the DTS-Master Audio 2.0 in its original stereo track. For a stereo track, this sounds pretty good, but because of the constant action, gunfire and explosions, would definitely benefit from a remixing into 5.1 at least. For what it is, there aren’t any issues with the track, and the score actually sounds really good too.
Special Features
Vestron has come up with some great extras for this release, including several new interviews on the making of the film. Although it is very entertaining and informative hearing from the writer, director and producer, I was disappointed that not a single actor from the film was able to give their perspective.
On this set you’re going to see:
- Audio Commentary with Producer-Director Mark L. Lester
- “School Safety” with Producer-Director Mark L. Lester and Co-Producer Eugene Mazzola
- “New Rules” with Screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner
- “Cyber-Teachers from Hell” with Special Effects Creators Eric Allard and Rick Stratton
- “Future of Discipline” with Director of Photography Mark Irwin
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Still Gallery
- Video Promo
Class of 1999 lacks a coherent story, but more than makes up for that with some great over-the-top sequences that take you on a wild ride that is fun as hell to watch. With another great selection from Vestron, keep the collection whole by picking this up today!
