Pluskylang Great Film overall

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

mrb1980 "Damnation Alley" didn't win any Academy Awards and it's not on any list of the greatest movies, but it is a gritty tale of survival in a post-nuclear war world and has several good scenes.Lt. Tanner (Jan-Michael Vincent), Keegan (Paul Winfield) and Maj. Denton (George Peppard) are Air Force personnel who survive a nuclear war in their California bunker. The nuclear explosions have tilted the earth's axis, causing the sky to change colors and flash bright lights. The group receives transmissions from Albany, New York so they take off through dangerous "Damnation Alley" in a futuristic vehicle (a so- called Landmaster) to reach civilization. Along the way they pick up an obnoxious teenager (Jackie Earle Haley) and a young woman (Dominique Sanda). Keegan is unconvincingly killed by mutant cockroaches and the group battles hillbilly survivalists along the way. Eventually the four survivors reach Albany and safety.The film's producers should have spent more money on the special effects, because they're pretty bad in places. Giant scorpions and cockroaches are almost laughable, and the models of the Landmaster just aren't very well done. Still, this is a pretty good film if you forget about its shortcomings. Peppard was at a career low when he made the film but is good anyway, and Jan-Michael Vincent does his "young rebel" routine quite well. The film suffered because it was released in the shadow of "Star Wars", and was quickly forgotten but I think it's very watchable.

Leofwine_draca This cheap but effective sci-fi yarn acts as a precursor to the wave of post-apocalyptic movies that would sweep the world in the early '80s as a result of the success of MAD MAX 2, and this film is indeed ahead of its time. There are many similarities between this film and the ones that came later, but the most obvious is the custom-designed all-terrain vehicle in which our heroes travel across the deserted nuclear wastes; such vehicles would become a staple of the post-apocalyptic genre in later years.DAMNATION ALLEY is one of those films in which our heroes embark on a perilous journey and encounter many obstacles and dangers in their path. This kind of story harks back to the classic tales of Homer and his hero Odysseus battling the Sirens and the Cyclops, and has been a staple of the genre since cinema began and those silent adventurers took part in A TRIP TO THE MOON. DAMNATION ALLEY is certainly no classic film, and there are definite pacing problems in the second half, but there is enough excitement and danger to make it worthwhile viewing.The initial advent of nuclear war is portrayed in a tense, frightening way, even if all you see is some old stock footage of mushroom clouds. Once our heroes embark on their journey in their armoured truck, the fun begins, and the film is solid entertainment for about forty minutes. At around this time, the pacing does flag a little, but events are wrapped up neatly for an upbeat ending. The special effects used are limited but they still work. For instance, the images of skies glowing blue, green and red are crude yet colourful, and impressive due to their consistency.The acting is fine for a B-movie like this; not brilliant but passable. George Peppard is fun as the older, leading man, to whom everybody else looks up; he has just the right balance of authority, pomposity and charisma. In comparison, Jan-Michael Vincent has the young, handsome square-jawed hero type role and fits the bill well: his acting may be poor but he's a likable screen presence here. Dominique Sanda lends a bit of sophistication and is a pretty face to have on board, while Paul Winfield (THE TERMINATOR) shows up as the token black guy. The only miscasting, in my mind, is that of the young boy who joins our travellers; future star Jackie Earle Haley is one of the most irritating, snotty child performers I've ever seen.The perils our heroes encounter are numerous and varied. Things start off with some cheesy giant scorpions which are actually real scorpions, just enlarged. In the film's best scene, our heroes arrive in a deserted ghost town where they discover rusting cars and skeletons that have been picked clean; this scene offers up a real sense of fear and foreboding, something that runs throughout the film but is strongest here. Eventually it turns out that the town is infested by flesh-eating killer cockroaches which proceed to devour one of our heroes in a spectacularly gruesome scene (turns out that this was only a PG film, but they were definitely pushing the boundaries of the rating with the brief bloody scenes on display here). Later, they must face freak storms, a sudden flood and a gang of diseased rapists while on their way to Albany. These things make DAMNATION ALLEY a lot of fun to watch, and recommended to anyone with an interest in these types of pictures.

bkoganbing George Peppard and Jan-Michael Vincent star in Damnation Alley a story about some guys in the Air Force deep in underground bunkers who launch a retaliatory missile strike at the Soviet Union. Of course they and their Soviet counterparts are safe inside while the rest of the world incinerates. But this story isn't concerned with the Soviet experience.Topping that all off the general in charge Murray Hamilton goes bonkers in the bunker and blows it all up, killing nearly everyone inside. All that's left is Peppard, Vincent, Paul Winfield, and Kip Niven. Vincent and Winfield have kind of lost any Air Force discipline, but Niven is still a good Airman and Peppard is in command. They decide to take some all terrain vehicle the Air Force has developed for just such emergency from the Nevada site of their missile base to Albany where they've gotten a signal from what might be other survivors. Of course it could be the signal that the Australians got from San Francisco in On The Beach that amounted to nothing. Still off our fearless four go, leaving behind the desert to some rather large scorpions that have been nuclear enhanced.The rest of the story is the trip east across a nuclear devastated USA. Best stop is in Salt Lake City, where as Winfield describes large armor plated cockroaches have taken over. Along the way Winfield and Niven are lost and Peppard and Vincent pick up Dominque Sanda and Jackie Earle Haley best known for the Bad News Bears.Other than some special effects that were OK, nothing more, there's not much else to recommend Damnation Alley. For fans of Peppard and Vincent and some science fiction buffs.

Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) The future can be exciting or it can be scary. In "Damnation Alley", it can be interesting. Here you have two Air Force soldiers: 1st Lt. Jake Tanner (Jan-Michael Vincent) and Major Sam Denton (George Peppard, 1928-94) who are stationed at a missile silo in California. They set off a missile retaliation strike at some oncoming nuclear missiles which results in devastation. After the attack, radiation and mutation results. Following the aftermath, the two men decide to travel to Albany, New York to find radio transmission. They are set off on the trek in a Landmaster. These vehicles are very durable, especially in a spot called "Damnation Alley". On of the vehicles gets caught in a storm that kills an Airman ( Kip Niven). The other survivor joins the other two, goes to Las Vegas, meet another survivor and meets his end in Salt Lake City by some very hungry cockroaches. Throughout the travel, the encounters become more perilous after the other. And it's amazing that the Landmaster can travel on water as well. Interesting movie, a more interesting novel. It's fun once you take the time to understand it. 3 out of 5 stars