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Charlie's Journal
Doom Runners is one of the many post-apocalyptic films out there but unlike most, the date in which the film takes place is never specified. The world has suffered a complete ecosystem collapse as the aftermath of nuclear war. In the "after time" everything has become desert and the sky rarely shifts from a burnt orange color. Green plants, almost all plants for that matter, have become poisonous. People live in scattered sectors where there is little food or technology of any kind. These sectors are controlled by the evil dictator Dr. Kao, played by Tim Curry, and his minions the Doom Troopers, aka DTs. Dr. Kao has some sort of ability to wipe peoples' mind using his hands. This is his means of terrifying people into submission. Curry has done some interesting work in films, particularly as Dr. Frank N Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. However, his performance is almost completely forgettable in this film. It isn't entirely his fault since he is only given about 15 minutes of screen time. The main characters are the narrator Deek, and a brother and sister duo named Adam and Jada. Their grandfather was a part of the original resistance trying to stop the government from exploiting people and stealing resources before and after the nuclear war. The childrens' parents have gone to a place that no one can prove even exists. It is called New Eden and is the only supposed place in the world where the ecosystem has gone untouched. The grandfather is aged and ill and knows there is very little time before everyone in his sector is taken in to Dr. Kao to be mind wiped. His illness and the pending destruction of Sector 7 have prompted him to teach his grand kids how to take care of themselves and find their way to New Eden. He and Adam are technical geniuses who have created these windsurfing boards that use magnetic fields to float to help out on this journey. One another character instrumental to this film is Bike. He is an old friend of the family who also served as a member of the resistance. He cannot speak for unknown reasons, but it's implied that the voice loss was caused by an injury during the war. This film really gets started when their grandfather gives them a map to New Eden with instructions. The next morning, Jada finds he has passed away. Not long after, the DTs come in to finally ravage the city. This is when Jada, Adam, and Bike escape the city to begin the journey to New Eden. While sleeping, the threesome are being watched by someone else from sector 7. Deek tries to steal the New Eden map from Jada's bag while she is asleep, but she awakes and intercepts his attempt. Deek is that James Dean type character at first. He's brooding and doesn't want to be tied down with a bunch of losers, hence his reasoning for trying to steal the map. Deek knows a way to get past some of the dangerous bits on the map, namely a minefield of poisonous vapor jets. Jada makes a deal with him that if he shows her how to get across the minefield she will share the map with him, just the two of them and leave her family behind. He agrees. After getting around it, Jada manages to trick Deek and her family tags along. Deek gets angry and storms off. Not much later he comes back. They are now a fun little foursome! By this time, Dr. Kao has surveillance of the group and is fairly certain they have this rumored map to New Eden. So, he sends Jada's friend Lizzie to do some recon. Kao has Lizzie's brother and promises to release him in exchange for the information. The group runs into Lizzie who credits trading food with the DTs and being oh-so-charming for allowing her to get across the minefield unharmed. They tell Lizzie about the man and want her to join but she informs them she has to stay there to wait for her brother. She instead passes off the information about the map to Dr. Kao. Lizzie is taken in and finds that Kao has already mind wiped her brother, so she decides to quit helping and escapes. She runs into the group and joins them. Now, this is when they become a fivesome! From there on out, the film is less about plot development and starts to wind down. The group meets some more crazy characters, including Caesar. One of those who have been mind wiped. He lives outside Kao's fortress where all the other mind wipe victims reside. they have long white hair and wear gauzy white robes. They are truly sad and ghost like. This is one of the most interesting bits of the entire film. Caesar was once part of the resistance as well and is key to finding New Eden. Seeing Bike triggers a bit of the memory. He is able to recall just enough information to point the kids in the right direction, then is back to his childlike state. Before they enter the fortress, Deek and Jada go off alone for the long-overdue romantic kiss scene. However, just as they are about to, Jada is snatched away and taken to Dr. Kao. A reunion of sorts takes place when jand kao met face to face> he spits the usual babble about

This film is not well-known. It seems I am the only person on the whole internet who remembers the movie, let alone enjoys it. I remember first seeing it on Nickelodeon when I was 6. Then again when I was 10. I watched Doom Runners last night on a Starz cable channel. I am 18 now, which means it has been 8 years since I last saw it, and that I am probably now more capable of actually reviewing the movie.





 
 
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