Class of 1999



 



Director - Mark L. Lester (Firestarter, Commando)
Starring - Bradley Gregg (A Nightmare on Elm St. 3: Dream Warriors, Explorers), Traci Lind (Fright Night Part 2, My Boyfriend's Back), and John P. Ryan (Star Time, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown)
Release Date - 1990
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "The ultimate teaching machine...out of control"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     My horror education was fairly limited due to where I lived.  The local video store was family owned and had a solid horror collection but nothing really that obscure. Mostly movies like the Leprechaun series, The Lost Boys, Fright Night, and a few Puppet Master movies stand out in my mind.  One movie they did have that I really enjoyed is Class of 1999 the sequel to director Mark L. Lester's Class of 1984.  I liked the movie a lot and would eventually buy the tape when the video store closed.  A few years later I found the movie in one of those cheap dvd sets with a few other future Vestron blu releases.  Sometime ago Vestron Video released the film on blu and I had to have it.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way!
     The film follows the students of Kennedy High School which his in a free fire zone and not under police protection.  The area is controlled by rival gangs and school is not longer a priority.  As a result the Department of Education Defense is created.  The principal of the school partners with MegaTech to create three teachers able to educated in this harsh environment.  The teachers are hard on the students but are able to teach but something is wrong with their program.  Before long they are orchestrating a gang war and killing students that they feel are breaking the rules.  Science has went too far and now the two gangs must work together or die.
     I remember liking this movie a lot when I watched it all those years ago but I have to admit that I love the film after revisiting it.  I love post-apocalyptic gang flicks and this one was just as fun, if not better, than most of the other film's I had saw.  The acting in this one is solid.  The teachers are all fun to watch but most of the cast deliver decent performances but nothing special.  The story for this one is what holds the viewer's attention.  I had seen Class of 1984 sometime after watching this film and it's safe to say you can watch these out of order.  This one is a very intriguing story that has just as much action as it does story.  The film moves at a good pace and the viewer never loses focus.  Finally, the film has several kills scenes.  Some are more brutal than others but they are all almost unforgettable.  The effects looks great for the kills which makes them stand out even more.  Overall, Class of 1999 is a very underrated sci-fi horror flick.  The cast is underwhelming but the story and the deaths are fantastic.  I cannot recommend this film enough.  Check it out.