Dead End Drive-In

I wasn't really familiar with this movie til a few years ago, and that was a shame, as I really enjoyed this one. I saw it on Prime and just had to pick up the Arrow blu ray and watch it again. I see this movie as almost a prequel to Mad Max and other dystopian movies, as it sets the tone of a world on the brink of anarchy. It's a shame that Natalie McCurry wasn't in more movies, as I just loved her here. Arrow really did a great job on this release.

All things considered, this Arrow Video release of Dead End Drive-in has phenomenal picture and sound quality. The cars are too cool! One of the better 80’s titles I picked up lately! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Too much fun. teen movie with bits of Clockwork Orange, Mad Max, and punk.Highly recommend.Standard DVD is good burn, with no issues playing.

I haven't seen this since it was on vhs, this is a very good remaster and it was fun to watch again

I bought this for my husband and he loves it. The quality of the movie is great too.

THIS MOVIE IS AWESOME!!!!I've held on to a veeeery heat distorted copy for what seemed like 1 billion years ! even though I could barely even joy the copy I had I still watched it and now that I was able to replace it I'm on cloud nine ! !

I love this movie, looks great on blueray.

thought provocing

Imagine a place where young people go to of their own free will but discover that they cannot leave, imagine that they sleep all day, don't need to work, live on junk food, take drugs, have sex and watch movies all night.This is dead end drive in!In the near future the government has set up secret internment camps disguised as drive in movie theatres. The idea is to get unemployed and undesirables out of the way until they can figure out what to do with them.The latest arrival is not willing to accept this fate and battles to escape at any cost.What a fantastic, quirky movie this is.Its full of excellent eighties new wave style from the music and clothes to the constant neon lighting and graffiti, Its got a great "Mad Max" feel to it and builds to a terrific climax.This review is for the Bluray version and the picture quality and sound are excellent.One or two odd extras that are rather enjoyable too.

I didn’t know what to expect from this movie. I just bought it on a whim, and ended up loving it! Can’t really pinpoint what exactly made me love it so much, maybe it was the excellent vibe, the sort of Mad Max-esque visuals or the actors, witch is perfect in their roles, or maybe it was the awesome soundtrack. Whatever it was, it was good!

it was okay

Brilliant

Dead End Drive In (1986) is about a drive in set in the then near future in Australia that locks its customers up- the drive in stands in as a sort of concentration camp. Only the customers mostly new wave punks are more than happy to stay there. They get their drugs, drink, music watch bad B movies- what the hell, is life really that much better outside the drive in?One kid wants out, played well enough by Ned Manning. He's a likable character and certainly keeps the movie alive. But the problem with the film is the lack of characters. Cult movies have always had one or two real stand out characters, and Dead End Drive In fails here. They are here, you can see them in the background- indeed there are a lot of punk kid extras here and maybe they should have been given some more lines, it would have helped. Instead we are stuck for the majority of the film with Manning, the drive in owner and Mannings beautiful girlfriend played by Natalie McCurry- it just isn't enough to add spark to the film. Though McCurry may well be one of the most attractive women to be shot on celluloid- no surprise that she would go on to win Miss Australia.I liked the film, I loved the 80s references and the new wave punk fashion- I love Australian cinema especially from this time, so for the most part enjoyed it.With a little more characters, action and humour, there was a real lack of that in here- I would have called it a classic, instead its just a good movie.

Fun

loved it, great bonus features from the arrow release.

Just a note for potential purchasers- The Image re-release of Dead End Drive-in does not have the extras of the Anchor Bay version (so no commentary). The only extra is a trailer. Picture and sound are top notch, though.

Title: DEAD END DRIVE IN (1986)Label: ARROW VIDEOTranfer by: ARROW FilmsAspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1Another superb release from ARROW VIDEO of an extraordinary Australian movie. Maybe somewhere between MAD MAX (1979), A BOY AND HIS DOG (1975) and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981). Better forget that kind of comparisons at once. This movie is unique and you should give it a try. Anyway, shouldnt every movie be seen completely detached from other works? Brian Trenchard-Smith made a highly entertaining and good-looking stylish little end time / action movie. He also directed TURKEY SHOOT aka BLOODCAMP THATCHER (1982). You can watch a little piece of this cult item on the cinema-screen at the drive-in inside DEAD END DRIVE IN. The movie does not offer a big story but it was made with passion for detail, has a great cinematography, good costume-design and nice color and light compositions. The acting is fine as well. I call the production a cool one. Very straight story without frills. To put it in a nutshell: A man wants to get out! Seen it all before? Sounds boring? It isn't at all, cause the directional style is really one-of-a-kind.No Grain Baby, No Gain / The Transfer:The Transfer was done from a 2K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. The source is in a very good condition. There is an intact and film-like grain structure and therefore the picture offers plenty of details, texture and grip. The colors are vivid and constant throughout the whole presentation. The negative was well cleaned up and stabilized. Blacks are fine and no crush of details here. I enjoyed watching DEAD END DRIVE IN in every aspect and couldnt spot the abuse of DNR filters, edge enhancement and other digital abominations of that sort.Cut and Run:This is a version integrale from a complete camera negative. NO noticeable inserts from different sources have been applied. I find this so important for a fluent visual experience. The movie has passed uncut by the BBFC.Final Thoughts:Fans, collectors and people with big screens or projectors should spent their money without any further doubt. ARROW did a very good transfer to bring life into your home cinemas. The BD Set contains an audio commentary by the director itself and a nice booklet. Dont miss it, the booklets only go with the first pressings. Highly recommended.How I rate / What I rate:My ratings refer exclusively to technical aspects of BD sets. The more film-like a HD transfer looks and feels via a projection, the more high-class the source is scanned and digitally treated afterwards, the higher my ratings will be. Digital phenomenons like edge enhancement, block noise, digital appealing grain, swarming grain / noise behavoir and DNR filtering will directly result in lower ratings.I do not rate movies at all. In the introduction part I just offer my opinion, based on taste, preferences and knowledge about film/photography in general. Movies are artificial constructions where many efforts have been taken (including complex postproduction) to accomplish a vision of whatsoever kind. No movie made for cinema ever shot has earned a 1 star rating on AMAZON or a 1 point rating on IMDB. I have studied many publications about making films, their psychological impact, and the subject violence on film. I am a hobby photographer knowing much about frame compositions, color and light effects and different styles. I am also a hobby musician and sound designer for my own private joy. I could rate a movie/ its soundrack, but why should I? Things are what they are and nothing more or less. I like to think beyond mind constructed terms of good and bad. So called "objectivity" becomes fast diluted by preferences which results in comments of personal taste. These comments are fine but they go without any base value for creating a rating-scale out of them. Technical aspects are a different kind of matter. DNR, edge enhancement, block noise and such things are obvious even on small screens and maybe we can speak more of objectivity and measurability in this area. I think we should be informed about the quality of a product.All about Ev(m)e:I am a collector of films for 27 Years, own about 3.000 films (would be far more, but I often sort out transfers I dont like) and watch them in a home-cinema room via bigscreen projection. I am also a hobby musician and photographer with some experience scanning camera negatives in high definitions. I am fascinated by film (from reels) since I am a kid and spent hours for hours in cinemas and visiting film festivals.

Plot. Set in the future a young man on a date ends up at a drive-in but someone steals two of his car tyres. He soon learns that the place is really a prison for young people and there's no way he'll get out.I think this is a brilliant 80s Aussie film with its "End of the world" scenario and one man's fight against the system. Lots of violence, lots of weird characters, lots of humour and a little bit of sex plus an amazing car chase. Truly a fun film that even has time for some social commentary regarding racism which wasn't really necessary and maybe out of place here, not that it affected the story at all.Extras include a com, stills and trailer. USA Release Region 1.

Surprisingly entertaining