During the early 1990s, it seemed that Megan Ward would be the next big thing in genre film. She starred in favorites like Trancers II (1991), Freaked (1993), Encino Man (1992), and Arcade (1993). She was almost Full Moon’s go-to actress, but she quickly went on to appear in some of television’s most successful shows before being cast on General Hospital. Regardless of her career trajectory, those early films will always be important for many reasons. Full Moon was also the company that introduced the young actress to the world in 1990 with Crash and Burn, a sometimes overlooked yet enjoyable science fiction horror film. For the first time, it has been remastered from the original 35mm negative and is now available on Blu-ray.
It’s 2030, and the world’s gone to hell. The ozone layer’s shot, ultraviolet rays turn the earth into a blistering wasteland, and Unicom has seized power after a computer-triggered economic collapse leveled the globe. In the middle of the desert, a battered crew of outlaws keeps a renegade TV station alive, running on forgotten tech too old for Unicom’s reach. Among them: Lathan Hooks (Ralph Waite), Arren (Megan Ward), Quinn (Bill Moseley), and Winston (Jack McGee).
When Tyson (Paul Ganus), a courier, gets stranded by a sandstorm, a sudden death sets off a storm of paranoia. One of them isn’t human; they’re a cold, wired killer hiding in plain sight.
There’s no mistaking what this movie is, and if you know what Charles Band was doing back then, you won’t be surprised by what Crash and Burn delivers. It’s a fast-paced time killer with a wonderful score by Richard Band. The cast alone should be enough to draw in viewers, featuring the likes of Ward, Moseley, Ganus, and Eva La Rue, who would go on to star in 153 episodes of CSI: Miami.
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Currently, you can watch the film on Prime, but I’ll tell you this, there’s a massive difference between what you can see on there and the new remaster. The film looks crisp and vibrant, which helps showcase what was accomplished on a relatively small budget. On the downside, the imperfections are also more pronounced. With a screenplay by J.S. Cardone, it has shades of The Thing (1982), trading cold for hot, and aliens for robots.
The disc features a new audio commentary with Charles Band and Bill Moseley, a blooper reel, a making-of documentary, the original trailer, and a collection of Full Moon trailers.
It’s not perfect by any means, but Full Moon was always a brand I enjoyed and trusted growing up. These films still have entertainment value, and it’s great to see some of the lesser-known ones getting a new life. Crash and Burn is a sci-fi B-movie done right.
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