Blu-ray Review: Nemesis: Sequel Trilogy Nemesis 2: Nebula / Nemesis 3: Time Lapse / Nemesis 4: Cry of Angels

March 27, 2019

Written by DanXIII

Daniel XIII; the result of an arcane ritual involving a King Diamond album, a box of Count Chocula, and a copy of Swank magazine, is a screenwriter, director, producer, actor, artist, and reviewer of fright flicks…Who hates ya baby?

Remember a while back when I went on and on about what a cool-ass flick Nemesis was? Well they made three more of those shits, and MVD Entertainment is releasing them all on one handy-dandy Blu-ray! So let’s dive in, shall we boils n’ ghouls?

First up comes:

Nemesis 2: Nebula (1995): Decades after the first film’s hero Alex Rain (because Olivier Grunner was busy doing who knows fuckin’ what and doesn’t return for this sequel) failed to stop the cyborg revolution, outlaw scientists develop some DNA that could prove to be curtains for those pesky cyborgs so they jam that shit into a preggo lady, who naturally becomes number one with (multiple) bullet(s) on the cyborg hit list. What does our beleaguered mother do?  Why time travels back to 1980’s East Africa…as one does…where she is promptly killed…but the baby lives and grows into a buff tribal warrior with a Bo Derek circa 10 hair-do also named Alex (Sue Price). Everything is exposed ass-cheeks, sweat, and tribal hoo-hah until a cyborg bounty hunter with the handle of Nebula (Chad Stahelski…you know the dude that directed the John Wick films!!) makes the scene and the hunt is on!

While produced for a fraction of the budget as it’s predecessor, Nemesis 2: Nebula manages to satisfy. By changing the paradigm of the narrative from the first yarn (which had multiple locations) to be a smaller scale long running chase sequence filmed almost exclusively outdoors (in one location) you get a nice visual difference from the first outing, that doubtless saved the filmmakers a mint but doesn’t necessitate a lack of action. Quite the contrary; there are skirmishes and (literally) explosive set-pieces aplenty, and Price is an ultra-energetic, hard hittin’ powerhouse that is a ton of fun to watch.

Also in the plus column is the film’s antagonist. Nebula is a Predator-esque, practically realized, robotic monster that is relentless in it’s pursuit of our heroine. I loved his design, and a scene where he plunges from high atop a building, completely ensconced in flame, is a real jaw-dropper. And the time travel plot that brings this menace to the past is a fun one (even if it’s a tad derivative of the Terminator franchise).

 

 

First sequel was a success, let’s try our hand with:

Nemesis 3: Time Lapse (1996): It’s 1998, and those rascally cyborgs have decided to send another unit to the past to eliminate the bane of their existence; Alex (a returning Sue Price)…oh but this isn’t any ol’ cyborg death machine, this is a new version of the first Nemesis film’s big baddie Farnsworth (once again played by the legendary Tim Thomerson). Soon Alex is up to her well oiled pecs in trouble as she attempts to locate her sister (more on that in a bit) while evading Farnsworth and his crack cyborg troops (which include blonde haired glowing female bodybuilders among their ranks), dealing with double-crossing mercenary Edson (Norbert Weisser), and rescuing her brain-damaged ex-soldier pal Johnny (Xavier Declie).

Did you just watch Nemesis 2: Nebula? If the answer is “Yes” then you may want to get acquainted with your remote’s fast forward feature ‘cuz this film contains a whole hell of a lot of it’s predecessor’s footage via “flashback” sequences spread among some new material; namely incredibly beautiful images of Price’s Alex recovering from injuries sustained at the end of the last film. Though for all the recycling, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that I enjoyed the new elements present a great deal, and the inclusion of Thomerson back into the fold is welcome…as is the expansion of Alex’s story to include mention of Alex’s twenty female siblings waiting for her return to 2077 and the addition of more cyborgs for our heroine to battle.

To the film’s detriment, there is some dodgy CG used to realize Farnsworth’s cyborg form instead of the cool practical full on cyborg of the last entry…not a deal breaker, but a slightly modified version of that slick costume would have made this lover of man-in-suit action more satisfied (though to be fair that suit does return briefly). Also of note are the lack of over-the-top action set pieces this go-around. There are fights and whatnot, but the major action sequence; a tech-cloaked dune buggy chase is marred by more poop CG that renders the vehicles as boring amorphous blobs.

 

 

While still enjoyable Nemesis 3 was a bit of a mixed bag. Let’s move on to the final feature:

Nemesis 4: Death Angel (1996): It’s 2080 and Alex (Sue Price once again) is back on the scene and earning her living as a cyborg killer accepting jobs from her mutant boss Bernardo (the amazing Andrew Divoff); a boss that wants her to retire after one last job. What is that job? Why murdering a mutant cyborg that undergoes a monstrous transformation during sexy time only to be obliterated by Alex’s killer thighs of course. Well, that’s that…right? Not exactly, as our heroine keeps seeing a mysterious woman in black surrounded by an outre aura…an angel of death perhaps…oh, and she killed the wrong guy…monster…whatever? Soon the shit hits the fan, and Alex has to deal with double-crosses and hired killers in a fight to even the score!

Stylish, full of fun practical effects, and a return to the more sexual elements touched upon in the first film; Nemesis 4 is a heady mix of sci-fi infused action crossed with comic book aesthetics, scads of nudity, and over-the-top outrageousness…and you lot know damn well how much your’s cruelly adores each and every one of those elements!

Also of note is how the character of Alex has matured; gone is the innocent tribal warrior and in her place stands a cold, merciless killer, unafraid to use her sexuality to achieve her goals. It represents a fun arc for the character, and is not the type of change you’d expect from a series of flicks like this where action is definitely the order of the day.

 

 

So that’s the feature films, but there are a few extras as well, as each film features a scene specific (and boldly honest) commentary from Pyun where he discusses the production of the flick at hand, and each picture’s trailer.

Bottom line, the entire Nemesis series is one to savor for lover’s of low-budget, VHS boom sci-fi action fare (and that’s a genre that was larger than some of you folks may realize); and these sequels really showcase what a talented writer/director can do when challenged with little money and time, but a ton of imagination and ingenuity…plus an insanely buff women pummels the shit out of robots (and sometimes fucks them); and that is a beautiful, beautiful thing!

 

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