Customer Reviews

Lady Terminator

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lady Terminator is an Indonesian film that tells the story of an anthropologist possessed by the spirit of the "Queen of the South Sea." This "Queen" was a sexually insatiable vixen who cursed one of her suitors by damning his great granddaughter to a miserable death.

Soon we're following the anthropologist as she plummets to the bottom of the sea and miraculously finds herself tied to a bed covered in rose petals. From the ocean to a bed in one big swoop! Amazing, eh?

Stick with me. Underneath the covers we see some slithering action and then out from the blankets comes a snake/eel that burrows its head in and then quickly disappears within the folds of the captive's (...). Apparently this nesting snake-eel sequence is the "Queen's" way of executing her possession of the anthropologist thus transforming our heroine into the Lady Terminator.

That's it folks. There's the set up. For the next 70 minutes we are treated to this female bounty hunter's tasty physical attributes as well her determination to unmercifully destroy everyone and everything within sight. Eventually our anthropologist-cum-vigilante discovers her quarry in a local shopping mall and a near unnerving amount of violence commences. This sexy femme fatale is loaded to the hilt with ammunition, laser eyes, unbridled vengeance and genitalia with teeth!

Does the dreaded "Queen of the South Sea" get her revenge or does the great granddaughter survive? Wade through the mind numbing savagery and gore to find out for yourself.

This DVD from Mondo Macabro is loaded with extra features including; A theatrical trailer, alternate scenes and an insightful documentary on Indonesian horror/exploitation films. The print of the film itself is a bit grainy though probably due to a 16 mm to 35 mm blow up. In addition to the grain are some obvious lines/scratches. Don't get me wrong I adore clear pristine prints when watching the likes of; Jodorowsky, Argento or Pasolini but with this kind of tripe (albeit good tripe) the imperfections only add to the overall effect. The Lady Terminator gleefully offers up thrills seldom seen here in the states.

By: C. Curry

Let's quickly mention the countries most noted for filmmaking. The United States leads the way, of course, with a whole city devoted to churning out cinematic marvels. France has a long tradition of releasing thought provoking films in nearly every conceivable genre, and has recently added amazingly grim horror films to the mix. Britain occasionally throws out something interesting, as do Germany and Spain. Italy, it should go without saying, knows how to make films even though they've lost a lot of steam in the past few years. Who else? Oh, Asian cinema is really making waves here now with what seems like hundreds upon hundreds of horror titles that are completely restructuring the terror genre. Japan, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong--from these places artful nightmares spring. Finally, we cannot discount the contributions from Indonesia. INDONESIA? Yep, 'tis true. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Indonesian film biz received a boatload of government money to make a bunch of movies for export to the States and beyond. Thanks to a DVD company called Mondo Macabro, we can finally sit in our homes and enjoy the fruits of Indonesia's cinematic excursions. God help us all. Unfortunately, God is nowhere to be found.

Cue "Lady Terminator," an amazing amalgamation of action movie, Indonesian folklore, and a mountain of artery clogging cheese. Others below have performed an excellent post-mortem on this unholy terror, but I'll go ahead and throw out another summary. The film begins by introducing us to the legend of the Queen of the South Sea, a rather vituperative old biddy who spends her days lounging around the undersea palace luring young men to her bed. No mortal can satisfy her cravings, not with a snake located in a sensitive area that puts an end to these poor chaps. But one day a man arrives who does the impossible, and the Queen is furious. She curses the guy's granddaughter. The end. No, not really. We then flash forward to, well, the day when archeologist wannabe Tania Wilson (Barbara Anne Constable) is poking around a musty old library looking to finish her thesis on the Queen of the South Sea. Off she goes on a boat in search of the underwater palace, and before you can say "presto-chango," she's in a bed in the palace. The Queen possesses her body and embarks on a killing spree the likes of which would make Ahnuld blanche with horror. The massacre begins when Tania emerges from the sea and murders two young toughs, one of whom resembles in no small way Adrian Zmed.

Tania/the Queen then checks into a hotel (!), undergoes some sort of weird shaking tremor replete with flashing lights metamorphosis, and then goes out to kill even more people. Frankly, I'm at a loss to lay out a coherent narrative. The movie simply doesn't have one. We do meet an American cop by the name of Max McNeil (Christopher J. Hart) who quickly becomes wrapped up in protecting Indonesian pop star Erica (Claudia Rademaker), the granddaughter mentioned in the curse, from the wrath of the Lady Terminator. What follows is breathtaking in its audacity. Whole scenes from Cameron's "The Terminator" appear in this film, including a bar shootout, a car chase with guns blazing, the infamous eyeball scene, and the police station shootout. The latter is particularly amusing considering the poorly choreographed gunplay. Tania blows away billions of cops without reloading and, even though McNeil stands a few feet away returning fire, can't seem to hit the man with a single round. Erica's wise old granddad shows up to fire off some magical hocus pocus at the witch, but quickly dies as a result. Nothing can stop this lady, not even McNeil's hilariously pathetic American friends, one of whom sports a mullet that would kill mere mortals. I won't spoil the conclusion for you--although it's likely you won't make it that far.

"Lady Terminator" is the grand mal seizure of bad filmmaking. This is it, folks. Right here. Every aspect of this film is dumb on a metaphysical scale. Dialogue (yeah, right) assails the ears like rocks dropped from the Empire State Building. The pacing lumbers like a crippled dinosaur on tranquilizers. The dubbing is the worst I've ever heard, and the acting is stroke inducing. As for the special effects, well, a nine year old working with a tin of playdoh and some pipe cleaners could do a better job than this movie. God, I cringe just thinking about this turkey. But for some reason, I simply can't give this anything less than five stars. Why? Because it's so stupendously horrible that every other bad movie looks like an Oscar contender by comparison, and the temerity to blatantly ripoff "The Terminator" lock, stock, and barrel deserves some praise--or a swift kick to director Jalil Jackson's shins. I'm issuing a warning to you, however. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM IF YOU DESPISE BAD MOVIES! If you're one of those people who think "Gigli" is the end all be all of wretched moviemaking, don't give this one a second thought. "Lady Terminator" is strictly for the "so bad it'll make me sterile" crowd.

Star ratings don't really apply to a film like this one anyway. "Lady Terminator" is far outside the bounds of some arbitrary ratings system. I don't really know whether I ought to thank Mondo Macabro for this DVD or place a pox upon their house. They, Mondo Macabro that is, acquit themselves from unleashing this nightmare upon the western world in part by including some interesting extras, the most important of which is a lengthy documentary about Indonesian filmmaking. This supplement explains the legend of the Queen of the South Seas; the government's attempts to finance the movie business; and includes clips from other atrocities that look worse than "Lady Terminator." Also included are trailers, alternate scenes, a director's filmography, and a gallery of stills. Step carefully here, folks.

Wow, I'm surprised that people hate this and gave it anything less than 5 stars. We have non-stop blasting machine guns at a Terminator rip-off chick possessed by some Goddess that wants to kill the relative (a bad 80's pop singer) of some dude that made her stop her evil men killing ways (she killed the men after having sex with them of course). Pretty much, this movie rules! Best part is when a group of bonehead macho guys that look like G.I.Joe action figures come to life start cussing out Lady Terminator and attacking her with everything they got (tanks, rockets, machine guns), resulting in various explosions. The movie ends with the most profound words I've ever heard too, more profound than anything by a poet or philosopher, here they are:

"The struggles in our souls is never ending, the life of man is short and brutal, torn between good and evil, of the eternity around us, we know nothing. The stars look on. They have been here long before mankind appeared on our small planet..and will be here long after we are no more"

~ Dramatic Narrator in Lady Terminator

This is a classic action pacted movie that should have garnered Academy consideration. Christopher J.Hart's depiction of the newest super-hero, Max Monroe, is nothing short of Oscar Worthy. You will be on the edge of your seat the whole time. Fight scenes are relentness.

Unfortuneately, due to a terrible cocaine addiction, this was Chris's final major movie role. But due to his passionate love scene in the movie, my contacts have told me he did find much work in the porn industry.

The grindhouse classic. Oh, you know, the type screened in wonderfully sleazy theaters in bad neighborhoods. Think Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS. Nice mental image? Alas, it's Americana lost to developers. Why must the most special of things always be the first trampled under the banner of progress? Look at Harlem today. This film is one of the last of the genre. You've heard of Lady Terminator, but never actually saw it, right? No longer do you have to risk rape or robbery to glimpse Barbara Constable's ample assets! The adrenal reward of the danger quotent may be gone. So is your excuse.

This an Indonesian picture from the dusk of the eighties. The story revolves around the authentic legend of the "South Sea Queen", who lures men to their doom. When one finally defeats her, she curses his descendants. One hundred years later, the Queen crawls up a cute anthroplogist's hooha in the form of an eel. With some strange immunity to bullets, she proceeds to kill everyone between her and the pop starlet great-granddaughter of the man who cast her into the sea. The ending left me wondering why the old man didn't just do that in the first place. But I won't spoil it ;)

Amusement abounds, not all intentional. We're treated to a burnt out shell of a helicopter that somehow remains airborne; cringe inducing bad jokes; inept overdubs; and, lest I forget, Snake's priceless mullet. Nudity. Explosions. And here's the kicker, folks. The latter two thirds of the film are a scene for scene ripoff of "The Terminator"! Even dialogue is cribbed ("Come with me if you want to live!"). Audacity at it's most grandly absurd. Pedestal worthy.

The print looks great considering the source materials. Mondo Macabro added some alternate scenes. Plus. there's a little documenatry that explains the causes of the Indonesian film boom twenty five years ago, and why it died out. Those with good taste are directed elsewhere. The rest of you, hey, you've made it this far. Take the plunge. Then track down some of Indonesian garbage cinema from the doc like "The Warrior" and "Mystics in Bali". Cheap thrills for a boring generation.

This Indonesian cult film takes the over-the-top action, that is a staple of American action films of the 80's, adds in a dose of mysticism, lifts several key scenes from it's title namesake and blends it all up into a schlocky treat for the viewer. This isn't high art, nor does it pretend to be. It is a blatant riff on one of the most classic action films of the decade and never apologizes once for it.

Some of the scene are direct copies of James Cameron's classic original, such as the attack on the police headquarters, the removal of the eye, even the first kill being done to obtain clothing for her naked form. You will get a deja vu feeling more than once, while watching this film. The added angle of a mystical plot device, rather than a technological one, as well as making the lead antagonist female, made for some interesting changes in this film, which the original "Terminator" could never have had.

Still, despite copious amounts of violence, some very nice nudes scenes with our sexy lead, and some slightly interesting special effects, the film is far from what you would call "good." Some of the dubbed in voices are very poorly done. Plus, speaking as a guy, the way she kills men while mating with them is... well... let's just say it's probably every guy's worst nightmare and leave it at that. Plus, they never really gave much explanation on why the Queen of the South Seas revenge against the great-granddaughter of her betraying lover will give her what she wants. I guess giving emphasis to the plot had to take a back seat to the action and nudity. Not an uncommon thing in films of this nature.

Barbara Anne Constable, who plays the lead role of the anthropologist turned unstoppable tool of destruction, is really the linchpin of the film. None of the other actors turn in anything beyond competent performances, at best, but Barbara's deadpan expressions throughout the film, even as she uses sex to kill her victims, is just as fun to watch as that of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original "Terminator" film.

If you are looking for a seriously dramatic story, with stunning personal performances, well, you'll be sadly disappointed. But if it is wild bouts of action and violence, coupled with a sexual-themed tale of revenge you desire, this film gives you all you could ever want. It is easily one of the best selections from the Mondo Macabro catalog and would be a great party film. It's a watchable movie and entertaining in that "so bad it's good" way. Just don't give a lot of thought to what you are watching. You definitely need to check your brain at the door for this one.

Comedy is a difficult genre to pull off. The best sort of comedies are ones that don't try, they are funny, original, and entertaining throughout. Modern audiences can smell a fake comedy miles away - it is those that do not try that somehow make the biggest splash. "Lady Terminator" is one of those films. Absolutely it is not supposed to be a comedy; its intention is to be a full fledged action film packed with sex, violence, and of course, the teaspoon of the mystical. It is a complete and utter, nearly frame by frame, retelling of the original American film, "The Terminator", equipped with repeatable lines, iconic images, and tons of tons of explosions. Oh, did I mention that a Panzer tank comes out of nowhere? If this doesn't already tickle your taste buds or prove that the Wayans' humor can be better found elsewhere, well, then ... I just don't know what you may find entertaining or humorous any longer. Let me repeat, a Panzer tank comes when called! "Lady Terminator" offers nothing the conventional film could guarantee. There is horrid acting, misplaced dubs, and a story that seemed like it was written scene by scene - so why did I laugh and enjoy this piece of garbage? "Lady Terminator" was grade-A B-entertainment. The shots were cheap, the scenes were convoluted, and nothing connected (really), but this little film never tried to be something it wasn't. From the first scene until the last, "Lady Terminator" remained gory, violent, and full of "Terminator" iconography. My next question is ... what more do we need?

The story is a rehash of the South Sea Queen mythos, where a demon (or God) of the sea cannot quench her physical satisfaction, so she kills all her potential lovers. One man is able to satisfy, and she instantly places a curse on his great-great granddaughter. Jump to the future, and an anthropologist is on the hunt for the South Sea Queen's castle under the sea and ironically transforms into a Terminator creature determined to kill, kill, and finally kill the person who carries what the great-great grandfather stole from her many years ago. It is part sci-fi (though I couldn't tell you which part), it is part fantasy, and it pure uncut hilarious. "Lady Terminator" is one of those great films that you find, sit down with a group of friends, have some beers, and laugh endlessly. Then, the film carries - it goes from one friend to another until cult status is reached. Despite perhaps not knowing anything about it, upon watching you will see the cult ability all over it. The "Terminator" references, the fantastic final battle, and everything in between. Made in 1988, "Lady Terminator" again carries nothing for the average film snob to discover. There is bad acting from the beginning. The lack of continuity between the shots is disruptive at first, but as the film continues to escalate from one battle to the next, it seems to make sense. This is an ultra-low budget film that was created out of Indonesia to help a booming film market. There is an interesting documentary within this film that discusses how and why films of this nature were created. Sure, there is no budget, no great actors, and sloppy editing (the list could go on), but this film has heart. It tries and it succeeds as a film like "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter" did. It is one of those undiscovered cult films that needs to be pulled out of the dark.

Unlike most US Hollywood films, there is little to say about this film. The structure was faulty and the concept was riddled with holes, but unlike American films, it pushes through. It continues to add onto itself by creating one skewed iconic references after another. Mando Macabro has done a fabulous job of releasing this DVD. While the transfer suffers (only because it is probably the only transfer available), what it makes up in are special features and previews of upcoming releases. If "Lady Terminator" doesn't inspire you to watch more from the Indonesian catalogue - well, one should reconsider themselves a worldwide cinephile.

FILM: Nothing to report to your mother about, it was cheap - but again, unlike bigger Hollywood cult films, it deserved it. It enhanced the viewing enjoyment and forced MST3K-ish moments from your very seat. It was an applauded moment.

VISUAL: Nothing like that VHS feeling on your DVD player. Even the up-conversion didn't help. Again, I didn't need it to. It was great to see this film in its rawest form.

SOUND: Outside the overuse of gun sound effects, was there any sound? Oh, there was a song at the disco that could easily become a Halloween costume.

EXTRAS: With the quintessential trailer for "Lady Terminator", there is also the unpopular page scroll of small trivia that you can read about this production (and about production in Indonesia as well), the big slabs of meat come from the small documentary that discusses this and other films of this decade, as well as the upcoming Mando Macabro releases. I am excited for what there is to come.

Overall, I loved this film. It isn't a film for anyone, if you loved "LA Confidential" or can't get enough "Gladiator", than I don't suggest putting this film in your player - but if you are a fan of explosions and nudity, random Panzer tanks, and cheap James Cameron - than watch this film. There is a thought I had; perhaps this redefine of the "Terminator" film is trying to show us what the core of the original "Terminator" was all about. Was it a sad story about the future, or merely a gun friendly film? The world may never know. Watch this movie. Try to find it or pay the $20+ to get it. You will not be disappointed. Better than any "Transformers 2" could ever wish to be!

Grade: **** 1/2 out of *****

Terrible dialogue poorly delivered in a cheaply made exploitation film. That said, the movie does have its low budget exploitation charms.

i just went and saw this film at the grindhouse film fest in portland oregon.and must say the crowd loved it. every one could not stop laughing it was the most over the top thing i ever saw. really every one who loves films like class of nuke em high and other gore films should see this.

It was in 1988/1989 when this movie triggered a controversy in Indonesia and was finally prohibited for theatrical release. The controversial pre credit scene was later reshot, featuring different artists. In 1990 I saw this revised version in theatre. In 2001 the original version was released in VCD, giving me a chance to make comparison.

A mix of Terminator and legendary Java folklore character Ratu Pantai Selatan (South Sea Queen), the story was about this queen who suck and cut males' "birds" as there was a "snake" inside her vital part, causing her mates to die. One male character was able to escape from her and turning her "snake" into "keris" (traditional Javanese dagger). She was mad and sworn a revenge to this man's descendents a century later. She and her palace then went down to the sea. One century later a female archeologist from US was making a research on this legend of South Sea Queen and accidentaly stranded in her palace under the sea. The "snake" went into her vital part and turned her into a sex-hungry terminator, looking for the man's desecendant while having sex with a few poor male characters.

There is no logic in the story. Besides its controversial sex scene, the movie was also banned for its brutal massacre of policemen (in one scene, this archeologist-turned-terminator shot her machine gun on the vital part of one policeman).