Customer Reviews

Whoops Apocalypse [Region 2]

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

 

 

I only saw this because I caught it on t.v. one night. It was on, so I decided to record it. When I watched it the next day, I really enjoyed it. It is basically a complete mockery of the english, americans and most of the world. It focuses mainly on the attempts of a terrorist who uses unconventional methods to conceal a kidnapping of a member of the british royal family. Also, the Prime Minister of Britan is completely stark raving mad, his fellow ministers tryed to get him killed, but the attempt fails. Basically, it is one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long while. I have being trying to buy thisvideo for a long while, and Amazon is the only place to get it.

This is an American version of a well-remembered British TV show. Featuring Loretta Swit(M*A*S*H) as US President and Peter Cook (Beyond the Fringe, Bedazzled, The Wrong Box) as UK Prime Minister, the tone is more moderate than the UK version, which I also have. Still, there are enough moments of out-and-out hilarity to justify it. I laughed out loud many times while watching this pic, which I did NOT do during the UK version.

Highlights include Michael Richards (Seinfeld's "Kramer")as the wierd mercenary who kidnaps "Princess Wendy"(who looks a lot like Diana),and his scene as a traveling erotica salesman is beyond description. There is a great scene when Peter Cook, in glassy-eyed closeup, defends his deranged plan to nuke the Caribbean island behind the kidnapping with the remark, "There is no alternative," which of course was Mrs. Thatcher's signature line. Loretta Swit is mainly there as a straight person, but also gives many good performances.

I am a great fan of the late Peter Cook's work, and was initially worried he might only have a cameo role in this-- fortunately, this is a real, leading role and he has a great time with it. He plays Prime Minister as a variation on his character E.L. Wisty; another reviewer noted his "unemployment is caused by pixies" speech-- classic Wisty material.

Some warnings: this is an R rated film for a reason. There are scenes of bare-breasted women, and some strong cursing; otherwise, it could be a family-hour show in the US(my guess is that the makers wanted the R and put that stuff in just to avoid a lower rating). But all in all, I'm glad I bought this movie; especially since it is more even than the other, which in truth is more "Young Ones" than "Python". Since there are so many inexpensive copies, there's no reason not to check out both versions and decide for yourself which is better; myself, I'm keeping this one and selling the John Cleese one.

This movie helped me laugh my way through high school. I lost my copy of this about 10yrs ago and have been trying to find it ever since. Seeing as I was a bawdy 17yr old when I last saw this hopefully my views on the film aren't too pubescent. From what I recall this movie is a great coming together of boisterous physical (and scatological) American humour and whimsical British whit. Also there's the added gem that Michael Richards, as the terrorist (Nebakanezzar?) is brilliant. Roles like this and as the assistant in Transylvania 6-5000 are interesting foreshadowing of the Kramer character. I’m ordering my copy and am hoping that I wasn’t just another dumb teenager

I remember seeing this movie back in the late 1980s on VHS. I'd seen an ad for it on one of the first pay-per-view stations, but never actually watched the movie until finding a copy at a rental place. Being a huge Young Ones and a lesser Beyond the Fringe fan, I watched it mainly for Rik Mayall, Alexei Sayle, and Peter Cook. At the time, I had no idea who Michael Richards was - this was before Seinfeld made him a household name.

The movie is extremely silly and even quite stupid in parts as it does anything for a laugh. There is some good dialogue here and there (particularly a bit where the new president is described as "Shrewd, sensible, compassionate, scrupulously honest... She has overcome all these handicaps to become President of the United States." For the most part, though, it's a bunch of site gags that take advantage of pure physical comedy. As others have mentioned, Rik Mayall is the standout as the SAS commander... I've continued to quote some of his insanely profane dialogue for the past 20 years if that's any indicator how much it stands out.

The disc itself is totally barebones, but it's got the movie and that's all that really matters. As long as you can play Region 2 (PAL) discs on your computer, your can watch it anywhere in the world. And it's worth a watch.

As I remember it, 'Whoops Apocalypse!' was a fun Sunday-night TV comedy series screened on the UK commercial channel in the mid-1980s. In half-hour programmes, it admirably lampooned the Conservative government of the day and its adventures in the Falklands. It wasn't a sitcom, because the characters didn't get reset at the end of each episode. There was a strong storyline, usually with a regular cliffhanger, which ensured you tried to watch the next episode.

Somehow the transfer to the big screen doesn't quite work. It may be that in these days of CGI effects, I was expecting to see some of the action once the nuclear button is pressed. Or it may be that I was missing John Cleese in his TV role as Lacrobat. Contrary to another reviewer's comment, I don't feel this is Peter Cook's finest hour -- if anything, it left me with the worrying suspicion that perhaps Cook couldn't act.

But ultimately the half-hourly cliffhanger format -- and there must have been at least six episodes -- doesn't work when they are put end-to-end in a 90-minute film. The dramatic tension needs to be built up and resolved over the 90 minutes -- not in 30-minute chunks. This structure leaves you feeling strangely unsatisfied when the credits roll at the end.

It was definitely a plot for its time. The idea of the gay naval officer sharing a house with his chauffeur had some shock value in the 1980s. Today it looks dated as a source of humour. The idea of the female president sharing her bed and swimming pool with a pair of bodyguards looks tame to 21st century eyes -- these days you'd expect to see her sharing at least a shower with the two hunks.

Rik Mayall as the SAS commander is gloriously stupid, as others have said. Perhaps the funniest scene is the timeless slapstick of Graeme Garden as the decrepit butler making and receiving a phone call at the very start of the movie.

Overall, a good lesson for all students of film interested in the translation of small-screen stories to the big screen.