Warriors of the Year 2072 – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1983
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Elisa Briganti, Cesare Frugoni, Lucio Fulci, Dardano Sacchetti
Cast: Jared Martin, Fred Williamson, Howard Ross, Eleonora Brigliadori, Cosimo Cinieri, Claudio Cassinelli, Valeria Cavalli, Donald O'Brien, Penny Brown, Al Cliver, Mario Novelli, Hal Yamanouchi

Release Date: November 30th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 16 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"In a future dominated by ultra-violent TV entertainment, the top-rated global sport Kill-Bike drafts two condemned gladiators - Jared Martin of DALLAS and Fred Williamson of THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS - for a 'Battle Of The Damned' in the Roman Coliseum." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "scanned in 4K from an IP print for the first time in America."

Warriors of the Year 2072 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.4 GB

Feature: 25.7 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are solid, and there are no issues with DNR. That said, this new transfer is a massive upgrade over Troma’s 2001 DVD release.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and removable English SDH subtitles. The audio is in very good shape; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it needs to.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Cinzia Monreale titled Four Times Lucio (7 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Giuseppe Pinori titled Photographing the Future (17 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Antonella Fulci titled My Father, The Hero (19 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Al Cliver titled The Good-Hearted Gladiator (12 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Howard Ross titled The Nicest Villain (17 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti titled Unloved (15 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), conversations between Lucio Fulci and Michele Romagnoli titled The Fulci Tapes (11 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions – Lucio Fulci & His Films, a CD with Riz Ortolani’s score, and an insert with the CD’s track listing.

Summary:

Though Lucio Fulci was not always blessed with the resources he needed, He rarely directed a film post-One on Top of the Other that was not still entertaining in spite of a lack of resources. That brings us to Warriors of the Year 2072, Lucio Fulci’s only foray into Italian cinema’s post-apocalyptic cycle of films.

But it is easy to see which American post-apocalyptic films served as inspiration for most Italian post-apocalyptic films. Warriors of the Year 2072 is a rare example of an Italian genre film where it is not as clear. With the main inspiration for Warriors of the Year 2072 coming from another Italian film genre, Peplum, Most notably, the Roman gladiator games.

From its opening moments, Warriors of the Year 2072 establishes what kind of film it's going to be. And just like Lucio Fulci’s other films from this era, he does not shy away from showing violence in its purest form. With the most memorable moment of violence being a scene where three hoodlums break into a woman’s house, violate her, and kill her.

The performances are best described as serviceable, and there’s an over-the-top quality to most of the performances that works in Warriors of the Year 2072’s favor. Notable cast members include Claudio Cassinelli (Killer Cop) in the role of a megalomaniac TV producer named Cortez and Fred Williamson (Vigilante) doing what he does best: kicking some ass.

From a production standpoint, Lucio Fulci maximizes his limited resources. The premise is well-executed, and a briskly paced narrative ensures there's never a dull moment. Also, the visuals do a great job of reinforcing the mood, and Riz Ortolani delivers a solid score that has a bombastic opening theme. Ultimately, Warriors of the Year 2072 is a highly entertaining film that is a must-see if you're a fan of Lucio Fulci.

Warriors of the Year 2072 gets an excellent release from Severin Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an abundance of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer