SolarbabiesRevolutions can have unlikely--even alien--beginnings. Solarbabies is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie about a group of teenagers who spend their nights sneaking out for games of skateball--a mix of lacrosse and street hockey. During the day, they are indoctrinated with propaganda from the paradoxically named Eco-Protectorate, a paramilitary force run by the sadistic Strictor Grock (Richard Jordan). When the team mascot, Daniel (Lukas Haas), escapes into an abandoned mine after being chased by the E-Cops, he discovers a glowing, sentient orb named Bohdai--a magical, intergalactic being which holds the secret for saving this desiccated Earth from annihilation.
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Most of the back story of Solarbabies is implied, leaving the audience to fill in the blanks about what ecological disaster turned this world into an endless desert, where water is more precious than gold. When the teens are being indoctrinated in their classes, they are shown videos promoting the Protectorate as heroes powerfully smiting the presumably defunct "Eco Warriors". The Eco Warriors are depicted as terrorists, although it's clear that the teenagers don't really buy the phony dramatization. The narrator and warden of the orphanage/prison (Charles Durning) opens the film by describing the year as "New Time, Year 41", speaking to an ecological and political paradigm shift. The warden narrates that he remembers a time when the Earth flowed with rivers and waterfalls, and recalls a myth known to a tribe of natives called the Tchigani. In the legend, an orb called the "Sphere of Longinus" is supposed to appear and restore the Earth, which threatens the stranglehold the Protectorate has over the world. The Protectorate is corrupt and their greed in monopolizing water only makes the world a more horrible place, in turn ensuring their power. The fey-like Daniel's discovery of Bohdai is a dramatic change for the "Solarbabies"--the unusual name the team of skateball players have taken for their own which is never justified in the film. Had Bohdai not revealed its magical powers to Daniel, they might have just gone on playing unauthorized games at night and going nowhere with their lives. Jason (Jason Patric)--arguably the leader of the pack--is intrigued by Bohdai, and after touching it, is given a vision of a better world. When Bohdai is taken away by the aloof Tchigani-born Darstar (Adrian Pasdar), Daniel escapes to find his alien friend; and after Jason's girlfriend, Terra (Jami Gertz), tells the others he has fled, the rest of the Solarbabies follow after him. This rebellion against the tyranny of the Protectorate is also the first real act of maturity by the teenagers. Jason, Terra, and the others are harried by the Grock's malevolent stormtroopers, including his bratty protegee, Gavial (Peter Kowanko), in their selfless quest to save an alien being that they hardly know. Even when the Solarbabies find refuge when they make contact with the surviving Eco Warriors, Jason and Daniel both know that the only way to make the Earth whole again is to rescue Bodhai from Grock's evil clutches.
The history behind Solarbabies is a strange one, about as strange as the movie itself. The film was originally the brainchild of none other than Mel Brooks, who pitched it with the intent of making a low-budget sci-fi adventure. However, the production and budget eventually spiraled out of control, pressing Mel Brooks (as producer) to personally finance millions of dollars of his own money into the movie; regretfully, Solarbabies turned out to be a commercial (and critical) flop. Solarbabies is unquestionably derivative, often described as "Mad Max on roller skates"--there are even a pair of unkempt Aussie bounty hunters as well. The tension at the orphanage between Jason and Gavial over Terra's affections is stock Eighties-era teen drama transplanted into this future wasteland, and the skateball match which opens the film feels like a superficial detail to depict youthful excitement. Aside from a few notoriously scary scenes and the complex ecological and fascistic themes, it's clear that the audience for Solarbabies is for kids around Daniel's age. When the Solarbabies take Bohdai out to play a game of skateball with it, the scene plays out as a kind of child-like fantasy; all the older kids are acting goofy and having a good time, forgetting about the problems on the horizon for a moment. Daniel's unique connection to Bodhai--who also restores his hearing to him--makes him into a kind of savant in Solarbabies, a wise innocent who is brave and kind--also an appealing protagonist for younger viewers. Daniel is arguably the most realistic character in the film, especially compared with Grock, who struts around in padded military garb and sunglasses while waiving his threatening, fiery pointer like a riding crop, looking the part of a third-world dictator. His cohort in the seemingly arbitrary torture of Bohdai is Shandray, played by Sarah Douglas; Eighties film aficionados will recognize her as Ursa from Superman II. She is typecast in Solarbabies as an icy and cruel villainess, and is so mean that she has even crafted an evil robot named Terminac, who she claims enjoys being sadistic as it tries to crack Bodhai's crunchy outer shell. The romance between Jason Patric's and Jami Gertz's characters is a common trope in movies like Solarbabies, and would be revisited later in The Lost Boys. There are some visual motifs which help make Solarbabies more distinct; for example, the flashlights affixed to the fronts of the roller skates the Solarbabies always seem to be wearing. (The intimidating guard dogs at the "Aqua Bunker" have these same lights fastened to their heads.) Even the E-Police's off-road vehicles and transports look a bit like roaches scurrying across the desert sands. It is no coincidence that Bodhai's name is close to "bodhi", which has many connotations in Buddhism, but generally means "enlightenment" or "to be at one with nature". This is fitting since Bohdai "enlightens" Daniel and the rest, helping them find their place while overthrowing the Protectorate and restoring balance to the world.
Recommended for: Fans of an unusual sci-fi story about a world that has been leeched dry by a fascist regime, and whose only hope rests with an unlikely band of tenacious kids and their benevolent alien ally. Although there is little that is original about Solarbabies, the innocent charm and futuristic setting that lets the audience fill in the blanks makes it an entertaining yarn, especially for younger children.
The history behind Solarbabies is a strange one, about as strange as the movie itself. The film was originally the brainchild of none other than Mel Brooks, who pitched it with the intent of making a low-budget sci-fi adventure. However, the production and budget eventually spiraled out of control, pressing Mel Brooks (as producer) to personally finance millions of dollars of his own money into the movie; regretfully, Solarbabies turned out to be a commercial (and critical) flop. Solarbabies is unquestionably derivative, often described as "Mad Max on roller skates"--there are even a pair of unkempt Aussie bounty hunters as well. The tension at the orphanage between Jason and Gavial over Terra's affections is stock Eighties-era teen drama transplanted into this future wasteland, and the skateball match which opens the film feels like a superficial detail to depict youthful excitement. Aside from a few notoriously scary scenes and the complex ecological and fascistic themes, it's clear that the audience for Solarbabies is for kids around Daniel's age. When the Solarbabies take Bohdai out to play a game of skateball with it, the scene plays out as a kind of child-like fantasy; all the older kids are acting goofy and having a good time, forgetting about the problems on the horizon for a moment. Daniel's unique connection to Bodhai--who also restores his hearing to him--makes him into a kind of savant in Solarbabies, a wise innocent who is brave and kind--also an appealing protagonist for younger viewers. Daniel is arguably the most realistic character in the film, especially compared with Grock, who struts around in padded military garb and sunglasses while waiving his threatening, fiery pointer like a riding crop, looking the part of a third-world dictator. His cohort in the seemingly arbitrary torture of Bohdai is Shandray, played by Sarah Douglas; Eighties film aficionados will recognize her as Ursa from Superman II. She is typecast in Solarbabies as an icy and cruel villainess, and is so mean that she has even crafted an evil robot named Terminac, who she claims enjoys being sadistic as it tries to crack Bodhai's crunchy outer shell. The romance between Jason Patric's and Jami Gertz's characters is a common trope in movies like Solarbabies, and would be revisited later in The Lost Boys. There are some visual motifs which help make Solarbabies more distinct; for example, the flashlights affixed to the fronts of the roller skates the Solarbabies always seem to be wearing. (The intimidating guard dogs at the "Aqua Bunker" have these same lights fastened to their heads.) Even the E-Police's off-road vehicles and transports look a bit like roaches scurrying across the desert sands. It is no coincidence that Bodhai's name is close to "bodhi", which has many connotations in Buddhism, but generally means "enlightenment" or "to be at one with nature". This is fitting since Bohdai "enlightens" Daniel and the rest, helping them find their place while overthrowing the Protectorate and restoring balance to the world.
Recommended for: Fans of an unusual sci-fi story about a world that has been leeched dry by a fascist regime, and whose only hope rests with an unlikely band of tenacious kids and their benevolent alien ally. Although there is little that is original about Solarbabies, the innocent charm and futuristic setting that lets the audience fill in the blanks makes it an entertaining yarn, especially for younger children.