Funny, I went to an Anniversary screening of a 35mm print of this in June and Director Hal Needham didn't even know about this DVD coming out. Below is my write-up on the screening.
One caveat I've heard about the DVD is that the company releasing it - Hen's Tooth - has a pi$$ poor reputation.
Check out the Amazon reviews. Hen's Tooth "strikes" again it seems, sadly:
http://www.amazon.com/Megaforce-Barry-B ... DescendingMy notes on the MEGAFORCE screening:
Sun Jun 24 --
Last night, the New Beverly Cinema in L.A. ran a 30th Anniversary screening of MEGAFORCE. Director Hal Needham was in attendence, as were two of the surviving vehicles used in the film. An pretty good 35mm print to boot! Amazingly, the event sold out a couple of days in advance. Mr. Needham is getting up there in years, but he seemed genuinly appreciative of the turnout and the boisterous reception. He did a Q&A afterwards. Plus, they showed a brief bio reel of his career.
As the film itself. Nobody can say its any great shakes, but, it really was a lot of fun with a crowd tuned-in to its cult appeal. The hair styles, costumes and campy acting is entertaining, as are some of the unintentionally slapdash special effects. Hard to believe MEGAFORCE came out 5 years after STAR WARS & CE3K and the same
month as both BLADE RUNNER and E.T.! And, that flying motorcycle gag is something to see on the big screen (Spoiler NOTE: Do not watch if you haven't seen the movie):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1NpZxn860MThe Q&A:
How MEGAFORCE came to be: Needham said he and producer Al Ruddy saw something workable in the script but they completely re-wrote it to make it more exciting and comical. Needham insisted it was intended as a "comedy action picture!" Ruddy and Needham got the money from Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest.
The Vehicles: William Frederick and his team brought a test vehicle to the studio and Needham asked if the missles worked. They said it did, and Needham asked for them to just fire one of the dummy missles at the outside wall of a studio. They did, and it blew a hole right through and kicked up so much smoke that the fire department had to come out!
The Costumes: The audience got QUITE the kick out of the tight fitting uniforms that clung to every uh...crack and protuberance...especially, of star Barry Bostwick! Needham defended the design, "I picked them out! And, I liked them!" Needham went on to say that as an ex-military man himself, he wanted to get away from the baggy pants and huge pockets soldiers usually wear.
The Budget and Sequels: Needham's wife, Ellyn Wynne Williams, said it cost $20 million (quite a figure back then - E.T. cost barely half that). Needham admitted that the film didn't do well enough at the box office to justify a sequel as had his SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT and CANNONBALL RUN films. But, he added, that "MEGAFORCE has a quite a following."
The Cast: Persis Khambatta was suggested by the casting agency and Needham remembers seeing her with her bald head look. He thought she was wearing a wig when they met, but he liked her and thought she did well with the role. He said that he instructed the actors to "just go for it and have fun with it!" Especially, Henry Silva.
Will MEGAFORCE come out on DVD?: Needham says he knows "nothing" about a DVD release, and has no control over the rights. EDIT: Apparently, Hen's Tooth has announced they will be putting this out. Unfortunately, the company has a poor reputation for quality.
How SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT happened: Needham was doubling Burt Reynolds on LUCKY LADY and the Coors beer in his hotel fridge kept being stolen by his maid. He confronted the woman, and she said she had to steal Coors because it was illegal to import East of the Mississippi. "It's like bootlegging," she pleaded. Needham said that was his flashbulb moment that inspired his script which he brought to Reynolds.
On whether he had any regrets about his stunt work: "Only 56 times - the number of broken bones!" Needham exclaimed.
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