It’s time to get locked up with the key thrown away as we look at these essential sci-fi prison movies…
Some sub-genres seem to prove hugely popular. Whether it’s the Die Hard copycat or an Alien riff, some concepts lend themselves to being rejigged, reheated and served as new.
There are prison movies which have always been a reliable go-to, not least a film like The Shawshank Redemption, oft listed as an all-time favourite among film fans. However, what if you take that concept, a lead driven by their desire to escape, and plunge everything into the heady arena of sci-fi?
It gives you license to include such tropes as exploding head collars and technologically advanced prisons of the future. The humble sci-fi prison movie has given us a cavalcade of enjoyably schlocky B-movie thrills. Here are eight essential sci-fi prison movies…
No Escape
From director Martin Campbell comes a brilliantly elevated slice of B-movie fun. It’s the kind of concept seen a lot in the video market, backed by a beefily moderate budget and cast that includes leading man Ray Liotta, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon, Lance Henriksen, Michael Lerner, and Ernie Hudson.
Liotta is dumped on a prison island where two warring convict tribes exist, one led by Wilson (the nefarious, power-mad leader) and the other, Henriksen. Intent on escape but navigating the treacherous surroundings, inescapable island and Wilson’s attacking tribe, Liotta has his work cut out.
It could be so forgettable, but Campbell’s adept action direction, some great photography and superb set piece editing keep this one chugging along. At a shade below 2 hours, it’s a bit middle-heavy, but No Escape is a lot of fun.
The Running Man
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star vehicle (very loose) adaptation of the Stephen King book packs every Arnold-ism you could want from the peak era Austrian Oak. We’re about to see Edgar Wright’s new retelling of the story, which will stay a touch more faithful to King’s original novel, so it’ll be interesting to see if it can trade blows with Arnold’s version.
Truth be told, this is in the upper echelon of Arnie’s second tier level, but it’s still oodles of wisecracking, comically violent fun. As Ben Richards, Arnold is the chopper pilot framed for murder and dumped into a huge gladiatorial prison arena where convicts battle the gladiators, hoping to survive.
The villainous gladiators themselves, including Jesse Ventura, are all larger than life, whilst the film’s satirical edge adds to the appeal, even if it’s never quite as wryly astute as Robocop, for example. Likewise, whilst Arnold worked with helmers like Cameron, McTiernan, Milius, Hill and Verhoven during those glory days, Paul Michael Glaser is somewhat functional by comparison.
Spoiler
British action man Gary Daniels did pretty well as a video market ass kicker with a number of kickboxing-heavy films through the 90s. Let it not be said he didn’t try to branch out, though, as seen with Jeff Burr’s Spoiler.
This sci-fi prison movie has Daniels sentenced to serve years in cryo-sleep as the dystopian punishment of this piece. He forgoes the usual complex, high-kicking fight choreography, playing a more grounded everyman whose perpetual escape attempts, to try and see his daughter, only lead to capture and extended sentences. Inevitably, his once little girl becomes an old woman (meanwhile, having been in cryo-stasis, Daniels remains the same age).
Despite the low budget, there are some reasonably solid effects, the story is engaging, and Daniels pushes himself. He’s not Laurence Olivier by any means, but he’s giving it his best swing here, adding plenty of sincerity. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Combs, Brian Genesse and Meg Foster provide some solid support.
Fortress
Chistoper Lambert seemed to revel as a B-picture specialist, jumping between action, fantasy and sci-fi through the 90s. Occasionally, the better films had solid if unspectacular theatrical releases, including Fortress.
After breaking the single-child policy, Lambert and his wife are thrown into an inescapable futuristic prison. Everything is overseen by an unscrupulous warden played by Kurtwood Smith, who is no slouch when it comes to Sci-fi villainy.
This one has plenty to enjoy, ticking off the usual prison movie trappings with a few twists and its Sci-fi angle. Lambert, as per usual, is an engaging hero, and the film definitely benefits from having a director like Stuart Gordon (his long-time collaborator Jeffrey Combs, also appears) orchestrating.
Escape Plan
Taking more than a leaf or two out of Fortress’ book, Escape Plan was promised as the ultimate Stallone and Schwarzenegger team-up that fans had long awaited. The concept, not necessarily in a bad way, felt wholly outdated by 2013, and more akin to the kind of B-movie you’d have seen during the Blockbuster Video heyday of the 90s.
While its iconic leads were perhaps a little long in the tooth, the film still benefits from the undoubted star power, even though Schwarzenegger gets the juicier role and steals the movie. As with many of Sly’s 90s pictures (that this almost feels like a lost relic from), his decision to play a pretty two-dimensionally straight down the middle character leaves him in the shade of Arnold’s more colourful rival and totally blown away by Jim Caviezel, whose villain is probably the biggest highlight.
With some pretty lacklustre films between Sly and Arnold in the 21st-century era, it should be said that Escape Plan, being engaging and solid, feels like a win. Genre aficionados and fans of the respective stars will definitely not want to escape this one.
Cube
Vincenzo Natali’s brilliant low-budget sci-fi breakout made great use of a single set and clever recolouring and dressing. Unconnected strangers wake in a cube that has four exits (left, right, up and down). Soon they realise they’re one cube inside something akin to a giant Rubik’s cube, and some cubes within are laden with deadly booby traps.
They attempt to escape and try to unlock the secret behind this deadly prison. Incredibly simple but imaginative, with some delightfully gruesome and effective death scenes, Cube has had sequels and a Japanese reboot, none of which are a patch on this (but in fairness, are all still enjoyable).
Wedlock
Take a little sprinkle of The Running Man and chuck in an extra twist, and you have Wedlock. After being betrayed by his partner (Joan Chen), Frank (Rutger Hauer) is thrown into a high-tech prison and, like the other inmates, given an explosive collar to wear. It’s simple, stray too far from an inmate with a collar matched to yours, and…boom!
Hauer had the innate gift of starring in some of the daftest films and numerous low-budget sci-fi films, while always being able to elevate them. Hauer was always magnetic, and here is no exception as he finds himself tethered to Mimi Rogers. Lewis Teague, a genre specialist, keeps it all moving at pace and the cast are great. Every prison film needs a hiss-worthy Warden, and Stephen Tobolowsky delivers with aplomb.
Alien 3
What could make a prison more dangerous than merely dealing with its unsavoury convicts? Why, throwing a Xenomorph into it, of course! That’s the deal with Alien 3, the contentious and divisive sequel that launched David Fincher.
Ripley (the inimitable Sigourney Weaver) is rescued after the events of Aliens and brought to the nearest inhabitable place, which happens to be a prison planet. Unfortunately, she’s brought an Alien with her, which begins rampaging.
Despite its undeniable faults and the fact that it wears its studio/director friction on its sleeve, Alien 3 still has a lot of high points. Firstly, it looks great. The predominantly British cast is solid, if a tad underdeveloped, and Weaver is excellent. At least it’s better than Alien: Resurrection!
What’s your favourite sci-fi prison movie? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
