''Omega Doom'' is a 1996 American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

action film directed by

Albert Pyun Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director who made low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. The Independent Film Channel said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budge ...

and starring

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

. It was written by Pyun and

Ed Naha Ed Naha (born June 10, 1950) is an American science fiction and mystery writer and producer. His first known publication was artwork that appeared in the first issue of ''Modern Monsters'' magazine, dated June 1966. Education and early career ...

. The story, set in a

dystopian future A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493) ...

, concerns a robot warrior who, during a nuclear winter, plays both sides of a robot

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

in a small town. The film is mostly based on '' Yojimbo'' by

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

, and it was the third movie in Pyun's " ''Cyborg'' Trilogy". It is considered a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

Plot

At the end of a

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

between humans and robots, a

nuclear bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

was detonated and a Dark Age begun, without technology or electricity. On the last day of the war, as the nuclear bombs are detonating, one of the robots, Omega Doom, is shot in his head by a dying soldier. The shot causes Doom's programming for the destruction of mankind to be erased. After the world was cleared of humanity by the cyborgs, only the cyborgs and robots remain. Some time later, Omega Doom arrives at a destroyed city, where he encounters an unusual community of robots and roms (newer and more advanced robots), who are in conflict. At the city Omega Doom finds there are two remaining peaceful robots - a former nanny who now works as a bartender and the head of a former teacher, whom the other robots use as a ball. Omega Doom helps The Head find a body and tells Doom about a rumored stock of hidden weapons. Both the robots and the roms want these weapons in order to continue the destruction of the remaining humans. Eventually, Omega Doom gets the robots to promise to destroy the roms in exchange for half of the weapons; but he also proposes the same deal to the roms. The robots and the roms end up fighting each other, ensuring their mutual destruction. Afterwards, Doom leaves the last two peaceful robots (The Bartender and The Head) and the one remaining rom in charge of the city and continues his wandering.

Cast

as Omega Doom *

Anna Katarina Anna Katarina is a Swiss actress. Early life and family Anna Katarina is the daughter of cellists from Bern, Switzerland, where she was born. She is a classically trained pianist. Career She came to the US in her twenties whereupon she join ...

as The Bartender *

Norbert Weisser Norbert Weisser (born July 9, 1946) is a German-born actor based in the US. Based in Venice, California, he is a founding member of Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, the ProVisional Theater, and the Padua Playwrights Festival. A long-time collaborator ...

as The Head *

Shannon Whirry Shannon Whirry is an American actress. Career A native from Green Lake, Wisconsin, where she was the salutatorian of her 1983 high school graduating class, in 1985 Whirry was accepted to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of onl ...

as Zed, Droid Leader * Simon Poland as Zed Too, Droid * Jahi Zuri as Marko, Droid * Earl White as Titus, Droid * Tina Coté as Blackheart, Rom Leader * Jill Pierce as Zinc, Rom * Cynthia Ireland as Ironface, Rom * Jozef Apolen as The Scientist

Production

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957) is a French-American actor, producer, and novelist. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally famous for portraying T ...

was considered for the lead role before Rutger Hauer was cast. The screenplay written by Albert Pyun and Ed Naha was originally set in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, at

EuroDisney Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...

. The characters were supposed to be an

animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

's figures who continue to operate after a

global catastrophe A global catastrophic risk or a doomsday scenario is a hypothetical future event that could damage human well-being on a global scale, even endangering or destroying modern civilization. An event that could cause human extinction or permanen ...

. Each "Zone" was the domain of the animatronic characters who were part of that same zone's theme. ''Omega Doom'' was originally built to be part of a new exhibit at EuroDisney established around the ''Terminator'' franchise, and the entire setting was within the theme park.

Reception

Critical response

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

'' rated it 1/4 stars and wrote, "''Omega Doom'' is merely an exercise in reviving moldy sci-fi cliches from their familiar genre graves." Keith Bailey of the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...

'' rated it 1/5 stars and called the film's action sequences "so poorly directed as to be incomprehensible". Nathan Rabin of '' The A.V. Club'' wrote, "In addition to being incompetently written and directed, ''Omega Doom'' is also laughably pretentious".

References

External links

* * {{Yojimbo 1996 films 1990s science fiction action films American robot films American science fiction action films Apocalyptic films American post-apocalyptic films Films directed by Albert Pyun Largo Entertainment films Cyborg (film series) 1990s English-language films 1990s American films