Future World

A low-rent, post-apocalyptic sci-fi tale that doesn't succeed as either homage or parody of such obvious inspirations as the Mad Max series, Future World proves as original as its title.

Franco and Cheung's unorthodox approach of directing almost the entire film in random, nomadic Steadicam shots with wobbly zooms alienates the simplistic plot.

I'd say it looked like what Corky St. Clair of "Waiting for Guffman" would come up with if he had a mind to make a "Mad Max: Fury Road" knockoff, but that would be insulting to Corky St. Clair.

One can imagine Franco and his buddies seeing The Bad Batch or watching Mad Max: Fury Road, renting some motor bikes and dirtying some clothes, and then realizing they forgot to write an actual movie.

Franco's film really is awful, but it's also weirdly watchable - if only for Jovovich's eye-popping turn and for the spectacle of Waterhouse stomping through the desert with her catwalk-model strut.

The look and feel of the post apocalyptic world is tired and uninspired. The synthetic plot line is derivative of Cherry 2000, which is a vastly superior film in every way.

It reeks of teenage boy fantasy, rife with female objectification, meaningless action, and a lack of substance.

'Mad Max' it's not, yet tries to be. But it lacks creativity -- and quirky costumes like that film. Instead, it's all so very grim.

There's not much of a resolution for "Future World," but at least it ends, finally concluding an insufferable, disjointed, and unoriginal effort.