Imagine taking the left over set designs from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1990 Total Recall, combining it with some B-quality special effects, and then bringing in C-list actors all to create a pretty fun low-budget sci-fi movie. This is basically a prison movie set in the future with all the standard prison tropes that most of these types of movies have but updated with futuristic technology and a creepy voyeurism.
Nearly every idea here was ripped off from countless other movies and was done better elsewhere. And yet, the synergy of the parts of this film amount to something better as a whole. It’s not high concept entertainment but there are lots of memorable scenes, the film did a lot with its limited budget, Christopher Lambert is good as the lead (although Arnold was originally cast and would have been better), and there are some nice supporting characters.
What really sets this one apart though is its social commentary on incarceration, fascism, and surveillance. A lot of the ideas explored in the film were actually incredibly ahead of their time. Fun action movie with some interesting subtext.