Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 4, 2023

Jessie Ventura went from being a professional wrestling personality to being an actor, and during his transition phase, “The Body” managed to find himself acting alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. The pair made a fine mess of things in 1987’s “Predator” and “The Running Man,” and while Ventura was regulated to supporting roles, he managed to make an impression with his size and steely line delivery. Ventura’s dramatic career didn’t exactly take off, but he was offered a chance to follow in Schwarzenegger’s footsteps, with 1990’s “Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe” giving him a chance to play a “Terminator”-type, stepping into the role of an alien cop on the hunt for a villain looking for ultimate power in a tiny New York town during the Christmas season. Helping to reinforce the mood is the casting of Sven-Ole Thorsen as the villain, who also worked alongside Schwarzenegger (even doing time on “Predator” and “The Running Man”), giving the production a battle of size to go along with writer/director Damian Lee’s vision for sci- fi/action entertainment. “Abraxas” is a little too knotted with terms and fantasy touches, especially when Lee barely has money to make the movie, but as an offering of bottom shelf entertainment, one could do worse than a weirdly detailed battle for the future highlighting bulky characters and their struggles with chases, showdowns, and enunciation.

Secundus (Sven-Ole Thorsen) is rogue ex-“Finder,” exiting his home planet of Sargacia on a quest to discover the Anti-Life Equation, which he believes will grant him unlimited power, giving him control of the universe. Looking for a solution, Secundus makes his way to Earth, impregnating Sonia (Marjorie Bransfield), a single woman, with just a touch, and she gives birth right away, bringing Tommy into the world. While a seemingly innocent baby born from extraordinary circumstances, Tommy is also the Culmator, a being of immense power capable of solving the Anti-Life Equation. On the case is Abraxas (Jessie Ventura), Secundus’s ex-partner and a Finder dedicated to his law enforcement job. He’s able to prevent the criminal from causing more trouble, but peace doesn’t last for long. Five years later, Sonia has relocated to small town New York, trying to make a life with Tommy, who remains healthy but refuses to speak. After breaking out of custody, Secundus returns to Earth to acquire the Culmator, only he doesn’t know the identity of the boy, electing to kill the locals until he finds what he’s looking for. On his trail is Abraxas, who follows his foe to Earth once again, this time bonding with Sonia and Tommy, looking to protect them from Secundus, who’s making a mess of the area, with Sheriff Sharp (Michael Cooperman) and Deputy Johnny (David Mitchell) unable to protect the community.

“Abraxas” has the feel of a sci-fi novel brought to the screen, with Lee looking to supply a complicated understanding of this world, which is filled with terms that aren’t immediately understood, situations that aren’t explained, and characters who’ve been locked in conflict long before the story begins. The viewing experience feels like reading a book with the first few chapters torn out, with Abraxas introduced in the midst of a painful process to reinforce his skeletal structure, giving him renewed thickness to help take down Secundus, who was once a trusted partner and is now a top enemy. There’s a home planet in Sargacia and a timeline that begins 10,000 years ago, but Lee doesn’t have the cash to manage all that. He keeps “Abraxas” to Earthly events, taking the action to a small community, with alien interests monitored by Sargacia leaders Dar (Lee) and Hite (Jerry Levitan), who provide commentary to help understand the various missions. Post-production aid is also supplied by narration from Abraxas, suggesting Lee’s initial cut of the picture was too confusing to follow.

“Abraxas” settles into a groove in its second act, dealing with the identity of the Culmator, and troubles with travel warps, and assistance from answer boxes, which are miniature computers attached to Finder arms, giving them information when needed and, in Abraxas’s case, challenging their every decision, adding kooky banter to the movie. Lee tries to maintain as much action as his budget will allow, putting Secundus on the lookout for Tommy, while Abraxas occasionally interrupts the quest, allowing the space cops to toss each other around various forests, homes, and industrial areas. Sonia’s also around, but her arc doesn’t add up to much, especially when the writing starts to bring her closer to Abraxas for some light romantic feelings, strengthening the alien’s desire to keep Tommy alive and protect Earth.

There’s some oddity in the feature, which has Secundus touring the area, killing those who can’t answer the Anti-Life Equation and harassing local women. Abraxas arrives on the planet with a rat tail and sudden love of humanity after being a Finder for over 10,000 years. And there’s the presence of the two local cops, who remain one step behind the action, with Deputy Johnny suddenly brandishing an Uzi to deal with the Secundus problem. Perhaps the strangest addition to an already strange film is a cameo by Jim Belushi as Tommy’s elementary school principal. However, he’s not playing just an average school official, but reprising his character from “The Principal,” complete with baseball bat in the background. Why? Who knows. Belushi was married to Bransfield at this time, but that doesn’t explain why Rick Latimer from the 56th highest grossing picture of 1987 was resurrected for “Abraxas.”

Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation carries no information on the packaging, but a press release lists the source as a "New 2K master from the best surviving elements." The viewing experience has some softness to it, but detail is present, offering an acceptable view of skin particulars and cold weather clothing. Business and domestic interiors carry some degree of depth and decoration. Small town tours and rural battles are also passably dimensional. Color is acceptable, enjoying the natural liveliness of Christmas hues and winterscapes. Home visits are also filled with varied primaries, along with clothing choices. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source has some damaged frames, and scratches are present, with some quite lengthy.

Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA track deals with the inherent limitations of "Abraxas," which was never a shining example of audio recording and mixing. The listening event is more passable than powerful, offering a slightly muddier sound for the feature, which struggles with its limited budget. Dialogue exchanges are intelligible, but never sharp, keeping conversations basic. Music is also simple, with a milder sense of instrumentation as scoring cues range from jazzy numbers to synth emphasis. Elements of age are detected, along with a few points of damage.

Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Trailer (1:03, HD) is included.

Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Abraxas" tries to create its own world of machine-like men and their lust for power, also offering tests of strength and endurance. There's a defined villain and hero, and while Ventura and Thorsen struggle with their lines, they offer a distinct screen presence in a film that's mostly out to entertain with its sci-fi strangeness. It's not quality work, but for those itching for some junky B-movie antics and pleasant winter adventuring, there's some appeal to this nonsense.