Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Steel Dawn Blu-ray Movie Review

Desertworld.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 12, 2021

Judging by some of the comments he makes in a commentary track included on this disc as a bonus item, co-producer and director of Steel Dawn Lance Hool probably does not have a copy of The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films in his personal Blu-ray collection. When asked to relay his experiences with Cannon Films and the notorious Menahem Golam and Yoram Globus, suffice it to say that Hool is short and to the point in discussing how negative he felt the two were. Steel Dawn actually wasn't a Cannon release, but if you didn't know that, you might be forgiven for thinking it was. If there are abundant echoes of the Mad Max Anthology at play, kind of humorously, the film comes off almost as the "flip side" of Waterworld, though since this film predated the Costner epic by several years, maybe it would be better to think of Waterworld as being the flip side of Steel Dawn. In this case instead of a world overrun by oceans, things are decidedly drier, though the whose post-Apocalyptic context and even some of the characters may seem virtually interchangeable. That begins with the focal character without a real name, here referred to as Nomad (Patrick Swayze). Nomad roams the desert on a sort of quest for vengeance, but soon runs afoul of a local warlord type named Damnil (Anthony Zerbe), which puts not just Nomad in jeopardy, but also pretty widow Kasha (Lisa Niemi, Swayze's real life wife) and her cute son Jux (Brett Hool, son of the director). This last element brings to mind the most obvious cinematic referent which was obviously on the mind of screenwriter Doug Lefler (one assumes he was not a prophet able to see into the future and reference Waterworld), and that's Shane.

Part of what tends to undercut Steel Dawn is a lack of clear context, and while budgeting didn't seem to be a huge concern for Hool, the film also has a kind of lo-fi ambience that can tend to focus more on character than on the action elements, which may end up making some viewers feel this is too "talky" of an enterprise. That said, the film begins with an interesting if unexplained combat between Nomad and a bunch of desert dwellers who seemingly dwell underneath the desert. Later, Nomad treks across endless dunes to finally end up at what is the post- Apocalpytic version of a homestead run by Kasha.

In true western style, Damnil is trying to run the other settlers out of the valley so that he can have exclusive rights to water, which, while obviously at odds with the underpinning of Waterworld itself, still leaves the character feeling like some predecessor to Deacon played by Dennis Hopper in the other film. Suffice it to say that even Damnil and his various henchmen, including Sho (Christopher Neame), aren't able to overcome the heroic exploits of Nomad. In the meantime, there have of course been romantic sparks between Nomad and Kasha, and little Jux has a new father figure to emulate. (Hool's son playing Jux is rather remarkably similar looking to Brandon deWilde, for what that's worth). But a roamer has to roam, so happily ever after may have to wait, at least romantically speaking, even if all of the bad guys have been dealt with.

Steel Dawn basically bombed at the box office, but it's an okay programmer, with decent performances, but a kind of ludicrous plot that never is able to gain much traction (which would be hard anyway in a desert, and, yes, that's a joke). Hool seems rather proud of the film, stating in his commentary how everyone associated with it wanted to do quality work, but perhaps its greatest contribution was, in Hool's words, giving Swayze an opportunity to appear on screen with the love of his life.

Steel Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Steel Dawn is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the Vestron Video Collector's Series, an imprint of Lionsgate Films, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. As usual with these Vestron Video releases, there's no technical data of any major import on the packaging, other than a generic "remastered" comment. Whatever element was used to source this transfer has some age related issues which are relatively minor but which can detract at times from the viewing experience. While there's no huge damage on display, there are recurrent nicks and especially hairline scratches that show up, unfortunately often most noticeably in the bright outdoor scenes in the desert against glowing blue skies. There's also recurrent damage along the left side of the frame, which can show a slight blanched appearance and often a light scratch running virtually the entire length of the frame. Brightness fluctuations are also evident, again probably most noticeable in the outdoor material, where you can see color temperature change slightly on things like vast areas of sand. All of this said, detail levels tend to be very good, with that aforementioned sand rendered without any issues and looking precise and free of compression anomalies. Close-ups offer good detail on facial features and fabrics of the costumes. There are some definite downgrades in overall clarity in some of the action scenes, notably with what amount to go carts, in scenes I'm assuming may have been handled by a second unit.

Steel Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Steel Dawn features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that provides capable support of the film's often ridiculous dialogue and effects. The score by Brian May, who probably not so coincidentally contributed scores to both Mad Max and The Road Warrior, sounds nicely warm and surprisingly burnished in some of the brass cues in particular. I noticed no outright damage of any kind. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Steel Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Lance Hool is moderated by Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Pictures.


• Interview with Screenwriter Doug Lefler (HD; 17:10)


• Interview with Director of Photography George Tirl (HD; 17:14)


• Interview with Production Designer Alex Tavoularis and Costume Designer Poppy Cannon Reese (HD; 16:15)


• Archival Featurette: Making of Steel Dawn (HD; 25:52)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:29)


• Still Gallery (HD; 4:11)

Additionally a digital copy is included, and packaging features a slipcover.

Steel Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Steel Dawn is perhaps hobbled at times by the very exotic locale it attempts to exploit. It can't have been easy to choreograph fights on dunes of rapidly shifting sands, but even aside from those obstacles, the film simply doesn't provide enough background and context for any of the characters to really resonate. That may not matter all that much in terms of admittedly cartoonish villains, but when an audience is particularly swayed (and/or Swayzed, as the case may be) by the hero and heroine, let alone an adorable little boy, those may be danger signs that something isn't connecting the way it should be. Video has a few hurdles to overcome, but audio is fine, and the supplements very engaging, for those who are considering making a purchase.