In a quixotesque quest to know everything cyberpunk, I have browsed the list of movies tagged “Cyberpunk” in IMDB. Don’t. Most movies in there are not even cyberpunk (Avatar? seriously?). Neon Dystopia’s movie database is way more comprehensive. Stick to it.
Nevertheless, I stumbled upon Vicious Lips, 1986 effort by Albert Pyun of Cyborg and Nemesis sort-of fame.
Set in an unspecified future, the movie tells the story of an all-female rock band, Vicious Lips, struggling to get their big break. The cast is a Breakfast Club rogues gallery : Judy the ingenue singer recruited straight from an high school talent show following the expeditive death of the previous singer, Bree the can-do tom-boyish guitarist, Mandaa the mean bassist with rough edges and Wynzi the fashion victim synth player. And let’s not forget the incompetent, annoying, high pitched voice, Woody-Allen lookalike manager for comic relief. The girls finally get an offer to play Maxine’s Radioactive Dream, the club that makes-them-or-breaks-them. The problem is: the club is on the other side of the galaxy, and the tyrannical Maxine wants the band for tomorrow or else… So the manager steals a spaceship and speeds through the undefined “forbidden zone” as a shortcut. Of course, they crash. Of course, they land on Planet Passion, a world that musters nightmares. And of course, there is a very dangerous criminal/monster in the cargo bay, locked in a very easily breakout-able maximum security holding cell. Will the girls come to terms with their differences and make it on time?
The message of the movie is something straight out of the Wonderful World of Corporate Childhood Exploitation: The girls will have to follow their dream, as one of the first songs in the movie says, and work together to achieve their dream, because if they don’t believe in their dream, it will turn into a nightmare on Planet Passion. And the dream should be fulfilled, of course, at Maxine’s Radioactive DREAM. Got it?
Despite all of the above, the movie is quite enjoyable. The symbolism might be straightforward but it is consistent and coherent, and the scenario is accordingly linear, which is refreshing in a world of confused and blurry pseudo-deep sci-fi epics.
The movie opens up with the worst acting performance I’ve ever seen, but fortunately it gets better. Not by much, but enough to focus on the story instead of the bad acting. The songs, honest New Wave with the optimism and winner-attitude typical of the mid-80’s, are not as bad as I wish they were.
Should I confess that I’ve even looked for their real-life performers on Discogs? Anyways, as b-movies go, I’ve seen much worse.
But is it cyberpunk? Well, it’s a sci-fi flick for the early MTV-obsessed generation, for starters. The “pirates” and “ghouls” from Planet Passion got the looks right, as do the set design, lighting and crowd of the club scenes. And the girls got their mirrorshades, all right.
There is not much high tech, save the ridiculous “futuristic” guitars and the cardboard spaceship, but there is plenty of low life, as Vicious Lips are down on their luck, struggling with money, drugs, wigs, bad equipment and a crooked manager.
The movie also captures the band-trying-to-break-through spirit quite well. Ups and downs, creative differents, ego duels, lying manager… It’s all cliché but why not? And even the killer on the loose, hot on their heels in the wreck of their spaceship, is not enough to stop the girls from talking shop, as they literally try to figure how to make it to the top while running away.
Fun fact : there is a brief appearance of a woman with three (bare) breasts, a full 4 years before Total Recall. And the annoying manager eventually gets eaten alive by “sand sirens” – that is : bleached blondes wearing only slim strips of fabric that would not qualify as “clothes” on any planet that I know of.
So is Vicious Lips worth watching? It’s a coin toss. If you dig 80’s b-movies that are fuzzy about whether they are intended as comedy or not, have a soft spot for New Wave girls, or have time to spare, then sure, it’s fun. If you are not so much into inspirational allegories of teamwork, but look for something more chunky, like, say, a paradigm-shifting reflexion on post-humanity… well… you probably won’t find that in there.
Vicious Lips – 5/10
If you’d like to acquire a copy for your self to add to your collection of Albert Pyun films, you can get a copy here.
Some of the links included in this article are Amazon affiliate links. If you would like to purchase these items, consider using the links provided and help support Neon Dystopia.