What makes it different from others?

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

If you look at IMDb's infamous Bottom 100 list of the lowest rated films of all time closely, you may just notice that a HUGE number of these films have been featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000"-- and that is THE reason they've made the list. This does not necessarily mean that these films are the most horrible ones out there and I have been surprised to see that a few of the MST3K films aren't even that horrible. While "The Final Sacrifice" is bad, films like "Plan 9 From Outer Space" or "The Room" inexplicably never made the list...and should have instead.My verdict for "The Final Sacrifice" is that the film shouldn't be considered for any list for several reasons. While it does suck, the movie was a student film made by some young folks STUDYING to be filmmakers. It also was not released in theaters. Yes, the acting is bad at times, there isn't a lot of plot and the editing, continuity and direction are poor--but so what? It's what it is--a bad student film and nothing more.

Troy McGreggor (Malcolm) is an inquisitive teen who just happens to find a map to a mystical lost city called Ziox while rummaging through some junk in his attic. Unfortunately, an evil cult run by the sinister Satoris (Marceau) want the map to aid them in their quest for world domination. As Troy flees from the cult, he runs into a beer-swilling, chain-smoking, denim-jacketed, mulleted, surly drifter inexplicably named Zap Rowsdower (Mitchell). While Zap is an overweight, embittered alcoholic, Troy is a rail-thin, squeaky-voiced dork. As the original odd couple, they must fend off the cult as they continue their Quest For the Lost City. But what's the secret behind the "Bowtie" tattoo? Find out tonight! Originally titled The Final Sacrifice (that's the title under which it was mocked/popularized by Mystery Science Theater 3000), AIP picked it up and retitled it for its VHS release in the U.S. As part of that, they had to get some models to do some posed shots that have nothing to do with the movie, as often happens with VHS covers of the 80's/early 90's. Those people you see on the cover are certainly not Zap and Troy.To have the character of Troy be the hero is an interesting choice - he's unbelievably skinny, wears a nerdy red sweater with a white-collar shirt underneath the entire movie, and his voice sounds like someone puree-ing a dying bird on High. But then to match him with Zap is just...an amazing decision. This guy is Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force ten years before Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He's such a raving alcoholic, there's actually a scene where Troy fights the cult by using a box of empty bottles of Zap's booze he just happens to have in the back of his pickup truck. Some have guns, some have swords, but Zap was on his way to the bottle return to get his five-cent exchanges. Should be enough to put the kibosh on a sinister cult bent on taking over the planet.You know Satoris is evil because he has a black trenchcoat. This movie once again is ahead of the curve as it predates the trenchcoat mafia. That being said, there is an entirely separate credit for "Satoris' Makeup" during the end credits. His minions are guys in black tank tops and executioner hoods. This may remind you of Bad Taste (1987), where the baddies have blue shirts. But it's a clever move because the masks allow some repetition of goons without the viewer knowing. But the question remains why director/co-writer Tjardus Greidanus thought audiences would rally behind a big-eared dweeb and a bloated hobo as the movie's central heroes.It's Canadian, it's low-budget, and it's somewhat mysterious (that it was edited by "The Flying Dutchman" adds to the mystique). You could tell they were trying, and they got this movie out there. That's commendable. It's more than the people who mean-spiritedly ridicule this movie will ever do (except maybe MST3K).While it's not entirely representative of the AIP canon, and we wouldn't necessarily say to go out of your way to pick this up, if you see it somewhere, like a thrift store or something like that, grab it. It's a lot of fun with a group of pals.For more action insanity, please visit: www.comeuppancereviews.com

Being a devoted fan of MST3K, or Mysty as we call ourselves, I had the opportunity to see this years ago. As an episode, I think it's one of their best. Now, I'll try to do the film justice based on its own merits. Granted the film looks and feels cheaply made, but is that a bad thing? BATTLEFIELD EARTH was made for like a gazillion dollars and it's nowhere near as watchable or enjoyable as this little 78-minute tale. Maybe plot points were too conveniently stumbled upon, but so what? Acting wise, everyone gives their role 110%. In particular, the actor who plays Satoris gives an authentically menacing performance. Opposite him is the good guy drifter named Zap Rowsdower. In between the two is nerdy teen Troy MacGregor. While not as spit and polished as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, I have fun watching it. So have some Canadian bacon and get ready to have a blast!

The Final Sacrifice is not a good film by any means, and the version most of us saw by Mystery Science Theater 3000 is probably the only version we've seen, and that's a good thing too. The film gets rightfully crucified by Mike and the crew and many funny quips permeate throughout the movie until the bitter end. That being said, there's something about this that I find rather charming; maybe it's the deserted Canadian atmosphere, or the fact there's only a few characters, but I almost enjoy the Final Sacrifice on its own. How can you not like Zap Rowsdower and his skinny partner Troy McGreggor? I'm not surehow many others feel like I do, but this came out in 1990, a year that was great for me and maybe that's the reason I have a fondness for this movie. It's one of those "it's so bad it's good" type of films, and it works for me. Just to reiterate, I would strongly recommend watching the MST3K version of this film(not sure a regular version is even available)for the many funny moments.