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Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)

Cast:

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is Sam "Hell" Hellman
Sandahl "Conan's squeeze from Conan the Barbarian" Bergman is Spangle
Rory "Farmer Vincent from Motel Hell" Calhoun is Looney Toons
William Smith is Captain Devlin

What the box says:

The recent nuclear apocalpyse has dratically reduced the male population and made most humans sterile. Spangle sends Sam Hell into Frogland, the mutant wasteland, to impregnate as many fertile women as he can. Once there, he learns the mutant mayor, Toty, has kid-napped eight human womenfor his harem. Now, Hell's mission is to rescue Spangle and the harem from this supreme mutant...the ambassador of death.


Plot:

Narration tells us that a nuclear war ruined the planet. It was a little mistake though.

10 years after the war, a model of the Statue of Liberty is taken away from a heavily cloaked man and taunted by the punk. This masked, cloaked man is a greener. He pulls a gun and kills the punk. We hear a frog ribbit. I don’t think when the title is Hell Comes to Frogtown I’m spoiling anything by saying this was a mutant frog.

The credits roll. Our star is “ROWDY” Roddy Piper. This is a sign, my legion, of quality. Roddy is Sam “Hell” Hellman.

Sam is in a chair. Captain Devlin is pretty irate at Sam, breaks a bottle over his head. Sam was a little “friendly” with Devlin’s daughter. 2 representatives of Med Tech arrive to take Sam. Sam is one of the most potent males on the planet. No ego-stroking joke can be made near a potent male. Pine Sol Lady, well she looks like the Pine Sol Lady, takes Sam away. Devlin is demoted and tries killing Sam once more. He’s stopped by Spangle, the sexy-type ninja nurse. Devlin will get Sam someday.

Sam is in the Med Tech lab adorned with anti birth control messages. Sam is wearing the codpiece which is property of the provisional government. Med Tech will pardon Sam if he helps impregnate women in the Wastelands. It’s a dangerous job but, Sam is the man for the job. The Dirty Dozen were sent on a suicide mission for a pardon while Roddy Piper must introduce women to the “Hot Rod”.

The war reduced the male population by 68%. The codpiece will be kept on Sam. It’s under government contract now.

A television report is briefing Med Tech personnel. Mutant Greeners have kept several hostages. Weapons came from Frogtown.

Sam has to ride in a pink Studebaker with a machine gun on the roof of it. Spangle and Corporal Centinella are to accompany Sam. They ride to the Wastelands while a women’s choir hums “Johnny Comes Marching Home.” Spangle is glad to have Sam along. They arrive at a border guard station actually manned with men. They are commanded by Devlin, who threatens to kill them. That is until Centinella womans (not mans) the machine gun on the Studebaker. It’s now a Mexican standoff. They are waved through. The mutants have fertile women using them for hostages and a harem. These women must be rescued.


Refueling the Studebaker, it’s pink… Sam doesn’t want to go to Frogtown. He heads off to drain the lizard and runs off. After a certain distance, the codpiece starts beeping and, Sam falls over in extreme agony. Spangle turns it off, there’s a bomb in the codpiece. And if he doesn’t…No, I refuse to do Speed joke about how the bomb will detonate if he doesn’t deliver the goods so many times an hour….Spangle controls the bomb.

That night, camp is set up. Sam is ready to hit the hay. Spangle readies herself for bed. Apparently, she wants the “Hot Rod” and then activates the electro-codpiece. She’s trying to keep him “happy” to increase his potency. Possibly one of the greatest examples of c0cK TeAsEs in movies. Spangle storms off to her tent because Sam is angry that his family jewels were electrocuted. Centinella is watching this with amusement.

Later that night, Lara Croft prototype, Centinella is out of her type form fitting uniform wanting to experience the “Hot Rod” for herself. She’s infertile. Sweet lovin’ would ensue except Spangle interrupts. c0cK TeAsE.

Next day, they enter the mutant reservation. The plan consists of getting into the reservation. Sam has no say, signing a contract earlier. Drop him off and drive on. The stinger strikes again. Sam marches to their camp. Motion sensor sounds, they get in the Studebaker to track it. It’s a fertile woman. She doesn’t talk to Spangle. Sam tries to be friendlier not in that way. Spangle injects with her with a tranquilizer. Sam will do his duty now. Spangle orders Sam to go at it. He’s not too happy about performing like that. Spangle tries to get him “fired” up. Ever want to see Sandahl Bergman try erotic dancing for a professional wrestler? This is your one chance…Sam will do what a man’s gotta do. Spangle is embarrassed. Sam and fertile woman go at it. His heart isn’t in it, Eww, gross. His heart in it would be nasty.

A mutant is watching them. The next morning, Sam is still with fertile chick. Spangle sees them. Chick is ready to talk after some lovin’ with the “Hot Rod”. They give her a homing device that will get Med Tech to find her. Fertile Chick thanks Sam for everything.

Drive on and eventually stop. Spangle dresses like a sluttier slave girl Leia. Centinella will be watching. Sam still must be careful about the exploding codpiece. We have the obligatory removing of Spangle's glasses and letting her hair down to reveal she's hot in the late 80s definition of the word. They head to Frogtown. It’s a scorched rusting industrial complex. Sam and Spangle go to the nearest bar. The main entertainment is a mutant frog dancer. Old guy spots Sam. It’s Looney Toons, Rory Calhoun. Sam is ecstatic to see Looney. Spangle is charmed by the wily charms of Rory Calhoun. Looney is a miner after uranium. Frogs mine uranium and sell it to a mysterious buyer.

Looney will introduce Sam around the bar. Frog Dancer bumps into them. She is their contact. Sam is introduced to Leroy the Frog. They talk about how Bull who brought in the fertile women. The frogs were created in the nuclear war and herded onto reservations. Leroy offers to buy Spangle. Sam and Leroy negotiate. Spangle is starting to think this is a bad idea.

Bull Frog grabs Spangle’s chain. Bull Frog, get it? He also has a whip. Bull whip, get it? Sam and Bull are about to fight then and there. Spangle will be auctioned, and Bull closes the bar and takes Spangle. I should mention that Bull also has spells, violent fits of rage. Bull in China shop, get it?


I'm hopping mad and not going to take it anymore.

Sam talks with Arabella, Frog Dancer. Spangle is sent to Toty’s harem. Bull has taken Spangle to harem pen. Sam thanks Arabella for her help. Guess what? She wants the “Hot Rod” herself. Arabella only wants to hear yes. Sam gets a bag for her head.


Gimme some sugar...

Spangle is sent to Toty. Sam sneaking away from Arabella when the codpiece electrocutes the family jewels again. He has to get close to Spangle before it’s too late.

Spangle is brought into a room full of Frogs and a mysterious gas-masked figure known as Count Sodom. Note, I never heard the name in the movie only in the end credits. Sam spies all of this and falls into their midst. Spangle is taken away. Looney and Arabella are all that are left to save everyone.

Spangle is taken to the rest of the harem. These women take passivity to a new level like that of being a corpse.

Sam is tied up and Bull arrives with a chainsaw to cut the codpiece off.

Spangle is being prepared. Veils are being draped on her and off her. It looks like she’s becoming passive, too.

Bull is going to use the chainsaw when it runs out of gas. Sam has a look of extreme terror on his face that the codpiece would explode. Bull goes off to get some more gas. The beeper goes off.


Hogan is still wrestling, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Veil hit the codpiece control in Spangle’s earring.

Arabella and Looney head off to save Sam.

Bull’s chainsaw is shooting sparks off the codpiece. I thought this was out of a 80s music video for a second. Arabella sneaks up on Bull. Codpiece is cut off, no explosion. Bull is laughing and, Sam is angry about being lied to when the codpiece explodes. The explosion knocks out Bull.

Spangle is being prepared for the Dance of the 3 Snakes. Guards come for her. Spangle once again tries to convince the harem to escape and is dragged away to Toty.

Arabella unties Sam and still wants some lovin’. Bull stabs her. Sam is angry and the fight begins. One wrestling move later, we have a croaked Bull Frog. Sam now has a purpose.

Spangle must dance for Toty. The DANCE of the 3 SNAKES. If you ever wanted to see Sandahl Bergman twitch more than a kid watching the episode of Pokeymon that causes seizures, this is your chance. Toty watches from what looks like a light stage from a concert.

Looney is skulking around.

Awful dance, I mean awfully fine dancing continues as Toty watches. Take any spastic motion that the most uncoordinated person could devise, it is on the level Fred Astaire compared to Sandahl’s dancing.

Looney shoots the flare which Centinella spots.

Spangle is still dancing. And definitely one of the most disturbing things in a movie happens. 3 lumps move around in Toty’s pants. You see where this is going…He rips his pants off much to the dismay of Spangle. This shot we see from over Toty’s shoulder and see Spangle’s look of horror and does a triple take. Very rarely will anyone ever see a triple take in real life I saw once in college when a student came in late and saw the professor dressed as Marge Simpson. That wouldn’t inspire a triple take until you realize this was a man doing this. Anyone ever had a teacher dressed as Marge Simpson teaching computer graphics? Few of us can claim that. But, she isn’t paralyzed enough to keep from doing a hat trick nad kicks.

Sam arrives, gunning some of Toty’s guards down but, Toty escapes.

Frogs are getting guns. Spangle and Sam are about to escape. She stumbles along looking distraugh about the 3 Snakes and mightily kung fues the frogs. The harem has been freed.

Pink Studebaker arrives, Sam and all of the women are on their way out. Toty and his guards block the way. Looney covers Sam. Looney makes it to the Studebaker, too. They drive away.

Frogs are in pursuit. Things seem good except discover that Looney was shot and dies.

Multiple explosions rock them. The Battle El Camino has a tank main gun on it chases after them. Studebaker keeps driving off. We get a prolonged gunfight and chase. Count Sodom stops them and orders them out of the pink Studebaker.

Sam and the women are disarmed. Count Sodom is actually Devlin packing a bazooka. He has been selling guns to the frogs for uranium that rogue scientists turn into nuclear weapons. Devlin keeps ranting about how men will be supreme again…

Sam has a katana on his back, tries to get passive chick to hand it to him. Devlin is about to kill them. Passive chick hands Sam the katana, he promptly throws it impaling Devlin dead center in the chest. Devlin falls off the cliff and onto an airbag. Wait, I wasn’t supposed to notice that. Somehow, Devlin has escaped.

Sam wants to finish Devlin once and for all by himself. He finds Devlin’s body thinks he’s dead. We see Devlin ready the bazooka. Sam shoots him, hears him. Sam takes the bazooka, now.

Mortar round hits, Sam finds the wreckage of the pink Studebaker. Frogs arrive. Sam sneaks around them He’s about to finish Toty off, bazooka out of ammo, and his gun is empty.

Sam versus Toty. Mano el froggo. Sam rushes for his katana. He actually headbutts Toty and pokes him in the eyes. The fight continues; Toty is hanging onto Sam’s leg over a cliff ledge. Sam manages to grab his trusty katana cutting Toty’s hand off. Toty falls off the cliff. Frogstomp.

Sam heads back to the wreckage of the Studebaker. Spangle yells at him. They argue until Sam kisses her. Spangle learns the codpiece is gone. Everyone get in the Battle Camino. Sam has women to tend. Fertile women are needing the “Hot Rod”. Spangle and Sam are in love. The end.


What I say:

Movies starring wrestlers. If anything cries B-movie, well wrestlers don't cry. If anything grunts B-Movie, wait that sounds worse. Wrestlers starring in movies almost screams B-Movie in triumphant after a ladder match. That certainly sounds better. Few can claim the fame of Hulk Hogan, at least north of the border. Mexico has Santo and does share his movies with us above the Rio Grande. Hogan may be the most famous wrestler-actor, doesn't mean he's good at either. He knows how to play politics to get himself over. But, other wrestlers have heard the siren call of Hollywood. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and one more wrestler stands tall....

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper, the man, the myth, the legend. Well, maybe legend of bad acting in this movie. This was the first movie starring the “Rowdy” one. But, to think that They Live came out a year after this. And, he showed a lot more talent in acting in it. Course, in that he fought evil aliens. Well, John Carpenter had to have just an azz-kicking charcter for Roddy. Here, he fights mutant frogs and is the greatest Ladies Man. My apologies go out to Tim Meadows.

Have to have the scene where Sandahl Bergman’s clunky glasses are taken off, and her hair is let down. Suddenly, we’re supposed to realize she’s hot in the 80s definition of the word. I read a review where someone mentioned her resemblance to Judith Light from Who’s the Boss. Afterwards, I kept thinking she's looks Judith Light.It is creepy how much she looks like her to the point I though Tony Danza would save her. For the 80’s impaired, Commando and the television series Who’s the Boss released Alyssa Milano upon the world. That was before she became oh-so uber-hot. But, that has nothing to do with this movie. But, she can at least make you feel better than thinking about Spangle...

What's interesting in the post apocalyptic future is all women are hot and there's the woman from the Pine Sol commercials, too. This a future that isn't populated with shoulderpad wearing violent street gangs led by the "Humongous". Not many men, fewer still that are fertile. Women are now running things and their main goal seems to be getting as many with child as possible.

Long ago in the before times, heard stories about creating movie titles and then the scipts for them. This movie title sounds like some guys at a bar trying to come up with the most off the wall title after the title, then trying to put a script to it. Roger Corman did that for several of his movies. But, he's allowed to do anything like that.

Piper wasn’t the first actor thought of for Sam Hell. Jay Leno was on the list before him. Jay “Enormous Chin” Leno. A man who’s greatest cinematic triumphant was Collision Course with Pat Morita. Could you imagine Leno as the rugged symbol of male virility? The more you think about it, the funnier it becomes. There is only one Chin capable of playing Sam Hell. BRUCE CAMPBELL.

Frogs, how would we have Frogtown without the mutant frogs? Their creation is glossed over with statement. Nuclear war created them. And, they were then herded onto reservations. The frog effects were ok. Bull effects. I’m trying not to think about the 3 SNAKES. That is a great quote to yell out at inappropriate times, which would be any time.

Hell Comes to Frogtown was just the beginning of this epic saga. Return to Frogtown or Hell Comes to Frogtown 2. That one had a hot frog chick from what little I remember and Rocket Rangers, too. Lou Ferrigno before he biked on television to win the soul of a baby. Robert D'Zar is Sam Hell in this movie. And Hell Comes to Frogtown 3 or Toad Warrior And just to think that's enough, you'd be wrong. In 2002, Max Hell Comes to Frogtown. The last 2 movies have Joe Estevez, Martin Sheen's less famous brother.

This is a pretty silly movie; sure you could pick that up from the title. And, if you can’t figure it out, read the synopsis on the back of the box. That ought to let you know what’s coming. Mutant frogs and Roddy Piper must impregnate the world. This isn’t high drama. This is the definition of popcorn cinema. This can’t be called mindless. That is the domain of massive big budget flicks with incredible explosions.

"You have aroused the THREE SNAKES!!!"



3 NINJAS

Quotable Dialogue

"You’ve left a string of pregnancies everywhere you’ve been."
"We’re gonna get them out, and you’re gonna get them pregnant!"
"Mothers are national heroes; you’ll be treated like a queen."
"Listen, Pinhead, I’m being 4 square with you."
"I congratulate on your fine taste. We’ve not seen the like sense Bull brought in those wenches."
"You have aroused the THREE SNAKES!!!"


Morals of the Story

You must respect when “START” is misspelled on the main menu of the DVD.
Roddy Piper must be the most virile man in the history of the world.
Electrocuting cod pieces will be regularly used in the post-apocalyptic future.
Mutant Frogs are hyper, jumpy, and hopping mad.