Barb Wire - Limited Edition SteelBook Cover B [German Import]

They say you shouldn’t remake the classics, and they’re probably right. But what if your remake is an outlandish, over-the-top, high-octane Action/Sci-fi adventure comic book version of a classic? A filmmaker might be able to cut themselves some slack with the film-going public. All kudos and respect must be given to David Hogan’s adaptation of Chris Warner’s ‘90s Dark Horse comic book Barb Wire for giving it a shot. With a far more appealing bod than Bogart, Baywatch megastar Pamela Anderson leads the best remake of Casablanca one could ever hope to see. 

In the future of 2017, the United States has been ravaged by the second civil war. On one side are the fascist Congressionals, and on the other are the freedom fighters the United Front resistance. In between is the last free city of Steel Harbor standing as the last outpost of old-world American indulgence. Enter Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson). Moonlighting as a mercenary for hire and bounty hunter, she supplements her bar The Hammerhead catering to clientele of any and all political persuasions. But when her old flame Axel (Boba Fett) arrives with fugitive bioweapons scientist Cora D (Victoria Rowell) seeking safe passage into the free territories of Canada, Barb finds herself on the wrong side of the Congressionals and their psychotic hunter Victor Pryzer (Steve Railsback). 

Some films are just born to become cult classics. Not because they’re misunderstood gems or an audience failed to discover it, but simply because it was before its time. That’s where we find David Hogan’s Barb Wire. With a screenplay by go-to 90s action classic screenwriter (and former Navy SEAL badass) Chuck Pfarrer, Pamela Anderson made her big-screen breakout at a time when comic book movies were largely for kids, and the comics industry was standing on broken legs with gimmic crossovers and foil covers. This was an era of massive muscles, tight bustiers, huge guns, lots of swords, and plenty of extraneous pouches holding god knows what. And this film perfectly captures that aesthetic. 

As a kid of the 80s, the bulk of my collection of comics was from that early-mid ‘90s period. This was the era of Image Comics and Todd McFarlane, Eric Larsen, Jim Lee, and Rob Liefeld and their big, bulgy, hyper-detailed testosterone-fueled series. Right in that mix of printed mayhem was John Arcudi's words and Lee Moder’s pencils for Dark Horse’s run on Barb Wire. The book almost felt like a parody of what was being published on the regular by the major studios and the movies coming out weren’t much help for the industry.

At a time when Arnold Schwarzenegger upstaged Batman, Steel sank under the weight of Shaq, and Spawn was a devilish misfire with John Leguizamo the only highlight, Barb Wire crept into that mix of heavy metal music, sex, and explosions. While some of the more adult-leaning comic films have aged like mud, Barb Wire grew into a true cult classic perfectly encapsulating that time when comic films were grossly underbudgeted misunderstood cast-off junk. Whether intentional or not, this film seemed to get the gag of a heroine armed to the teeth with more guns and ammo than anyone could carry whilst clad in thigh-high stilettos complete with bustier, thong, and leather trench coat. As that era of comics is rediscovered, analyzed, and enjoyed, this film proves to be a perfect time capsule ready to be opened for a new generation.

To that point of 90s comics come to life, I don’t think Barb Wire is a particularly great film, but it is a damn fun one! And like I said, it’s a sexy action-packed gender-swapped almost beat-for-beat version of Casablanca. As Pamela Anderson has far more appealing physical assets than Bogart, The Book of Boba Fett’s Temuera Morrison is a fun substitute for Ingrid Bergman with Victoria Rowell standing in for Paul Henreid. Xander Berkley is always a gas to see in any film, but he’s clearly having a great time surrogating for Claude Rains as the morally drifting, ethically challenged police officer. Steve Railsback might not have the clout of Conrad Veidt but he’s a hoot as our resident Nazi-like bad guy. Then the casting doesn’t get any more perfect than having a scuzzy Clint Howard step up to replace Peter Lorre with Udo Kier offering up a weird version of Doolie Wilson and Jack Noseworthy rounding out the notable supporting cast replacing Madeleine Lebeau.  3.5.5

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Don’t call her "babe" - Barb Wire explodes onto 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a two-disc Limited Edition SteelBook from Germany’s Turbine Medien. The 4K is pressed on a Region Free BD-66 disc with a Region Free standing in for the 1080p version. The discs are housed in a custom SteelBook from artist Herr Eifel with metallic highlights. The SteelBook is then housed in a stylish new slipcase with custom art from Sascha Meurer. The discs load to animated main menus with a standard navigation system.

Note - Images are sourced from the included 1080p disc. When we can we'll try to circle back and update the pics sourced from the 4K disc or a video sample. 

Scanned and restored in 4K from the OCN by Turbine, Barb Wire explodes on the screen with a damned impressive 2160p Dolby Vision (with HDR10) transfer. This isn’t a film I watch all that often (honestly don’t think I’ve ever owned a copy before), but this is easily the best I’ve ever seen it. From Pam’s opening water-drenched striptease to the big explosive finale, the film is in immaculate shape without any signs of age-related damage or speckling. Details are excellent allowing for full appreciation for the film’s over-the-top costumes and makeup work. Film grain has a naturally cinematic veneer without any signs of excessive smoothing or unsightly edge enhancement. The Dolby Vision grade has been nicely applied pulling highlights out of the fantastical color schemes while giving plenty of attention to black levels and shadows. As you’ll get plenty of time to see, skin tones are natural and healthy. Now, given the film’s relatively small budget, some dated effects shots do stand out, but that can’t really be helped too much. For a post-apocalyptic setting, it's funny to clearly see sailboats and yachts milling about the ocean during the climax. You can also clearly tell when it’s a stunt person in a blonde wig for most of the action scenes - but that has always been pretty obvious to spot. Overall a damned impressive transfer for a castoff mid-90s cult classic. 4.5/5

On the audio front, included with the film’s German language tracks are English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and DTS-HD MA 2.0 tracks. Both are very good. For a side project, I sampled the 2.0 mix quite a bit and it sounded very good, however, I do have to lean for the 5.1 as the better option. Gunfire, explosions, and the film’s score and music cues offer up a fun and aggressive surround experience. Using my receiver’s DTS Neural:X Function added a little extra oomph and power to the proceedings without making it sound too thin or stretched. Dialog for both the 5.1 and 2.0 is clean and clear without issue. That said, having seen this film half a dozen times over the years, I had never really noticed that a lot of Pamela Anderson’s dialog is overdubbed off-camera. Thought that was an amusing piece of flavor for the flick. 4.5/5

Not only do we get to enjoy Barb Wire in 4K, but we also have a few new extra features to paw over on top of some archival pieces and the film’s extended unrated cut. A quick note though about the unrated version, it’s only available in 1080p and then with SD inserts for the additional scenes. That extra footage apparently no longer exists. Not that it amounts to a whole lot anyway. At barely two minutes longer, it’s just a little extra skin and nothing that adds to the plot or story. New interviews with producer Todd Moyer, costume designer Rosanna Norton, and VFX supervisor Chris Brown are nice new additions in addition to the old archive extras. For a little extra fun, you can relive your misbegotten childhood with the 4:3 retro version too! 

4K UHD Disc

• Babe-Watch: Producing Barb Wire - Todd Moyer Interview (HD 17:49)
• Wired to the Wardrobe - Rosanna Norton Interview (HD 18:06)
• A Jagged Edge: The Visual Effects of Barb Wire - Chris Brown Interview (HD 15:41)
• Sexy Outtakes (SD 9:28)
• Making-Of Featurette (SD 15:51)
• Promo Featurette (SD 6:25)
• German Trailer (SD 1:29)
• USA Trailer (SD 1:28)
• UK Trailer (SD 1:21)
• Teaser (SD 1:12)

Blu-ray Disc

• Extended Edition (HD with SD Inserts - 1:40:22)
• Extended Edition Retro Version (SD 4:3 1:40:22)
• Babe-Watch: Producing Barb Wire - Todd Moyer Interview (HD 17:49)
• Wired to the Wardrobe - Rosanna Norton Interview (HD 18:06)
• A Jagged Edge: The Visual Effects of Barb Wire - Chris Brown Interview (HD 15:41)
• Sexy Outtakes (SD 9:28)
• Making-Of Featurette (SD 15:51)
• Promo Featurette (SD 6:25)
• German Trailer (SD 1:29)
• USA Trailer (SD 1:28)
• UK Trailer (SD 1:21)
• Teaser (SD 1:12)

If we can only have one good remake of Casablanca, then I’m glad it’s Barb Wire! A product of one of the darkest eras in comic books and comic movies, the film withstood the test of time and has become a modern-day cult classic; a cinematic time capsule of a bygone era. The film is the perfect sort of over-the-top high-concept nostalgia bait that fans of a generation will love to indulge in. And thanks to Germany’s Turbine Medien, we have one hell of a great 4K UHD disc to enjoy. With an excellent A/V package, the set comes with plenty of new and archival extras on top of the extended edition in 1080p or a retro 4:3 version! This may only appeal to a few, but for those out there itching to own it in 4K, Barb Wire is a beauty. Recommended  

Order Your Copy of Barb Wire on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook