Well, unlike others on here who really didn't like this film, I have to say I rather enjoyed it. It's a B-picture all the way and lifts ideas from other films(the checking for blood is from John Carpenter's "The Thing" and the synthoid is clearly an imitation of the monster android in "The Terminator"), but has a capable cast who bring much to the film. It's also a rather short 80 minutes so the film doesn't outlast it's time. The plot is set in the future where the ozone layer has depleted badly and "thermo-storms" often cause havoc. The ultra-violet rays keep everyone from enjoying life outside and this totalitarian government called Unicorp runs the society of the United States. There is a secret organization called ILU which plan to overthrow this government so the Unicorp has sent out synthoids as watchdogs to keep an eye on possible suspects. On a television station ran by Ralph Waite's Lathan Hooks(I liked Waite so much I wish he had more screen time). His granddaughter Arren(a fine Megan Ward who had done some really good work for Full Moon)knows that Lathan is secretly a part of ILU and uses the TV station as a quiet cover for the group's activities. A motorcycle courier for Unicorp named Tyson(Paul Ganus)brings Lathan a supply of freon and decides to stay until a thermo-storm passes the night. He and Arren bond as friends while Tyson is physically attracted to a schoolteacher named Parice(the foxy soap opera star Eva LaRue Callahan). Jack McGee, a fine character actor who often plays leeches, is Winston Wickett..a relative of a Unicorp rep which is the reason he has a sleazy talk show at Lathan's station. He has invited two porn stars, Sandra and Christie(Elizabeth Maclellan, who is quite good in this movie, and Katherine Armstrong)to shack up with him until the thermo-storm passes. Then there's Quinn, a handyman and electrician, played by "The Devil's Rejects" Bill Moseley. During the night someone kills Lathan and it is told that there's a synthoid loose amongst the group(this occurs when Arren hides from the pack, finds Tyson, cuts him to see if his blood is red, and tells him about that very fact). Will Tyson and Arren find the synthoid before it kills the entire group? This film actually has a decent pace and the robot effects at the end by David Allen are solid but don't last near as long as I'd have liked. Anybody that has indeed seen the low budget films, "Robot Jox" and "Robot Wars" should recognize the robot in "Crash and Burn." Many have sided against it for being unoriginal which is a fair argument, but I have to say I enjoyed it for the cast who do bring it up more than a notch. I was entertained and this is the type of movie that might go over for genre fans with low expectations.
Review of Crash and Burn
