Review of Class of 1984 (1982) by Al M — 10 Aug 2010
Class of 1984 presages many films that will come later: The Principal, Stand and Deliver, Dangerouis Minds, etc., yet none of those films is near as nihilistic or exploitative as this cult gem. Class of 1984 uses a punk aesthetic to explore the degeneration of American youths.
It tells the story of a young music teacher who comes to a new, graffiti-scrawled high school to encounter an educational institution that has been stripped entirely of its authority. Class of 1984 will make you long for the days of corporal punishment, and it ultimately satisfies this desire in the film's final segment.
Indeed, Class of 1984 is not so much an indictment of punk culture as it is a critique of permissive parenting and impotent laws that allow the youth in the to engage in hideous actions with no fear of repercussions.
It depicts the American legal system as an outmoded institution incapable of dealing with postmodern urban landscape. Simultaneously, it manages to be a fun, twisted, and bizarre piece of early 80s cult cinema.
This review of Class of 1984 (1982) was written by Al M on 10 August 2010.
Class of 1984 has generally received mixed reviews.
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