Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
After a comet disrupts the rain cycle of Earth, the planet has become a desolate, barren desert by the year 2033. With resources scarce, Kesslee, head of the powerful and evil Water & Power Corporation, the de facto government, has taken control of the water supply. Unwilling to cower under Kesslee's tyrannical rule, a pair of outlaws known as Tank Girl and Jet Girl rise up, joining the mysterious rebel Rippers to destroy the corrupt system.
Tank Girl is a gloriously chaotic adaptation of Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin's cult comic strip, and its Novelty is genuinely high — the anarchic punk aesthetic, comic-panel cutaways, mixed-media sequences, and irreverent tone make it utterly distinctive among mid-90s action films. Rachel Talalay's direction leans hard into the source material's visual identity. Lori Petty's unhinged, fearless performance is a strength, and the ensemble (including Ice-T as a Ripper) brings charismatic energy. The cinematography captures the sun-scorched wasteland with enough flair to stand above average. However, the plot is a narrative mess — the story lurches from set piece to set piece with little coherent momentum, and the script struggles to translate the comic's fragmented style into a satisfying feature structure. The ending feels rushed and deflated, failing to deliver a properly cathartic payoff after all the anarchic buildup. A flawed but singular cult artifact.