History Film / RadioactiveDreams

A nuclear war breaks out in 1986, expending the world's entire nuclear arsenal – except for one missile. Two young children, Phillip Chandler (Stockwell) and Marlowe Hammer (Dudikoff), are abandoned by their fathers and locked in a fallout shelter cut into the side of a wooded mountain. The pair grow up inside the shelter, with '40s detective fiction and swing music as the guiding force in their learning. Fifteen years later, in 2001, Marlowe succeeds in digging out the cave entrance. The pair give each other haircuts, dress in suits, and go to rejoin the world. Soon thereafter, they find themselves embroiled in a fight over a pair of keys which can activate the last remaining nuclear weapon in the world.

* RuinsOfTheModernAge: Justified as it's 15 years after the then-present in 1985 (i.e. 2000).

A nuclear war breaks out in 1986, expending the world's entire nuclear arsenal – except for one missile. Two young children, Phillip Chandler (Stockwell) and Marlowe Hammer (Dudikoff), are abandoned by their fathers and locked in a fallout shelter cut into the side of a wooded mountain. The pair grow up in the shelter, with '40s detective fiction and swing music as the guiding force in their learning. Fifteen years later, in 2001, Marlowe succeeds in digging out the cave entrance. The pair give each other haircuts, dress in suits, and go to rejoin the world. Soon thereafter, they find themselves embroiled in a fight over a pair of keys which can activate the last remaining nuclear weapon in the world.

[[caption-width-right:310: [[{{Tagline}} A world of guilty pleasures.]]]]

A nuclear war breaks out in 1986, expending the world's entire nuclear arsenal – except for one missile. Two young children, Philip Chandler (Stockwell) and Marlowe Hammer (Dudikoff), are abandoned by their fathers and locked in a fallout shelter cut into the side of a wooded mountain. The pair grow up in the shelter, with '40s detective fiction and swing music as the guiding force in their learning. Fifteen years later, in 2001, Marlowe succeeds in digging out the cave entrance. The pair give each other haircuts, dress in suits, and go to rejoin the world. Soon thereafter, they find themselves embroiled in a fight over a pair of keys which can activate the last remaining nuclear weapon in the world.

* BreakTheCutie: A big theme of the the film, as Phillip mentions multiple times in narration, is how the post-apocalyptic world forced him and Marlowe to become more ruthless. Comes to a head when [[spoiler: the goofy and good-natured Marlowe kills Miles to stop her from getting away with the keys.]] However, the final scene suggests [[spoiler: our heroes haven't completely given up, due to their light-hearted dancing and the fact that Philip eventually goes to find Rusty, presumably to reunite with her.]]

[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/radio_6.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:270: A world of guilty pleasures.]]

''Radioactive Dreams'' is a 1985 post-apocalyptic science fiction-comedy film. The film was directed by Creator/AlbertPyun, and stars Creator/GeorgeKennedy, Michael Dudikoff, Creator/DonMurray, and Lisa Blount. The two main characters are named after a combination of noir detective fiction icons, Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler and Mike Hammer.

A nuclear war breaks out in 1996, expending the world's entire nuclear arsenal, except for one missile. Two children, Philip Chandler (Creator/JohnStockwell) and Marlowe Hammer (Michael Dudikoff), are abandoned by their fathers in a fallout shelter cut into the side of a wooded mountain. The pair grow up in the shelter, with 1950s detective fiction and swing music as the guiding force in their learning. Fifteen years later Marlowe succeeds in digging out the cave entrance. The pair give each other haircuts, dress in suits, and go to rejoin the world. Soon after, they find themselves embroiled in a fight over a pair of keys which can activate the last nuclear weapon in the world.

* DiscoDan: Philip and Marlowe dress and talk like they're from a 1940's film noir, and are mercilessly mocked for it in the post-nuclear world, especially their naive use of the word "dick." However, their retro suits become AwesomeAnachronisticApparel when they show up for the film's climax.

A nuclear war breaks out in 1996, expending the world's entire nuclear arsenal, except for one missile. Two children, Philip Chandler (John Stockwell) and Marlowe Hammer (Michael Dudikoff), are abandoned by their fathers in a fallout shelter cut into the side of a wooded mountain. The pair grow up in the shelter, with 1950s detective fiction and swing music as the guiding force in their learning. Fifteen years later Marlowe succeeds in digging out the cave entrance. The pair give each other haircuts, dress in suits, and go to rejoin the world. Soon after, they find themselves embroiled in a fight over a pair of keys which can activate the last nuclear weapon in the world.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Sue Saad's character does this when she starts singing "Guilty Pleasures."

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Although she starts out working for the cannibals, Rusty eventually changes her mind and tries to reunite with Philip, though he turns her down.]]

* DiscoDan: Philip and Marlowe dress and talk like they're from a 1940's film noir, and are mercilessly mocked for it in the post-nuclear world, especially their naive use of the word "dick." However, their retro suits become AwesomeAnachronisticApparel when they show up for the film's climax. Aside from the main duo, there's also greasers like Brick Bardo hanging around, and Rusty dresses like a NewAgeRetroHippie.

* TheReveal: The mutants chasing after Phillip and Marlowe are [[spoiler: their fathers in disguise.]]

* BreakTheCutie: A big theme of the the film, as Phillip mentions multiple times in narration, is how the post-apocalyptic world forced him and Marlowe to become more ruthless. Comes to a head when [[spoiler: the goofy and good-natured Marlowe kills Miles after she dares him to do it.]] However, the final scene suggests [[spoiler: they haven't completely given up, due to their light-hearted dancing and the fact that Philip eventually goes to find Rusty, presumably to reunite with her.]]

* DancePartyEnding: The film ends with [[spoiler: Philip and Marlowe doing the "Post-Nuke Shuffle."]]
* DiscoDan: Philip and Marlowe dress and talk like they're from a 1940's film noir, and are mercilessly mocked for it in the post-nuclear world, especially their naive use of the word "dick." However, this turns into AwesomeAnachronisticApparel when they don their slick outfits for the film's climax.

* TheApunkalypse: The world has devolved into one of these (albeit Synth music seems much more popular), which makes the heroes Swing-era attitudes all the stranger.

* BreakTheCutie: A big theme of the the film, as Phillip mentions multiple times in narration, is how the post-apocalyptic world forced him and Marlowe to become ruthless murderers. Comes to a head when [[spoiler: the goofy and good-natured Marlowe kills Miles after she dares him to do it.]]

* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: [[spoiler: Averted. Philip gets the chance to ask his father why he left him, but he refuses to say, instead insisting "the past is the past."]]

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Sue Saad does this when she starts singing "Guilty Pleasures."

''Radioactive Dreams'' is a 1985 post-apocalyptic science fiction-comedy film. The film was directed by Creator/AlbertPyun, and stars Creator/GeorgeKennedy, Michael Dudikoff, Don Murray, and Lisa Blount. The two main characters are named after a combination of noir detective fiction icons, Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler and Mike Hammer.

''Radioactive Dreams'' is a 1985 post-apocalyptic science fiction-comedy film. The film was directed by Creator/AlbertPyun, and stars George Kennedy, Michael Dudikoff, Don Murray, and Lisa Blount. The two main characters are named after a combination of noir detective fiction icons, Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler and Mike Hammer.

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''Radioactive Dreams'' is a 1985 post-apocalyptic science fiction-comedy film. The film was directed by Albert Pyun, and stars George Kennedy, Michael Dudikoff, Don Murray, and Lisa Blount. The two main characters are named after a combination of noir detective fiction icons, Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler and Mike Hammer.

* ArchaeologicalArmsRace: The last nuclear weapon serves as the film's primary {{Maguffin}}.

* CultClassic: Bombed horribly at the theaters but is still remembered by many.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: As of September 2016, doesn't yet have a DVD release but is widely available on various fan sites and Youtube.

* FishOuttaWater: Phillip and Marlowe might as well be from Mars given how their 1940s-esque attitudes interact with the wasteland survivors.