YMMV / Space Truckers

• Badass Decay: The Bio-Mechanical Warrior (BMW) cyborg is introduced utterly annihilating the security and personnel of a military base on Triton after taking down a plane and tank without a scratch like the ultimate Implacable Man, and later another one goes on a killing spree on Captain Macanudo's crew... but then the ones that go after Canyon and his friends move more slowly and clumsily missing every hit, and they're taken care of with Improvised Weapons (a fire extinguisher and a microwave) before several are shown to get vaporized by a Weaponized Exhaust and atmospheric reentry friction, which makes one wonder how effective they'd actually be for Saggs.
• Complete Monster: E.J. Saggs is a treacherous Corrupt Corporate Executive who plans to take over and enslave Earth through the use of a cyborg army threat; the cyborgs also seem to have human possessing capabilities. Saggs first has his scientist Nabel test the cyborgs' might against his own mercenaries, many of them ending up dead as a result. To have full control for himself, Saggs has one of the cyborgs attack and attempt to kill Nabel. Nabel survives, but becomes half-cyborg space pirate Macanudo, who abducts and threatens John Canyon, Mike Pucci and Cindy Welsh and plans to use Saggs's cyborgs they were unwittingly smuggling for him against Saggs. Both a defense cyborg Saggs had installed and the cyborgs themselves attack the heroes and kill Nabel and his crew. Saggs denies to the heroes the accusations of what he was doing and offers them a very large cash bribe to keep quiet, which is in actuality a bomb that he tries to use to kill them all.
• Critical Backlash: At one point, the movie used to have a 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has since gone up to 17%, but while no one will claim that Space Truckers is a misunderstood gem, giving it a lower rating than films like Fant4stic, After Earth and Dragonball Evolution was arguably too harsh.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: While Alien served as a major influence for the movie (down to getting Ron Cobb to design the vehicles and environments), the way the 'Newborn' is disposed of in Alien: Resurrection (which was released the following year after Space Truckers) is suspiciously similar to Keller's death.
• Special Effects Failure:
  • In more than one instance, the wiring used to simulate zero gravity (such as Jackie being sent spinning after Canyon's Megaton Punch and some later shots of the BMW and Canyon in EVA suit floating around) is visible.
  • The CGI effects, like the tooth and spray of blood Jackie spits out and the "black rocks" asteroids, are distractingly dodgy and aged poorly.
  • At times, the foreground subjects have lighting that doesn't match the background, making the green screen effects more noticeable.
• Took the Bad Film Seriously: The main cast and the supporting roles all deliver perfectly competent performances, but it ends up making the little material they have to work with feeling more dry. Charles Dance and some of the other space pirates seem to be more aware of the type of film they're in and have some fun.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: Aforementioned hiccups withstanding, Space Truckers was the most expensive film Stuart Gordon directed and it shows, with its extensive use of Practical Effects, detailed miniatures and spaceship model work and immersive set design that displays a colorful Used Future aesthetic which The Fifth Element would've perfected the following year.