The way “Barb Wire” has been turned into a punching bag has always reeked of misogyny, especially when you look at the roster of similar films released around this time. “Batman & Robin,” “Blankman,” “Darkman II & III,” “Judge Dread,” “The Phantom,” “The Shadow,” “Spawn,” “Steel,” and “Tank Girl” were all released to mixed-to-negative reviews and few of them performed well at the box office. In the decades since, defenders for ’90s superhero films have come out of the woodwork to sing their praises … except for “Barb Wire.” With a budget of only $9 million, “Barb Wire” was given the least amount of money to work with compared to its contemporaries, and yes, that includes the Shaquille O’Neal starring “Steel,” which was given $16 million by Warner Bros.
Despite its low budget, “Barb Wire” makes the most of it, creating a post-apocalyptic world that looks as if “Mad Max” were set in the city and took their clothing inspirations from industrial music and cyber goth fashion. The futuristic world of 2017 looks less like “The Matrix” and more like “Lawnmower Man,” or as if the cover art for Billy Idol’s “Shock the System” came to life and started kicking ass. Mocking “Barb Wire,” a film that starred one of the most recognizable women in the world but was only given $9 million to pull off a comic-book world, just feels like punching down.