50
While not as sweeping as The Warriors - lacking that film's epic underpinnings - Class of 1984 is a goofy jolt of low-octane ultra-violence.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
25
Lester's film is so clearly about getting even rather than about troubled youth or any other societal problem that it seems, like Death Wish II and a hundred others, a waste of that energy. [16 Nov 1982, p.B4]
50
Slant Magazine by Eric Henderson
No matter how much director Mark Lester attempts to hide his sermonizing behind sensationalistic-pedagogic terrorism, he does himself in whenever a jaded cop shrugs his shoulders and grunts, for the umpteenth time, What can we do, they’re juveniles?
30
One of the nastiest movies of our time, it pretends to be horrified by endemic violence in our schools while actually exploiting violence with a coldblooded cynicism that's worse than the violence itself. [30 Aug 1982, p.61]
88
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
It is violent, funny, scary, contains boldly outlined characters, and gets us involved. It also has a lot of style.
60
Class Of 1984 anticipated Lean On Me, The Substitute, and a spate of other high-school thrillers and docudramas that advocated a fight-fire-with-fire approach to teen violence, but it’s vastly more entertaining.
50
The New York Times by Vincent Canby
Class of 1984 is sort of crudely funny. The movie's idea of punk culture is also picturesque. But it quickly gets worse and worse until it achieves a degree of awfulness that, though rare, isn't much fun.