Cyborg (1989): So Bad It's... Almost Interesting?

Okay, so, full disclosure: I went into "Cyborg" (the Van Damme one, obviously, not the Justice League mess) expecting a glorious trainwreck. And, yeah, it mostly delivered on that promise. The plot is basically a post-apocalyptic Mad Libs, the acting is... committed (in its own unique way), and the sets look like someone raided a junkyard and called it a day. But here's my controversial take: I think there's a smidge of artistic merit lurking beneath the layers of cheesetastic action. Hear me out! Specifically, I'm thinking about the religious imagery. Fender Tremolo (iconic name, I know) as basically a deranged, mulletted preacher spewing fire and brimstone while crucifying people? That's a choice. And the whole idea of Pearl Prophet being this messianic figure carrying the cure… It feels like they were trying to say something deeper about faith and hope in a hopeless world, even if it got completely lost in the flying kicks and slow-motion explosions. Maybe I’m reading way too much into it, but the crucifixion scene, while incredibly over-the-top, definitely gave me pause. It's not exactly subtle, but it's there. My theory? I think Albert Pyun (director) had some kind of interesting vision, or at least some half-baked ideas he was trying to cram in there between the obligatory action sequences. Whether he succeeded is... debatable. But the fact that I'm even thinking about thematic undertones in a Van Damme movie about kicking people in the face is saying something, right? Or maybe I just need to lay off the caffeine. What do you guys think? Am I completely off my rocker, or is there actually something going on in "Cyborg" besides Van Damme's amazing mullet and questionable life choices? And one last thing...that dream sequence? What WAS that about? I'm still trying to unpack that one.