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A milestone of the silent film era and one of the first "art films" to gain international acclaim, this eerie German classic from 1919 remains the most prominent example of German expressionism in the emerging art of the cinema. Stylistically, the look of the film's painted sets--distorted perspectives, sharp angles, twisted architecture--was designed to reflect (or express) the splintered psychology of its title character, a sinister figure who uses a lanky somnambulist (Conrad Veidt) as a circus attraction. But when Caligari and his sleepwalker are suspected of murder, their novelty act is surrounded by more supernatural implications. With its mad-doctor scenario, striking visuals, and a haunting, zombie-like character at its center, Caligari was one of the first horror films to reach an international audience, sending shock waves through artistic circles and serving as a strong influence on the classic horror films of the 1920s, '30s, and beyond. It's a museum piece today, of interest more for its historical importance, but Caligari still casts a considerable spell. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (56)

There is something frightful in our midst!
Filmed way back in 1921, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is perhaps one of the oldest horror films ever made. As a viewer, I see this film as a macabre, magnificent work of art. It was probably intended to be that way, since director Robert Wiene was heavily inspired by the German Expressionist movement. With its skewed and handpainted scenery, crooked angles, looming shadows, and ghostly aura, this feature film is an Edvard Munch painting brought to life. More importantly, its simple yet terrifying plotline helped give birth to early cinematic horror, which would forever place Lon Chaney, Bela Legosi, and Boris Karloff on pedestals.
Here is the synopsis: A young man named Francis (Friedrich Feher) plays the narrator, opening his story at a carnival sideshow that opened in the town of Holstenwall. Francis and his best friend Alan (Hans Heinrich Von Twardowski) attended the show to witness a truly strange attraction: An aging scientist named Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) unveils to an astounded audience a ghoulish sleepwalker named Cesare (Conrad Veidt), who the Doctor solely commands through the power of hypnotism. Under his control, Cesare awakens from his coffin-like box to prophesise people's fates. When an excited Alan asks Cesare, "How long shall I live?" he grimly utters, "The time is short. You die at dawn!" Meanwhile, the town police investigate a string of bizarre murders. Not surprisingly, Alan would end up becoming the killer's next victim!

Devastated by the sudden loss of his friend, Francis seeks aid from the town police. Together, they find clues linking the cold-blooded killings with Dr. Caligari's priceless freak of nature. In the film's latter half, Francis and the authorities read through the Doctor's notes and discover his most fiendish, insane ambition: The old man gleefully named himself after an 11th century monk who once toured across Northern Italy with a somnanbulist at his side. Dr. Caligari's studies reveal how he recruited poor Cesare from an insane asylum and forced him to commit acts of murder and terrorize innocent people! After the awful truth is exposed, justice prevails as the wicked Doctor is bound in a straitjacket and dragged away. Or is he?
I really love how Conrad Veidt's Cesare character is both terrifying and sympathetic. Although he basically wears a black bodysuit, his figure somehow provides the illusion of inhuman strength, like he was carved out of stone. However, that changes later on when Cesare breaks into the bedroom of Francis's betrothed Jane (Lil Dagover). In a state of torment, he raises the knife over his head and stops himself from stabbing the sleeping woman. In that instance, a viewer can realize that Cesare is only human, and that the Doctor is the true monster. The way actor Werner Krauss portrays him, by the way, is quite marvelous. He's clearly the manipulator of the story; a dangerously clever individual who tries desperately not to get caught. Finally, Friedrich Feher's Francis is a not a typical hero, but rather a traumatized young man seeking the truth; it's obvious that he's overcome with grief and driven almost mad. Did I say almost? As a participant in the movie's main action, Francis is both horrified and curious about the Doctor's motives.
This is a movie I definitely recommend to the openly artistic. The DVD is the perfect gift for Tim Burton fans!

The classic German Expressionist horror film of 1919
When we talk about the history of the "movies" it is "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" ("Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari") that has almost always represented the first prime example of the "cinema," where we treat films as art. This is the best example of German Expressionism with angular sets and exaggerated performances by the actors that represented the dementia of the title character. Werner Krauss is the mad doctor, who uses his somnambulist Ceasar (Conrad Veidt) from his carnival sideshow to do his evil deeds, with Lil Dagover is the damsel in distress. The film is framed by a rather clever plot device that turns the narrative upside down in the end, as a young man (Friedrich Feher) tells the story of Dr. Caligari's visit to the small German town of Holstenwall to an older one, as they sit together on a park bench. There is also a strong sense of how the film serves as a metaphor for the destruction of post-war Germany.

Whatever the films shortcomings, the classic status of this 1919 film directed by Robert Wiene is assured by the striking art direction. The abstract, expressionists designs provide severely angled corners, crooked lines, and objects highlighted by decorative stripes. If "Then Battleship Potemkin" opens us up as students of cinema to the possibilities about montage, then "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" does the same for mise-en-scene. The film also establishes many of the conventions of the horror film (e.g., the mad scientist, beauty and the beast), although, surprisingly enough, the basic storyline has never been remade.

Brilliant film but an explanation for all!
It has been rumored for years that when the producers set out to make The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari they intended to end the film with Caligari getting captured and no framing story. Wrong! A first draft of the film's script shows there was always intended to be a framing story. But the one that was first intended was different than the one presented on film. Originally Francis and Jane were supposed to be at a picnic years later and reminiscing about their days in the town when murderer Caligari showed up. This was changed to the looney bin frame story probably so authority woudn't be depicted quite so negatively. Agreed the film is brilliant and powerfully scarey in it's final execution (no pun intended).

A gothic omen
The cabinet was one of the most remarkable films of the german expressionism.
The bitter gaze about a hollow-eyed sleepwalker (Cesare) who commits murders underthe influence of Dr. Caligary was a clear methapor about what's going on in that dark times. After watching this film , please get the famous Edward Munch's painting titled The scream and establish the underground roads.
The hopeless and the horror are depicted in this movie with a clear message behind the score. Beware about the hidden demons in your mind .
Twelve years before the rise of Hitler, Caligari means obviously the word hypnotist who changes to Cesare in a murder; the anlogy is more than obvious. Don't you?
The world evidently was in another mood , but this warning call from a bizarre film concerned to a few people. Today we are capable after eighty five years , of feel the message.
Robert Wiene established a real pattern around the new possibilities of expression for the movies. He made The hands of Orlac also with Conrad Viet a legendary actor , and won too with that.
But Caligari shocked the destiny of a whole generation of directors (Howard Hawks in Scarface , for instance , Freaks of Tod Browning , Edgar Ullmer, Andre de Toth , James Whale's Frankenstein , and more recently Werner Herzog , Roger Corman or Lars von Triers ) to name just a few , but specially to a young english film maker called Alfred Hitchcock and another giant Orson Welles . If you remember the chase sequence in The third man under the streets of Vienna , or countless sequences employed as dramatic visuals resources and narrative devices of the English master , remember that Caligari was the sparking light.
A cul movie and one of the pioneers jewels of the german expressionism!

"special" edition? - how so?
I am a very ticked off customer... This is an excellent movie indeed, and I'll let the other reviews speak for themselves in that respect. My question is... how is it that a SPECIAL EDITION of a DVD (and not a cheap one, by the way! It's not like it only costed five bucks or something; I paid 17.39 for it) does not even let you WATCH the original movie??? I just received it, and I haven't opened it yet, because I plan on returning it, since from what the back of the DVD says, I'm pretty sure that's it's in ENGLISH ONLY, even though this is a GERMAN film.

I am so sick of Americans being so full of themselves! Would it kill us to be a little cultural for once? My god - how hard is it to have an option to watch it either in the original german, or in English? It's a DVD, for cripes sake! DVDs can easily be dubbed or subtitled in a million languages, so why not the original language of the film? I've seen the film on VHS before, but I wanted to see the original german, so I figured a "special edition" DVD would be the way to go, but apparently not. For all the good (or lack thereof) that this DVD was worth, I might as well have made a copy, for free, from the library VHS! ... Read more

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One of the most absurdly violent films ever made, this outrageous comic book of a movie is short on style but makes up for it in sheer audacity and excess. Brooding street kid Ricky Ho (Fan Siu Wang, playing the part of avenging angel with self-righteous earnestness) walks into the corrupt corporate prison system with superpowered martial arts skills and proceeds to punch his way through every bullying thug and sadistic guard who comes his way. Literally. His fist puts a gaping hole through the stomach of a giant sumo-wrestler-sized thug and the jaw of a pompadoured bully, and turns the skull of a pathetic guard into a bloody stump. As Ricky becomes a hero to the downtrodden prisoners, the assistant warden (who keeps breath mints in his removable glass eye) organizes the dreaded "gang of four," the cell block gang leaders, to take Ricky down. Fat chance!

There's nothing realistic about the bone-shattering, blood-splattering spectacle of crushed heads and snapped limbs, but the unrestrained display becomes so preposterously grotesque it hardly matters. You'll be convinced that the "Oh" in Riki-Oh stands for "Oh my God, did I really see that?" Yes, Ricky really does tie a sliced tendon with his teeth, a thug cuts open his gut and uses his own intestines to strangle Ricky, and the warden (for no apparent reason) puffs himself up into a giant rubber ogre. Ricky's curvy, feminine nemesis Rogan is played by Yukari Oshima, the butt-kicking, all-woman star of Angel and others. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (75)

A movie so bad that it's entertaining.
....Riki-Oh: The story of Ricky is a B movie beyond any B movie I've ever seen.As a movie, it gets 1 star,as a form of visual entertainment for the morbid,and/or people with strong stomachs looking for a movie to make fun of,a full 5 stars.The dubbing is bad,the music is bad, the plot is full of holes,and ridiculous things happen in his movie that could never occur in real life,but all this does not matter,because the gore and violence are so over the top. If you have a morbid sense of humor, this movie will definitely do. There are tons of graphic scenes of major mutilation and death.I found it so funny that I often had to replay the scenes in slow motion to see how they did it,and when you slow it down,it looks even funnier.This movie is crazy,and doesn't make a ton of sense,but I find it very entertaining.If you've got that "special sense of humor",you owe it to yourself to buy this DVD,and gross your friends out with it.I have to find/make a T shirt that has the DVD box art on it! Too funny.

Ridiculously violent masterpiece of bloodshed and mayhem.
OK, this is either the worst movie ever made, or the best, depending on how you look at it. By normal standards upon which most movies are reviewed, it doesn't get much more terrible than this. However, based upon sheer violent content that reaches such an unbelievably, unimaginably, outrageously graphic level it achieves comedic sickness whether its meant to or not, it is the best movie ever. Riki Oh is by far the bloodiest, goriest, and sickest film ever concieved. Imagine the game Mortal Kombat... and make it 50x bloodier. Holes are punched through people, heads are crushed, tendons are ripped and tied, intestines are pulled out and used as weapons, body parts fly, eyes shoot out from the sockets, and people are shoved into meat grinders. That is only half of it. Blood flows like water. Watch it, you'll have a good time doing it. You'll be watching the fight scenes over just to make sure that, yes, you really saw Ricky tie his own tendon with his teeth. Watch it with a group of friends, you'll all be laughing your butts off, either that or vomitting profusely. Riki Oh is a tremendously enjoyable experience, however those who are weak of stomache should stray away from this movie at all costs. If you are a gore freak, or just looking for a good distraction from your woes, by all means get Riki Oh. If you are looking for depth of plot and heartfelt acting, avoid Riki Oh no matter what. Again, it cannot be stressed how insanely violent this movie is.

So bad it's funny
Story of Riki is a must see.
It is so bad it's funny. Especially the laughable dubbed version of the film.

The plot is pretty dull but still holds a grudge.
The film is very very Cheesy too.

The violence is over the top but very unrealistic but Still over the top such as the part were Riki pumbles through a guys stomach or of course the part were riki smashes through a guys hans. This film is very very violent and graphic but in a funny way.

The music was acctually pretty good! The story of Riki Rules! And I recomend this too some one who just wants to see some thing F-d up.

Over all this is a horrbily but funny movie even though it's not tended to be funny.

Get it...NOW!!!

Later

Ricky's Great! Ricky's superb!!!!
Recently I've been reading up on Horror movies while on the internet, which naturally leads to discussion of gory films. Not too many non-horror movies would generally come up, except for this one, which was referred to repeatedly. Still, I wasn't too interested til I came across it in a store, and noticed the 'features the hilarious exploding head from the daily show' sticker.

Clearly, this was a film I had to see.

Normally, I write long, tedious reviews, but really what can you say about Riki-Oh. This is the height of camp entertainment. It is compulsively watchable, including the non-action scenes which still have immeasurable camp appeal. The ultra-cheap, inappropriately brightly colored sets are delightful, and the subtitles are absolutely atrocious, both of which add to the film's appeal. Honestly, this movie would be pretty damn amusing even without the delirious effects.

The effects are the real star, and they are fall-down hilarious. Contrary to what you may think, there isn't much kung-fu in this film, especially on the part of Ricky, who generally just lands a single, explosive deathblow with his mighty fist. There isn't all that much variety in the gore fx, but the sheer absurdity and audacity of the bare-handed-explosive-mutilations maintains interest throughout. Despite the general technical incompetence of the film they manage to pace it pretty well, not overdoing the violence early, but not having too little happen either, so it entertains well continously.(And they still save most of the best effects for the final act) Personally, I found the funniest effect one to be the least graphic one: Ricky's girlfriends staggerinly unrealistic plummet from a rooftop. The film falters slightly at the very end. The fight with the warden goes too far over the top, but their doing so was pretty much inevitable considering the nature of the film, so I applaud them for managing to delay this inevitablility until the very end.

This is an utterly bare-bones dvd, which looks pretty much like a tape. A nice digital make-over wouldn't be appropriate for this picture, but it's annoying to have to pay nearly 30 bucks for something so cheaply done. Really, this should only cost half of it's suggested price. But what can I say, it's worth it.

RIKI SET ME FREE!!!
If you deal opium, oppress old men who build toy trains, fillet the skin off of poor mutes, get in Riki's business, or otherwise piss Riki off: YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!!! This movie is totally ridiculous and wild! Bad dubbing, cheesy fx, and over-the-top gore will have you rolling! The only reason this isn't getting five stars is because of my dissappointment that the warden's fat, annoying boy didn't get pummeled. ... Read more

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As the French New Wave was reaching its maturity and filmgoing had evolved as a favorite pastime of intellectuals and urban sophisticates, along came Jean-Luc Godard to shake up every convention and send highfalutin critics scrambling to their typewriters. 1965's Alphaville is a perfect example of Godard's willingness to disrupt expectation, combine genres, and comment on movies while making sociopolitical statements that inspired doctoral theses and left a majority of viewers mystified. Part science fiction and part hard-boiled detective yarn, Alphaville presents a futuristic scenario using the most modern and impersonal architecture that Godard could find in mid-'60s Paris. A haggard private eye (Eddie Constantine) is sent to an ultramodern city run by a master computer, where his mission is to locate and rescue a scientist who is trapped there. As the story unfolds on Godard's strictly low-budget terms, the movie tackles a variety of topics such as the dehumanizing effect of technology, willful suppression of personality, saturation of commercial products, and, of course, the constant recollection of previous films through Godard's carefully chosen images. For most people Alphaville, like many of the director's films, will prove utterly baffling. For those inclined to dig deeper into Godard's artistic intentions, the words of critic Andrew Sarris (quoted from an essay that accompanies the Criterion Collection DVD) will ring true: "To understand and appreciate Alphaville is to understand Godard, and vice versa." --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (39)

the greatest sci-fi film ever: not a special effect in sight
'Alphaville' is Jean-Luc Cinema Godard's 'The Wizard of Oz', the story of an American stranded in a strange fantasy city, who must find its controlling wizard before he can return home, evading forces sent to destroy him. Eddie Constantine reprises the role of Lemmy Caution that made him famous in 1950s France, as the roughneck FBI agent who fisticuffed, dame-bothered and slang-winked his way through a series of simple-minded thrillers. here he has become Special Agent 003, sent by his superiors in the Outlands to assassinate Professor Von Braun, the brains behind Alphaville, a futuristic city controlled by a philosophical computer, and which bears more than a passing resemblance to Gaullist Paris.

Alphaville is a classic dystopia, its minions brainwashed, dehumanised and branded; photographs of its leader on every available wall; the surveilling computer present in every room. dissidents are tortured or murdered in elaborate rituals (e.g. diving-board firing-squads in swimming pools before a gallery of socialites). Double-talk couched in the complexities of dialectic numb the brain; dictionaries are censored daily.

Much of the fun in Godard films of this period lies in their playfulness with familiar cinematic genres; and the trappings of the gangster and spy genres, the detective story and sci-fi adventure (brawls, shoot-outs, car-chases, interrogations, (literal) femmes fatales etc.) are made ridiculous by their slapstick treatment, comic exagerration and over-emphatic music. 'Alphaville' may be a pulp adventure, but the world Lemmy must negotiate is not one of genre, but of ideas, about reality, history, politics, freedom, love, poetry, dreams, the mind, logic, conformity, escape, all reverberating in an environment based on One Big Idea.

'Alphaville', like Chris Marker's similar 'La Jetee', is less a futuristic satire than a reflection of contemporary France (its dark and dense mise-en-scene like a negative photograph of the familiar city; with its extraordinary modern architecture reconfigured as a giant prison), with memories of the recent Nazi Occupation. But, as its name suggests, Alphaville is also the first (cinematic) city of post-modernity, where meaning and authority is decentred, where language ceases to have any shared value, where time ceases to exist, the past and future are abolished, and the mindless live in an eternal present, unable to learn from mistakes or hope for improvement, unable to acknowledge the value of culture. Lemmy seems to be set up as a very 'human' interloper, a repository of 'our' feelings and values in a culture that would seek to suppress them. But Godard called him a Martian', and he is a stranger to Alphaville, which, after all, is our world: he is a figure from pulp fiction , a risible set of signifiers who can only offer Natasha a choice between who gives her orders.

Most dystopias, like '1984' and 'Blade Runner', ultimately fail, because they are as cold and inhuman as the worlds they portray. 'Alphaville', especially in its visionary climactic half hour, shares more with Nabokov's novel 'Bend Sinister' - positing whimsy, idiosyncrasy, gags, Surrealism (Eluard, Bellmer), pop art, the absurd, the unexpected, the daft, the poetic, the aesthetic, the cinematic (especially Melville's 'Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan'), Anna Karina's gorgeous coats against the Brave New World.

But we shouldn't get too comfortable in this ''us vs. them', anti-totalitarian model: Professor Von Braun, with dark, impenetrable shades permenantly welded, is the clean-cut image of the director; he too forces Anna Karina (his daughter, Godard's wife) to perform for strangers and suppress her personality; he, like Godard, is the creator of Alphaville.

The Beauty of Individuality Exemplified
It is a rare thing to see a film that not only shows one what life is, but espouses a concrete vision of what life should be. Even more rare is a film which does this by situating characters in a world where one would not want to live thereby isolating the very essence of what makes on human. Godard's Alfaville not only accomplishes this feet but it creates an artistic embodiment of all that true individuality stands for. More potent than 1984 and just as beautiful as novels such as Atlas Shrugged, Alfaville shows one who is willing to watch and listen the true value and purpose of freedom and the ominous results when that freedom is removed from their lives. The music, cinematography and overall directing could only be done by an individual who's sense of life is majestic and bordering on, if not completely genius. This is not only great science fiction but it is art at its highest ideal, a work that makes me proud to be human.

a weird film and quite interesting
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film which is one of several involving the character Lemmy Caution remains popular to this day as one of the few science fiction films with no special effects. It is a good view of a technocratic society an has elements which at the time seemed like fantasy but in our computer age seems more feasible.

The film also has a voice over that is really deep and raspy that sounds very interesting.

The DVD does not have any special features but still is a good one to buy.

The Eternal Theme of the Individual VS The State
It should not surprise anyone that a film from Jean-Luc Godard will invariably attract the usual assortment of Post-Modernist, ethically and politically retarded, anti-Western afficionados. Some of that can be seen in the reviews for this film, both on this page and throughout the Internet. The truth however, is that while Godard was a borderline socialist and critical of the supposed decadence of "America", he was more of a heroic individualist than anything else and his pre-1970 films all demonstrate this fact.

Alphavile is without a doubt, his greatest achievement and it is a work that speaks of an artistic sensibility all but lost in the France of today, which is overun with rampant anti-intellectualism and a worship of un-reason.

Godard takes the Bogart-like "Lemmy Caution" character out of his former slew of 40/50's French spy thrillers and puts the very same character into a future where a technocratic dictatorship exists. In doing so, the very best idealism of American pulp-fiction is given back its soul by a French director, Godard, who truly was interested in the world of ideas.

This film not only shows why a totalitarian state must be destroyed, it also demonstrates some key philosophical concepts in the process. Through Godard, we learn that it is language that first must be assaulted before one can enslave man, then mathematics, then history and finally, the human mind itself. We can see parallels to this line of thinking through the world today and yet, how ironic that it is today's France that probably best embodies Godard's nightmare come to life (for a Western democracy of course).

The cinematography of Alphaville is superb, as is the musical score by Paul Misraki which is one of the finest I have experienced, for it reaches its crescendo with the most important line in the film, almost as an answer to a question. The theme of Alphaville is simple enough - the Individual against the State, but the soul of Alphaville reaches higher to a level where Man is sanctified against all intrusions on his life, liberty and happiness.

Anna Karina plays the part of the Ideal Woman still capable of feeling and understanding the value of love and that immortal word that may still one day save humanity - "I". It is a rare thing to find a work of art that speaks so eloquently to the sublime beauty of Man, Humanity and Individualism. Godard does this and more in Alphaville and for that, he should go down in history as one of Europe's finest artists.

Note - One would need to watch this film about 3 times to completely grasp every important nuance. Also, Anthem and 1984 are good reads along the same vain.

An Analysis of Genre
As usual with Godard moments stand out. In this film the most absurd sequence involves a diving platform in what looks to be an eastern bloc recreational center and a number of black sweatered and bereted revolutionaries with sub-machine guns standing on the pool deck spraying the divers as they dive. Whats it all mean? Well I suppose you could say its Godards way of commenting on the wests ability to turn even political oppression into mass entertainment.

I like a number of Godard films: Breathless, My Life To Live, Contempt, Pierrot Le Fou, First Name: Carmen, Hail Mary, In Praise of Love --still Alphaville remains kind of a hard one for me to get into. Perhaps because I am not too keen on science fiction. It seems the people who like this film are the ones who like science fiction in general. To me science fiction is full of cliches and so is film noir and so to me it seems Godard is using these genres to address cultural cliches -- and yet he is also making pointed comments on modern culture as he does so. You can always count on a Godard film to be smart and even though its not one of my favorites Alphaville is no exception to that rule.

Anna Karina looks great as always. Unfortunately for Lemmy Caution she is the daughter of Alphaville's overlord. No one really believes the future will look like a parking garage nor that a super-computer will run our lives and that people will become vacant automatons. Only a handful of early twentieth-century authors thought the future was leading us toward Alphaville. In the context of the swinging sixties sci fi just looks campy and noir even campier. Whats going on in Godards head? Hard to say in this film. To me its funny, but a surprising amount of people seem to take this sci fi stuff seriously.

I think the new wave band of outsiders enjoyed genre hopping because it gave them a chance to flex their movie knowledge. Plus genres come loaded with rules which the new wavers can then subvert -- so that is the fun of Alphaville, subversion of genre and in this case its a double dose of subversion because Godards subverting two genres, sci fi and noir. I think its interesting to note that in both of these genres men and women relate in steretypical and fatalistic ways -- and the new wave was about being hyper-conscious of these film conventions. Perhaps what Godard is really saying is that in order to invent life anew we must break free of these conventions. This is of course something his characters often fail to do although in some films they try. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

It's more for kids...
Me - as I would myself count as a fan of the real Godzilla - was somehow disappointed by the movies. These movies are clearly targeted to kids and contain a lot of scenes which are nice for kids but not so much for adults. The quality of FX is - according to my impression - cheaper and worse than those of the 60's movies. I got the impression the movies are somehow mass production style with cheap CG FX. Made without 'love'. The kids who are going to a forgotten city under the sea are filmed on a relatively 'cheap' sound stage and you can see it - mass production, cheap series type. The only thing I found nice: Mothra is changing it's outlook and capabilities several times until it can beat the 'evil' creature. Well, IMHO not for the serious fan of Godzilla movies but OK for the completeness of the collection.

Great DVD for monster fans of all ages.
This is great Japanese fantasy family DVD viewing. These films are a bit more light hearted than the Godzilla films in the 90's, but still have all the great monster fights we love. I can wach these films with my Pre-schooler or can enjoy them on my own being a Godzilla fan for many years. Both films vibrant and colorful with better specail effects than it's sixties conterpart. Mothra-I has a new version of Ghidora as a more western looking dragon and Mothra must fight to the finish to defeat this three-headed foe. In Mothra-II she battles Dagahra a more aquatic foe and must transform herself into Aqua-Mothra to defeat this monster. This DVD is a must for Gozilla fans young & old, boy & girl. The widescreen format and digital sound makes you want to make some popcorn and imagine you're back at your local matinee.

Mothra gone solo again
Mothra yes that puny moth is back but she pumped up with some new special attack. The larva has been pump up. In the past series the only defense mothra had in larva was here silk. In rebirth of Mothra 1 she is some how able to emit a laser from her chest area.

This is the only series when the fairies have name Mola and Laura. Beleveria there evil sister is pure evil in one and two. King Ghiodra returns in the first one as Des Ghidora he is ugly.

In there third one we have a new monster Delgra who is powerful. He almost kills mothra it is only mothra new power given to her by Gorgo that allows her. I am not talking the dinosaurs that destoy londan.

If you like both of these there is a third rebirth of Mothra which is currently not avilable her to by. Can only be seen on the Scifi chanel when shown.

Toho can do better than to create Mothra
this dvd of godzilla may be thrilling in perhaps the appearance of the monsters or their destructive power.yet...i do not like mothra as it does not have many battle skills and looks feeble and weak....which is why many think that it is brave to stand against Godzilla. mothra makes the fighting scenes terrible..there is no melee combat taking place as it only flies around its opponents like trying to irritate them. in Godzilla vs Mothra, the ending is terrible as i do not believe that godzilla can be defeated by two mothra hatchlings just by being wrapped in a cocoon web. i feel that this rather underestimates the power and might of godzilla.it is also absurd that mothra can produce twins...one which resembles a bat.throwing godzilla into the sea at the end of The Rebirth of Mothra is also a weak ending. as all know, godzilla has the ability to live under water and as other weaker monsters don't die from falling from a height ( as demonstrated in godzilla vs gigan where ghidorah drops anguirus ), it is absurd that the show ends there. i would think that the ending is like this because the two mothra twins have no other way or power to defeat godzilla. on the overall i think that the rebirth of mothra merits only a rental...you probably won't be watching it again after the first...especially since there are better godzilla movies such as terror of mechagodzilla.

MIght be too violent for the little ones
Based on some of the reviews I read here, I bought this movie for my four year old daughter because she is obsessed with the "old school" Mothra.

I pre-screened only the first half of the movie (my mistake) before letting her watch it. She looooved it until the end when the wacked-out Ghidrah 2 or whatever it is "killed" the mom Mothra and started biting the baby Mothra and gallons of yellow blood started pouring out.

She became very upset and didn't like it much after that. :-0

I would not let kids under age ten or so watch this movie because of this one sequence. ... Read more

Description

Marco Ferreri's greatest international success, "La Grande Bouffe" scandalized audiences when it was released in 1973. Audiences were shocked by its tale of four world-weary middle-aged men (superbly portrayed by Marcello Mastroianni, Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Piccoli and Philippe Noiret) who decide to gorge themselves to death in one final orgiastic weekend full of gourmet food, call girls and a hefty, lusty schoolteacher. This blackly humorous parable of modern society's collapse won the Cannes Film Festival's International Critics Award. The New York Times called it "vulgar vaudeville on an epic scale...a mordant, chilling, hilarious dirty movie." Nearly 30 years later, it continues to challenge audiences' sensibilities and test the limits of shockability. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Flatulence Fantasique!
You will never forget seeing this movie. Like another reviewer I have carried images from this film in my mind for decades. It's not that it's a great movie, there have been better "food" movies - but nothing that has the black humor and the joyful vulgarity of this one. Philippe Noiret's infantile Judge is a wonderful performance and the entire cast holds nothing back. Philippe Sarde's haunting theme is superb - especially in the death by flatulence scene. Funny, farcical and oddly thoughtful beneath the somewhat contrived artiness that is French filmmaking of the 1970's.

There can be only one.
Some movies sear an image into your brain for ever. Like the end of "The Wild Bunch" or the beginning of Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West" - "Looks like we're shy one horse". "No, you brought two too many".

I saw "La Grand Bouffe" over 20 years ago. I still have the image in my mind of the guy eating the two blancmanges at the end of the picture before he dies.

This movie is surreal, bizarre and wonderful. If we go to movies to see images and things we have never seen before, then this movie is spectacularly successful.

There is no greater movie about food and death.

One of the most provocative movies of all times
I like this movie for its outrageousness and its ability to combine an allegoric vision and a creeping reality: what are we doing with our lives? Where will this boredom of modern living lead us to? The idea of four friends engaging in an all-out "Grande Abbufatta" (the original title in Italian) is quite a perceptive allegory of what happened to the so-called Western civilization as a whole. It seems it has nowhere to go but to a formidable blow-out since its very beginning...

I'm not a big fan of Marco Ferreri's work. I think he was quite irregular in his output, but when he hit the mark he was simply second to none. For me, this "La Grande Bouffe" and "L'Ape Regina" ("The Queen Bee" or "The Conjugal Bed", 1963, with Ugo Tognazzi and Marina Vlady) are among the best examples of black comedy ever to be given us by filmmakers anywhere in the world. His choice of actors couldn't be better: Mastroianni, Piccoli, Noiret and Tognazzi will be forever among the greatest in this trade, and in "La Grande Bouffe" all of them give us one of the finest of their efforts ever.

I was very happy when I knew this movie was being released on DVD because I had seen it twice in movie theaters: in 1978 (the Italian-spoken version) and in 1981 (the French-spoken version, the one on this DVD). I was hoping the DVD version would bring both. I was quite disappointed to see that it brings only the French-spoken version, with English subtitles. It would have added much more to my pleasure if this DVD version of "La Grande Bouffe" would come with both Italian- and French-spoken versions, and also with Italian and French - besides English - subtitles.

If I'm not mistaken, it's possible to do this with any DVD (if not, please correct me), for I have many DVDs at home with a choice of several languages on the audio tracks and an equally wide variety of subtitles' choice. Also, the music that Philippe Sarde wrote for this movie has haunted me since the very first time I saw "La Grande Bouffe". I have been hunting for this movie's music all over the world to no avail for decades now (can anyone out there help me on that? Was this music ever issued on tapes, LPs or CDs anywhere?). I was hoping that on DVD they would provide us also with a choice of hearing this sensuous and intriguing music without the dialogues, but this too was denied to us viewers.

For these two reasons only (lack of a wider choice of languages and subtitles, and lack of a separate track for the music) I don't give this DVD a 5-star rating.

little known but glorious
Once in awhile you see a film that makes you rejoice with awe and pleasure; this is just such a film. A celebration of life in 24 dashing hours, Grand Bouffe portrays a hedonistic reunion of four old friends in the grandest style. A beautiful and thoughtful examination of aging and, ultimately, mortality underlines what is otherwise a touching and very amusing romp through all the delights of the senses. Mastroianni is only one of a truly talented crew of actors whose poignant portrayals mold the wonderful script into a delightful and humanistic work of cinematic art. See this film.

Most Hilarious Black Comedy I've Ever Seen
Sure, the French really have a way with movies, but I don't think I've ever laughed as much as I did when I first saw La Grande Bouffe. What's even better is that every time after that, you find more and more to laugh at. This movie is a must for food lovers everywhere! ... Read more

Description

Woody and Bee are a pair of young punks working at a DVD store.Out for a joy ride, the two hit a pedestrian and end up with a dead body in their trunk! Un-fortunately for Woody and Bee, this is just the beginning. The dead body is infected with a strange biochemical formula, which transforms the hapless mall goers into an army of blood-hungry zombies! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

What a ride.
DVD begins.
Zombie kills some guy.
Then tons of goofy non zombie related stuff happens.
You forget you are even watching a zombie movie.
It becomes a HK slacker comedy.
You kinda get into the characters.
Then all hell breaks loose.
Suddenly this Abbot and Costello episode is Abbot and Costello meet Zombies, and then people start dying left and right. And this silly movie suddenly gets hardcore and turns into a real zombie movie with really silly looking FX, yet it's too late.
Like how Giant Robo started of all innocent and fun and suddenly became hardcore and heartbreaking, the same happens here.
Some interesting zombie ideas. Some truly funny moments.
And one of the best endings I've ever seen.
One of those hidden gems you'll never forget.

one of the best zombie movies I`ve ever seen!
I bought Bio Zombie not knowing what to expect, and it ended up being one of the best investments I ever made. This movie is pretty high-quality for a Hong-Kong/zombie film, two genres which I love but know fall short in the quality dept. This film has comedy, action, cool music, and a good amnt. of gore also the mall it takes place in is awesome. the zombies are pretty cool looking, especially the guy they run over in the beginning. And the decapitation scenes are gross, and hilarious because they beat up the head afterwards. Also this movie has a great ending. It has many references towards videogames such as House of the Dead. I love this film and recommend it to lovers of zombie films and Resident Evil games. If you dont like subtitles beware they go rather quickly.

Silly fun
Bio-Zombie is one of those movies that surprised the pants off of me. I'm a zombie completist so any movie that features the undead I will want to watch, whether the movie has a reputation as being a stinkbomb or not. Well let me tell you Bio-Zombie is one of the most pleasureable experiences I've ever had watching a dead dude film.

The two central characters are a couple of young punks who go by the names "Crazy Bee" and "Woody Invincible". The two own a small DVD counter in a shopping mall. While driving a car on an errand for a friend, the guys accidentally hit a man who was standing in the middle of the road. The man survives and while trying to help him up, our two heroes feed him a soft drink that happens to be a biochemical experiment engineered by some Mafioso types. The two guys drive the man back to the mall in an effort to clean him up, but then of course the man soon turns into a zombie. Soon, the contagion spreads and the mall is overrun by hordes of the undead.

Anyone sitting down to watch Bio-Zombie should not expect a horror movie. It's a zombie movie but not a horror movie. Huh? Well imagine if Kevin Smith had decided to add packs of zombies into his movie "Mallrats" and that will give you a pretty good idea of the tone of this film. Witty dialogue, vanguard youth, clever pop culture references all of it done Hong-Kong style. Even though more of a comedy than a horror film, this certainly doesn't disappoint in the gore department. Lots of arterial sprayings and gut-munching Romero-style.

The fact that there's no zombie action until the midway point did nothing to curb my interest, the first half of the film was very good at providing laughs and setting the tone. Even the two central dweebs, who were extremely annoying at first and who aren't much smarter than a couple of ten watt lightbulbs, really grew on me after a while. Other great characters are "Sushi Boy" who becomes a zombie with feelings and compassion, and "Rolls" one of the cutest girls I've ever seen in an Asian movie. Sure, Bio-Zombie is dumb as all get out but the filmmakers KNOW this. Bottom line is that Bio-Zombie scores humongous points in the fun department and that is why you should watch it.

A NICE MOVIE
OK,The first time i watched the movie i didnt like it that much because i wasnt used to japanese movie styles,but the second time i liked it more.
The movie has some quite good action and nice little comedy it gets alittle scary at the end.
The ending was alittle depressing.It ends tracing to the two survivors contamination.
This movie has alittle similarity to resident evil.You should see it,its quite nice.

So stupid, it's good
Totally B-rate zombie flick with an absurd plot and barely better acting. However, while it'll never be critically good.. if you watch it to be entertained and get a few chuckles, this one would work. The movie is about 3 stars, but I give another star for Rolls. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Weather Woman and Weather Woman Returns.
Weather Woman: The first DVD is great. Lots of humor, nudity, cussing, some violence and not a serious bone in its body. You'll laugh, you'll laugh so hard that you WILL cry. Weird, sexy and Kei Mizutani who knows what her character needs AND what her fans want. I give it five stars!

Weather Woman Returns: The second movie has a slightly more serious plot, slightly more nudity (and sex), no violence and some parts that are not funny - I think they worked TOO hard on trying to make sense. Misa Aika is pretty and does swim about nude a lot, but she's no Kei Mizutani. I didn't laugh as much. I give it three stars.

I would suggest getting Weather Woman by itself OR getting this collection if you can get it for less (in other words - used). Not much in the way of normal extras on the DVDs, but they also have DVD-ROMS features in the form of art, interviews and comics.

Outrageous and hilarious
Insane, outrageous story about a network TV weather-woman who's ousted from her post when a substitute (Kei Mizutani) steps in. The new girl achieves coast-to-coast notoriety when she flashes her underwear at the TV audience -- before long she's turned the weather report into a mad song-and-dance revue show all its own. Then her rival comes gunning for her, and plans to use any way she can to get her old job back. Screamingly funny story is also a jet-black satire of Japanese social customs and the cult of popularity in general. For fans of the truly strange and different.

High P/E
The other reviews adequately describe what you can expect from this movie (especially the one-star review); but none seems to provide the prospective buyer with the P/E (Price-to-Entertainment) ratio for this movie. If Weather Woman had come on late-night cable television (in other words, if I had not paid any extra money to watch the movie), it would have been a hoot. After all, although puerile and fourth-rate, it is rather amusing. However, the $$$$ I paid for this movie was a sad waste of my money. I am now feeling quite stupid for ordering this movie - - - hope you will learn from my mistake and spend your money on a movie with a lower P/E.

Great music and fun.
If your not some snotty rich movie snob, you know the type that suck the fun right out of all good movies. If you can understand the laws of time but still enjoy a good time travel movie than your not one of them. This movie is fun. Thats the best word for it. The second one actually has more nudity but less fun. Weather women has nudity and is very sexy but stands on its own as a good movie. if your looking to get into campy asian movies this would be a great way in. however i would say only get the two pack if you get it cheap. weird stuff happens in the back ground of the movie if you pay attention. great movie. you will like it. i like it with lasanga or mongolian beef!Enjoy your day.PhiPPs

pretty good if you liek the weird
it's weird, suprising, and sure to please anyone into odd japanese movies. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Weather Woman and Weather Woman Returns.
Weather Woman: The first DVD is great. Lots of humor, nudity, cussing, some violence and not a serious bone in its body. You'll laugh, you'll laugh so hard that you WILL cry. Weird, sexy and Kei Mizutani who knows what her character needs AND what her fans want. I give it five stars!

Weather Woman Returns: The second movie has a slightly more serious plot, slightly more nudity (and sex), no violence and some parts that are not funny - I think they worked TOO hard on trying to make sense. Misa Aika is pretty and does swim about nude a lot, but she's no Kei Mizutani. I didn't laugh as much. I give it three stars.

I would suggest getting Weather Woman by itself OR getting this collection if you can get it for less (in other words - used). Not much in the way of normal extras on the DVDs, but they also have DVD-ROMS features in the form of art, interviews and comics.

Outrageous and hilarious
Insane, outrageous story about a network TV weather-woman who's ousted from her post when a substitute (Kei Mizutani) steps in. The new girl achieves coast-to-coast notoriety when she flashes her underwear at the TV audience -- before long she's turned the weather report into a mad song-and-dance revue show all its own. Then her rival comes gunning for her, and plans to use any way she can to get her old job back. Screamingly funny story is also a jet-black satire of Japanese social customs and the cult of popularity in general. For fans of the truly strange and different.

High P/E
The other reviews adequately describe what you can expect from this movie (especially the one-star review); but none seems to provide the prospective buyer with the P/E (Price-to-Entertainment) ratio for this movie. If Weather Woman had come on late-night cable television (in other words, if I had not paid any extra money to watch the movie), it would have been a hoot. After all, although puerile and fourth-rate, it is rather amusing. However, the $$$$ I paid for this movie was a sad waste of my money. I am now feeling quite stupid for ordering this movie - - - hope you will learn from my mistake and spend your money on a movie with a lower P/E.

Great music and fun.
If your not some snotty rich movie snob, you know the type that suck the fun right out of all good movies. If you can understand the laws of time but still enjoy a good time travel movie than your not one of them. This movie is fun. Thats the best word for it. The second one actually has more nudity but less fun. Weather women has nudity and is very sexy but stands on its own as a good movie. if your looking to get into campy asian movies this would be a great way in. however i would say only get the two pack if you get it cheap. weird stuff happens in the back ground of the movie if you pay attention. great movie. you will like it. i like it with lasanga or mongolian beef!Enjoy your day.PhiPPs

pretty good if you liek the weird
it's weird, suprising, and sure to please anyone into odd japanese movies. ... Read more

Description

Ryo Masuda is a washed up adult video director without a leading actress. Now, he has to find someone to re-place her quick, so he can produce his latest low budget S&M video.When the young Yukie appears to turn the production into an unexpected hit, Ryo becomes drawn to the world of sadomasochism and his newfound star. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Soft Core Asian Exotica
If your expecting a hard core S&M film starring lots of gorgeous Asian Babes, look elsewhere. While the women in this movie are definatly pretty, you won't so much as see a genuine slap. Although there are amusing scenes of gentlemen beating couches behind babes in bondage. There isn't even that much nudity. I rate this at '2' Stars because those attracted to the premise are likely to be somewhat dissapointed. Overall production is on the level of "Spice", perhaps a bit lower. ... Read more

Description

The '60s are definitely over in director Koji Wakamatsu's outrageous look at the Japanese radical movement. A group of oversexed militants (named after the days of the week) try to steal weapons from a U.S Army base--Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are killed. Slowly, the surviving group members realize they've been betrayed by their own organization, and begin to wreak sexual and political anarchy on everything in sight. Between the 1960's and early 1970's, Japanese cinema literally exploded with some of the greatest genre filmmaking ever seen--a mindbending Cinemascope paradise of samurai swordfests, crazed yakuza thrillers and low-budget erotica. In conjunction with the American Cinematheque, Image Entertainment presents this rarely-seen Japanese cult film. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Successful?
An interesting film that I don't believe was entirely successful. The premise, a revolutionary group recognized by rank and function by the names of days, months and seasons that falls apart and betrays itself, is a clever one, but the dialogue is often too repetitive and cryptic to draw you in further. I'd like to see more from this director, but I think this film fell short its mission. I saw the VHS version so I can't comment on the DVD extras, if there are any or not.

Not bad... Not bad.
Part of the Japanese Outlaw Masters series that played at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles last year. I hear that the great Female Convinct Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 was by far the highlight, but if this is even half as good, I want to own it. Directed by Koji Wakamatsu. ... Read more

Description

Misa Kuroi is a good witch, but wherever she goes, evil follows. When a dying girl appears out of nowhere shouting Misa's name, our heroine goes to work. Following the clues, Misa transfers to the prestigious Saint Salem School for Girls and joins the Drama Club. Soon all the girls depart for a mysterious Drama Camp, deep in the woods. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

New Misa Fan
I was initially put off by the gory beginning of this film, which was reminiscent of many low-budget shockers, but once past that I was increasingly intriqued by the characters and impressed by the photography and music of this film. Hinako Saeki is impressive as Misa--very dynamic, and the other actresses are good too, especially Ayaka Nanami as Aya. The film is unusual and creative, and gets better and better as it goes along. I like the wide-screen, subtitled format: with this format you hear the voices of the original actresses, yet the words are always legible. Because of the acting and superior photography, I greatly preferred this film to "Wizard of Darkness" --the first film in the Eko Eko Azarak trilogy (which had a completely different cast). To me, "Misa the Dark Angel" was a real find.

Good 80's horror mixed with Lovecraft mythos
Leave it to the Japanese to come up with weird novelties containing influences from other cinema. Misa-The Dark Angel falls into that category, and is a mixture of 80's horror movies, particularly nubile sorority girls being attacked by some maniac and ancient mythology as told in H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories. And this is based on Shinichi Koga's comic book of the same name.

A hideously burnt body cries out Misa's name in the middle of a busy street on a rainy night, scaring onlookers. Who is Misa Kuroi? Her existence is said to be urban legend, but she is an 18-year old witch who is called in unusual and mysterious cases, and "wherever she goes, there's destruction and terror." That much is true in the second and darker half of this movie, where there are some unpleasant and horrific murders. And the visually dark scenes add to a truly scary atmosphere.

A clue leads Misa to the all-girls St. Seirem High School, where she meets Aya, a shy, sensitive, but pleasant enough student in the drama club. Along with Aya, Misa meets six other girls--Yuki, Hitomi, Yoko, Kaori, Mami, and the drama club leader Hikaru. She blends in well enough, surprising for a normally unsociable person such as her. Of the students, the actresses playing Aya and the clean-freak Mami stand out. As for Misa, yes, she does look the brooding sort, and her voice is somewhat hardened, but I'd describe her as having a golden heart but a steel kimono. I don't know which school of witchcraft she went to, but she knows her stuff.

Trivia: in Japanese, one would say Kuroi Misa in the last name/first name order. Her name that way means Black Misa. An interesting movie not for the squeamish but for those who are adventurous and into contemporary Japanese horror cinema. This is actually the third in the Misa Kuroi series, the first two being the out-of-print The Wizard Of Darkness and Return Of The Wizard. Here's hoping the first two will be reissued.

Mythos Shadows in Japan
A young woman collapses on a Tokyo street, muttering the name "Misa Kuroi"-and then dies. At the city morgue, two police detectives discuss Misa Kuroi, a figure they believe to be nothing more than an urban myth, a supposed teen-aged witch who investigates strange cases. As it happens, while they are talking, the real Misa Kuroi slips past them and enters the morgue. She examines the corpse and determines that it has been eaten away by parasites from another dimension.

Following a clue in the dead female's belongings, Misa goes to a nearby high school for girls. Misa befriends a student named Aya and enrolls in Aya's drama club. Hikaru, the "Chief" of the drama group, assigns Misa a part in the current play, which seems to incorporate many occult elements.

The girls from the drama club use a holiday period for extra practice at an old house that once belonged to Baron Etori, the founder of the high school. During one practice session, while Misa is in another part of the building using the telephone, Hikaru and the other girls fall into a trance and begin to invoke the Seven Angels of Darkness:

·Atorakunakua, god of the spider (Atlach-Nacha);
·Huster, god of the wind (Hastur);
·Tsatugua, god of the underworld (Tsathoggua);
·Nialratohotepu, god of chaos (Nyarlathotep);
·Dagon, god of water;
·Shupunigras, god of the black goat (Shub-Niggurath); and
·Cthulu, the sleeping god (Cthulhu).

Misa returns and interrupts the ceremony before it can be completed, but evil forces, in the form of misshapen cloaked figures, have been unleashed. One by one, the other girls are killed by the creatures of darkness, until only Misa, Aya, and Hikaru remain. Misa attempts to expose the source behind the eldritch events at the house, and this proves to be the long-dead Baron Etori. Etori's spirit claims descent from the Weitly (Whately) family, notorious servants of the demon-god Yog Sototo (Yog-Sothoth).

Etori's spirit informs Misa that the deaths of the other students have been arranged as sacrifices to Yog Sototo. In return, Yog Sototo will give full human life to a Homonculus, an artificially created being. Puzzled by this, Misa banishes Etori's spirit-only to learn that both Aya and Hikaru are Homonculi, created by Etori's magic in years past.

Somehow Aya lost her memory of her unnatural creation, and was raised by foster parents, believing that she was a normal human being. Hikaru, however, is working in consonance with the Baron's plan. She kills Misa, and then begins the final arcane preparations to sacrifice Aya to Yog Sototo. Hikaru feels this will make her completely human.

But Misa's mystical powers enable her to return from death to defend Aya. In the confrontation with Hikaru, Misa blasts Hikaru with sorcerous energies-which also cast Hikaru back through time, where she appears on a Tokyo street, dying as she speaks the words "Misa Kuroi". . . .

The storyline is a bit murky-why Yog Sototo or the Angels of Darkness would care about making a Homonculus fully human is not obvious to me. But I did enjoy the movie, with its modest Cthulhu Mythos references, and its rather somber protagonist. In addition to being an enchantress, Misa is also a Buffy-style fighter; in one sequence, she hikes up her skirt, pulls a dagger out of a thigh sheath, and starts carving up a band of robed zombies.

I found it interesting that whoever did the English-language translation did not recognize the original sources for "Huster" and "Tsatugua" and the other Mythos names, and instead tried to phonetically transcribe the Japanese versions of these names back into English.

I've seen a couple of reviews of Misa that referred to elements of nudity and lesbianism, but none of that appeared in the print I watched. (Although it was clearly implied that some of the girls in the drama group were romantically involved.)

Misa the Dark Angel Does Not Disappoint
I really enjoyed Misa the Dark Angel and the cheeky all-girl group of thesbian students she must save from a mysterious evil force. The cinematography is well done and visually entertaining. Because this film is a mix of mystery and horror, there are a few graphic scenes, but they are so visually interesting I accept them as more than just gratuitous opportunities to expose flesh. Unlike some horror films, this one stays true to the characters and doesn't ask us to believe in unmotivated actions and events. I appreciate that. Furthermore, there are some very surprising moments that make this story a fun watch. I listened to the Japanese version and couldn't understand a word! I did get a feel for the characters though. I think the voice actors who dubbed this film, overall, did a very good job. They were accurate in their presentations of each character. Dubbing is an art that takes patience and talent and I respect the challenge of trying to sinc English words with Japanese mouth movements. In films such as this, actors are expected to contribute ideas, often tweaking the original script in order to make mouth-movements match the words as well as create dialogue that is more appealing to an American audience. I enjoyed the 'cheeky' dialogue and interesting characters these actors helped create. If you enjoy Japanese horror, school girls, interesting characters and discovering a few 'hidden' moments, you'll get a real kick out of this film. Have fun!

Schlock horror done in by it's own poor production values.
It had all the makings of an enjoyable schlock horror: Flesh burning demons, high school girls into acting and girl/girl love, and an eccentric coroner who was also uncle to the focus of the story, a teen witch. In other words, all the sorts of things to make you scream in fright on occasion, but mostly start rolling on the floor laughing - something that would keep you highly entertained. So what made this "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" meets "Friday the 13th" much less fun than it could have been?

Well, for starters, most of what was on the screen was barely visible. Misa has some of the darkest film footage known to man. My best guess is that the director was looking for a "noir" look, but instead ended up with indoor scenes that seem as if they were processed in black coffee. At moments where you're supposed to be terrified, you're instead going to be saying "what's going on?" since you can't make out the black shapes moving around on the screen.

Problem two would be the unsteady camera work. While the outdoors scenes were pretty well done - they actually had a kind of dreamy quality, with lots of soft focus and slight overexposure - many times the camera movement detracted from the moment because it was so unsteady. While this may be a desired effect when monsters are giving chase, there's no real reason for it when the girls are simply standing around talking.

The third downfall: audio. The voices on the Japanese track were unintelligable at times. (But it's not a defect of the DVD. It seems to have happened during the actual filming; most likely it's related to the movement of the actresses away from the microphone.) It happens often enough in conjunction with poorly lit scenes to become truly annoying. After all, you don't buy a movie only to read the subtitles. (Which by the way, are hardtitled onto a black bar which takes up the lower quarter of the screen on the subtitled version. Yuck!)

The voices on the dubbed track fared much, much better -they were loud and clear actually - but they were a little too "hyper-americanized-anime" for my taste.

On the plus side, considering the source material, Media Blasters did the best they could with the DVD. Having both versions -English and Japanese- was great (think back to all those "newly" released Jet-Li DVDs which only had the god-awful English tracks!!!) The photo gallery was also pretty nice (though it kind of makes you wish that whoever shot the stills had done the DP work on the movie).

In the end, unless your a real big fan of not-so-scary teenage sorcery horror fests, pass this one up, or if you curiosity is eating away at you, rent it before you buy it. ... Read more

Description

Finishing up an important case, the beautiful bounty hunter Iria returns to Earth. Along with her computer, Bob, and her assistant, Fujicrow, she is also assigned an android trainee. The research team charged with building the combat android decided to implant the android's brain with the most cunning combat life form in the universe, a vicious Zeiram unit! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

That Robot Just Ate Your Dog...
This is probably the first time that an anime series has inspired me to watch the original film. Zeiram, the animation is actually a prequel to this film in which director Keita Amemiya tells the story of bounty hunter Iria's origins. Zeiram and Zeiram 2 occur later and are reprises of Iria's running battles with the cyborg-like Zeiram - robots powered by weird creatures that look like Noh masks and will eat anything including your dog.

In Zeiram 2, Iria and her 'assistant' Fujikuro are tracking down an ancient artifact called the Carmarite. Fujikuro betrays Iria knocks out her faithful computer friend Bob, leaving her facing some 50 combatants with only the help of an experimental cyborg helper who looks an awful lot like - you guessed it - Zeiram. After literally mowing down the bad guys, Zeiram goes out of control (bad programming, of course). Also involved are two of Iria's old friend, Kiyama and Tepphei, who are the Abbott and Costello of the electronic repair business.

What follows is the kind of delightful silliness that Amemiya is noted for - a hectic action plot that is full of comic crises and heroic stunts. Everyone, including Zeiram, get to ham it up with Power Ranger class stunts as the action shifts from temple to factory to shrine with impunity. If all you have seen before this film is the animation, which has a much more serious plot, it will take you a while to realize that all this vaudeville is intentional rather than bad acting.

Special effects, costumes, and sets are truly imaginative, reminiscent of Escher and Giger. The Zeiram cyborg in particular has as many tricks as a Swiss army knife. The truth is that the film is well crafted, even though its unconscionable silliness frequently obscures Amemiya's better moments. Zeiram 2 is purely a confection, it's hard not to like as long as you are careful not to take it seriously.

It's Fun
This is the sequel to the live action "Zeiram" (or "Zeram"). The special effects, fights, and costumes are better than the last movie, but the plot and characters (or lack of both) are kind of a let-down.

Now when comparing both live action "Zeiram" movies to the anime "Iria: Zeiram the Animation" I find the live action severely lacking in just about everything possible. Iria's reason's for going after Zeiram in the live action are reduced to money and survival, the whole revenge thing from the anime is left out. Fujikuro is turned into nothing but a bumbling, double-crossing kid. Also left out are Iria's computer partner Bob's origins, multiple characters, and any other planets besides Earth (Earth wasn't even in the anime).

However, the live action movies do have a plus side. Zeiram looks [good], especially in the first movie. And you can watch them half asleep and not miss much of a plot.

If you like live action movies like "Hakaider" and shows like "Kikaida" and the other Japanese hero series, go and get (buy/rent whatever) "Zeiram". If you like it, then get "Zeiram 2". Otherwise, you'll probably be let down.

silly but still entertaining
For those of you who remember watching "Iria: Zeriam the animation" anime... LOOK OUT! for the sequal is here! and oddly enough... it's live action!

I leaped at the oppertunity to see this simply because i knew it was going to be bad. If you're expecting the same kind of action and plot from the anime, don't, cuz this is totally different.

Iria and Fujikuro have been staying on earth collecting bounty. When Iria is sent off to bring back a robot Zeriam assistant, Fujikuro destroys her transport system only to discover she took the item which would have given him good money. SO he hijacks a friend of iria's and goes searching for her to steal it. Meanwhile the robot Zeriam goes haywire and starts assasinating everything in site. Now iria, Fujikuro, a groom and an electritian have to defeat Zeriam before he closes a ZONE and obliterates them all. Sound confusing yet? it gets better!

Now the acting isn't the highlight of the film, nor is the action (several times you can see the string holding them in the air). But what i was really amazed at was how they build suspence. The writers obviously knew what they were doing because the movie just builds and builds with problems. And when you think you've overcome ONE problem 4 more arise to take it's place. Despite the little budget, this movie does have a certain appeal to it. The directors even got around the special fx here and there and instead of having explosions and rapid scene cuts, we actually get a chance to watch the characters be themselves. Good rest points to the action to soon ensue.

If you don't care about cheezy special FX and don't mind rubber monster costumes then this is a good movie for you. If not, go buy the anime and be happy. For the rest of you, ENJOY!

not worth watching
I liked the original.. The script was better and the acting was more realistic.. Zeiram II is better in the sense of special effects but the story line and characters are lacking... In fact, at one point, I thought it was the PowerRangers all over again... All in all, I would purchase this movie ONLY as a last resort... or if you wanted to support live ANIME funding.... Otherwise, stick with the ANIME version....

Noh Theatre Monster
Zeiram 2 is the sequel to Zeram, (I don't know why "i" was dropped in the Fox Lorber release of the original, but "Zeiram" is the correct transliteration of the Japanese spelling of the title monster's name) a low-budget, charming science fiction/monster-in-the-rubber suit film directed by Amamiya Keita and starring supercool Moriyama Yuko. Endowed with a slightly bigger budget, the sequel is even more of a delirious fun. Moriyama returns, of course, and so does Zeiram, now wrapped in layers of body armor and heavy artillery.

I have to say Zeiram is a great monster. Its design is obviously inspired by noh theatre aesthetics, including the ultra-creepy, pasty, rouge-lipped noh mask face attached to a long, snakelike neck that serves as a feeding mechanism. This part of Zeiram devours chunks of whatever organic creature it encounters and manufactures a "capsule monster" out of its genetic material: shades of Ultra Seven! Every time Zeiram makes appearance it is accompanied in the soundtrack by rumbling male chorus and percussion, as if it is a supernatural presence in a noh play. The relationship between two bumbling electricians and Iria, the rogue investigator and arch-enemy to Zeiram, is also highly unusual in a science fiction setting, in that it is a genuine friendship (between male and female) developed from mutual admiration for each others' abilities and resourcefulness. Although these two guys, Kamiya and Teppei, are inserted in the series as kyogen (comic noh) figures, here they get to reveal different shades of their characters. All these human dimensions are completely missing in the anime version. (Who (...)needs to know about Iria's brother?)

Media Blaster's DVD transfer is generally good. I suspect that the source material was Japanese laserdisc, which tends to have little depth in black levels, so the resolution does suffer a bit during nighttime sequences in the last 10 minutes of the movie. You may have to adjust brightness and contrast levels of your TV set to get the best picture. However, no compression noise or artifact problems seem to be present, at least overtly noticeable ones. Subtitles are much better than usual, and English dubbing is pretty well done as well. Far superior to the original Fox Lorber edition on this count. However, it is disappointing that the "Making of Zeiram 2" featurette, a very enjoyable and personable account of low-budget science fiction filmmaking, is not available as an extra. It came free with the Japanese VHS, never mind laserdisc! Don't stint on the extras please! ... Read more

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