Burst City (1982)

Set in a barren, post apocalyptic Tokyo of highways and wastelands, a rowdy group of punk bands and their fans gather to protest the construction of a nuclear power plant. Riot police and the factory owner’s yakuza friends soon move in to break it up. However, the arrival of a pair of mysterious, metal-clad bikers and a revolt among the disgruntled construction crew makes for a situation that spirals dangerously out of control…

This is an experimental and absurd cyberpunk movie from Japan. By now you should know my views on cyber punk movies. They’ve been more miss than a hit with me and unfortunately this is yet another miss. I have no idea to be honest what the hell is going on in this movie. The movie’s style itself is very innovative, unique and for something that was made on no budget, its a rather remarkable achievement. The soundtrack is loud and 80s Japanese punk is possibly the most nihilistic lyrically. Some people have commented that this movie is like Mad Max on speed!

Unfortunately, attempting to sit through this thing is a whole different deal. While its innovative, its not particularly well made. The frenetic cinematography induces headaches more than tension. Also, there’s really no characters or storyline to speak of, which makes this very hard going for two hours. If this was only an hour long it could’ve been much more effective. At nearly twice that length though, it becomes very tiresome quickly. I couldn’t wait for this nonsense to end to put me out of my misery. This movie was apparently a big influence on Takashi Miike.

For those that want to see the origins of the cyber punk genre which would evolve with the likes of Tetsuo later on in the 80’s then you will enjoy the movie. The rest will think it is just strange and weird. I certainly didn’t like it and thought it was pretty awful but I might be in the minority here?

Sadako’s Rating: 1.5 stars out of 5

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Tetsuo The Iron Man (1989)

A young man slowly transforms into a metallic monster after he comes into contact with a bizarre man with metal objects protruding from his body!

One of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen. I know Tetsuo is held in high regard by many but I’m afraid I didn’t like it. It started out well enough but as it dragged on it just got weirder and weirder. In fact I got bored watching it in the end. Are you supposed to not understand what’s going on? The only good thing I will say about it is the special effects done on a cheap budget. I’ve tried watching other cyberpunk movies and thought that this would change my dislike of them but apart from the movie Electric Dragon it hasn’t. You’ll love it if you like watching experimental movies but Tetsuo didn’t do anything for me.

Sadako’s Rating: 1.5 out of 5

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964 Pinocchio (1991)

Pinocchio 964 is a cyborg sex slave who’s thrown out into the streets by his owner when he malfunctions (can’t get an erection!!). He befriends an insane homeless woman called Himiko who feels sorry for him. When the company that created Pinocchio 964 find out that he’s been dumped they decide to hunt him down.

Cyberpunk madness. I try and watch something different from the norm but this was just a load of garbage. Hardly any plot. Japanese cyberpunk movies usually don’t make any sense at all. If you’re perfectly happy with that perhaps you’ll like this one. It looks like something that David Lynch would make. There’s one disgusting 5 minute gross out sequence of a character vomiting and then writhing around and eating it and then 10 whole minutes of Pinocchio 964 in a straight jacket running around the streets of Tokyo screaming his head off. Looking at the startled general public is amusing. I’m sorry but this is just crap. Steer well clear of it.

Sadako’s Rating: 0.5 out of 5

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Electric Dragon 80000 V (2001)

A young boy climbing up a tall electric pylon gets more than he bargained for when he’s zapped by a big jolt of electricity. As he grows older, Electric Buddha creates a mask to shield one side of his face in which to conduct electricity that’s been stored in his body. Dragon Eye Morrison was a violent kid who had shock treatment in order to curb his aggresive tendencies. When he became an adult, he changed his ways and now captures insects for a living. To discharge the electricity inside his body he violently plays his electric guitar. When Electric Buddha learns of Dragon Eye Morrison’s existense he seeks him out in a high voltage showdown. Tokyo isn’t big enough for both of them so who will come out on top?

Bizarre but hugely entertaining Cyberpunk madness. If you don’t mind watching weird stuff then you’ll have a blast watching this fun movie. Generally I don’t like Cyberpunk movies at all but this one I must admit to taking a shine to it. Shot entirely in black and white and running at a brisk 55 mins this is certainly worth checking out if you’re an Asian movie fan.

Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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