First off, I must apologize for putting off writing this for a couple of weeks. I had a helluva case of writer’s block, on top of some high anxiety. No fun, as you can imagine. I’ve dragged myself to set fingers to keyboard, though, to give you this lovely review of a ridiculous film.
From the first time a bad guy’s death ends in an explosion of Michael Bay-esque proportions to the last bit of overwrought and unrealistic dialogue, this movie was perfect.
Based on a tokusatsu television series of the 1970s, Electroid Zaborger (Japanese: Denjin Zaborgar or Denjin Zaboga) is a cheerfully mad homage to the genre. For those unfamiliar with the tokusatsu style of television or film, it is Japanese for live-action media that features superheroic characters and over-the-top special effects. Sub-genres of tokusatsu include things like kaiju movies (Godzilla, Mothra, etc.) or mecha shows featuring giant robots. A good example of the genre for American viewers would be Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, which was actually using footage from a Japanese show for its action scenes (and fresh-scrubbed all-American teens for the other, less-interesting, crap).
Karate-Robo Zaborgar does a good job of embracing all that is wonderful and weird in this style. Just to get the main plot summary out of the way, I will once again turn to the SIFF website’s description:
…Robogeisha (SIFF 2010) director Noboru Iguchi returns with his newest cybernetic thrill-fest. Following the death of his scientist father, police officer Yutaka Daimon inherits robot warrior “Zaborgar.” Equipped with an array of weapons, an expertise in karate, and the power to transform into a motorcycle, Zaborgar is Daimon’s sole partner in their battle against Sigma, an evil organization bent on stealing the DNA of Japanese politicians for use in a giant robotic weapon. But when Daimon meets Miss Borg, a sexy cybernetic Sigma agent, the two become star-crossed lovers—a development that spells the tragic end to the once inseparable crime-fighting duo. Twenty-five years later, the disgraced Daimon, now working as the Prime Minister’s personal chauffeur, discovers Sigma has finally finished their ultimate weapon and is preparing to unleash it upon Japan. Will Daimon ever be able to earn Zaborgar’s forgiveness, stop Sigma’s nefarious plans, and save the world from total destruction? Offering more of Iguchi’s trademark brand of furiously frantic kitsch, Karate-Robo Zaborgar is a hilarious mix of mechanized martial arts and cybernetic slapstick.
Having watched Robogeisha at last year’s SIFF and also having seen other of Noboru Iguchi’s films, I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into when I decided I needed to see this film. Iguchi is the kind of director that takes a ridiculous gag as far as you think he can take it, but then manages to successfully push it to an even greater level than you would have believed possible. Sometimes this works for me, since I’m a firm believer in the words of the great sage, Ferris Bueller: “You can never go too far.” Honestly, if you gone too far over-the-top, the only way to make it work is to take it even further. It evens out somehow.
This movie was a bit more calm compared to Robogeisha or Machine Girl. Of course, with a measuring stick like those, this could be a misleading comparison. It is still the kind of film that just keeps on managing to top its own outrageousness, as well as encouraging frequent double-takes. That said, the nudity and genuinely messed-up humor is toned down. This is basically Noboru Iguchi’s family-friendly film. Of course, I still don’t think most people (in the U.S. at least) would take their kids to it. I would, but I might have a different view of age-appropriate viewing than the average person.
Compensating, I think, for the lighter shock value is the storyline’s ability to change gears in a couple of very surprising and funny ways during the course of the story, as well as put the characters in some very creative situations. It also has a noticeably larger budget than Iguchi’s previous films and looks great. I felt like this film struck a better balance between the different elements of humor within it. It contained a lot of the sort of random absurdity that I love, so I may be biased. It had me nearly in tears from laughter at times.
As a spoof of a beloved genre, it surprisingly still manages to stay pretty relevant and funny for audiences that aren’t as familiar with shows about giant robot monsters and helmeted super-spy policemen. Perhaps if it had been based on a more famous/well-loved TV show, it wouldn’t have had the ability to poke so much fun at the tropes of the genre overall. In Karate-Robo Zaborgar’s case, a mild familiarity with Speed Racer, the Godzilla movies, and/or Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (as well as Japanese culture in general) will get you by and the crazy situations will do the rest. I really do suspect that I’d appreciate the sheer insanity of the film even if I wasn’t knowledgeable about any of those things. I mean, c’mon: Cyborg assassins, robot DNA-thieving samurai with giant sucker faces (you’ll just have to see that one for yourself, I promise), football-themed killer cyborg ladies, and an entire cast of evil baddies with names almost as ridiculous as their superpowered abilities.
(Seriously. King Africa. Apache Drill. Baron Armor. Best names EVER.)
If you have a love of older special effects and cheesy television, I especially recommend that you stay for the credits after the film. Interspersed throughout are clips from the original television show, Denjin Zaboga. They serve to highlight the loving recreation of some of the original effects, which I found extremely effing rad.
So, basically, SEE THIS DAMNED FILM. The end.
