Zeiram (1991) & Zeiram 2 (1994) Movie Review

Zeiram is a franchise created by science fiction and action film director, art designer and artist Keita Amemiya. The main character, Iria (played by Yūko Moriyama), a female space bounty hunter, has become wildly popular among Tokusatsu fans and because of the success of the first feature film outing a prequel animated series was released in 1994, months before a sequel.

The first film is about a bounty hunter named Iria who, along with her partner Bob, catches intergalactic criminals. They travel to earth so they can get Zeiram, an extraterrestrial creature that could become a great threat to humanity. Two electricians (Kamiya and Tepei) help Iria fight the alien creature in a virtually constructed alternate dimension called a "Zone", where the battle for the fate of mankind will take place.

The script for the sequel is kind of similar with a few modifications here and there. This time, Zeiram is back in the body of a robotic supersoldier and summons new minions and threats the protagonists have to defeat.

Featuring abundant dynamic action, pretty fantastic practical special effects that bring to life the biomechanical H. G. Giger-like creature designs with the charm and spectacle one can expect from Tokusatsu, both Zeiram films deliver the goods when it comes to enjoyable and fun thrills and top notch VFX for a film of its kind.

There´s also some solid direction going on, with great shots, well done cinematography and entertaining fight sequences that entertain all throughout. I will say that the actual plots are perhaps a bit too uninvolving and dry, sometimes you feel like there's not enough dramatic force or character progression going on, even feeling borderline repetitive.

Another problem is that the character of Iria isn't the main focus of the movies and she sort of steps back from a lot of the runtime and more character development is given to the human male characters, who aren't awful but are far from interesting. I think there was a lot of wasted potential when it comes to Iria, she has the personality, the looks and the abilities to be a great heroine in media but it's all bogged down because there aren't any character arcs or personal conflicts going on with her. I understand that she is kind of non-human, but you can still do a compelling story with her. Her relationship with the human guys is also quite stale and too distant to work fully, but it's far from bad or incoherent.

I think that when it comes to production design, art design and just pure kineticism these movies have you covered because they involve all of the basic ingredients for a fun time with an action flick, especially if you are particularly fond of delirious japanese sci-fi with outrageous stunts and creature designs.

Check these movies out and have some fun with the cool Iria and Bob.

Lady Dragon (1992) Movie Review

Let's continue our Cynthia Rothrock series with Lady Dragon, an action martial arts film from 1992 starring Rothrock, Richard Norton, Robert Ginty and Bella Esperance. Directed by David Worth and produced by Imperial Entertainment, the film was so successful that a sequel titled Lady Dragon 2 (1993) was released the following year.

Kathy (Cynthia Rothrock) is a tough martial artist who frequents an underground fight ring as she gets close to the mob boss (Richard Norton) that murdered her husband the day of their wedding for revenge. After a close encounter with death, she is found by a martial artist who teaches her new techniques so she can defeat the criminal boss.

Lady Dragon starts things up with a bang, with intense action right from the beginning. It's a very good idea to set everything up (setting, characterization, tone and style of action) in the first scene of the film, not only do you get a taste of our heroine's skill level and strength but you also get to see the way the underworld works and its rigid but savage way of functioning, which becomes integral by the end.

Rothrock's usual decent acting skills flourish here to good effect and her martial arts prowess is still notable (even if the film never takes full advantage of them). Her character is handled in a more intimate way than in the typical vehicle of hers, which gives a bit more of an emotional resonance to the storyline. I also like the side-characters and villains, the script delves more deeper into their personalities and motivations than in the average flick of its kind which makes it more effective overall. Norton and Ginty are also good in it but perhaps a bit wooden at point.

The cinematography is quite polished and the direction is also solid enough, with a great grasp of cinematic compositions while also making everything dynamic with its moderately rapid editing. The choreographies also shine because of it.

A real blast from the early nineties, Lady Dragon is definitely the B movie classic that will satisfy fans of the martial arts genre and casual moviegoers as well.

The Heroic Trio (1993) Movie Review

The Heroic Trio (Three Heroines of the East, Ángeles Vengadores) is an action fantasy film directed by Johnnie To and written by Sandy Shaw. It stars Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung, Damian Lau, Anthony Wong and Paul Chun. The film became a pretty big hit and is one of the Hong Kong films that managed to reach a wider audience while being a cult favorite for genre enthusiasts. It is now considered to be one of Michelle Yeoh’s classic films.

The plot is set in motion as an invisible entity snatches babies around town. The wife of a police inspector (secretly a superheroine known as Wonder Woman), a tough and badass bounty hunter (known in the field as Thief Catcher) and the responsible for the baby kidnappings (a powerful warrior with supernatural techniques) unite their forces to fight the evil master behind the crimes.

An insane fantasy martial arts film that really delivers some hardcore action. The kooky plotline is actually simple and clear enough that you can properly follow it all throughout. The main characters have very distinct and likable personalities. The characterizations are fun, while the actresses are very good. I think a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the lavish costumes, props and simple writing in just 80 minutes. I wasn't expecting it to have such dynamic acrobatic action choreography, people don't just move or leap, they glide and hover through the air, but it is truly a very entertaining spectacle with people flying around and achieving impossible jumps and convoluted moves.

At first, you kind of have to put the puzzle of the storyline and the character relations and identities together because things are very slowly and eclectically established, they don't bombard you with information but everything comes together by the end of the first act. I think the tone is pretty perfect for the most part, being able to handle comedy, fantastical wonder and serious action quite well. I will also add that they had the balls to do something very shocking with a baby and that never actually hurts the established tone. I will leave it at that.

The wardrobe, art direction, production design and special effects are all expertly crafted and taken full advantage of by the meticulous and skilled direction. Johnnie To was able to take this somewhat disjointed and easy to mess up story and executed it perfectly and clearly, delivering a high caliber action classic from Hong Kong that fluidly tells its story with a variety of moods, tones, places and sensitivities.

A must watch for any martial arts fanatic. Quick and swift, The Heroic Trio is bound to thrill and amuse with its impressive filmmaking and imagination.

The film was followed by a sequel titled Heroic Trio 2: Executioners (1993).