Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the best cyberpunk movies I've seen., 26 Jun 2009
Meatball Machine. The name alone is quite intriguing. After watching The Machine Girl I was really in the mood for another Japanese splatterfest, and this one has been floating around my "to-do" pile for quite some time now. Newcomer Jun'ichi Yamamoto is back to co-direct a remake of his 1999 short film of the same name, this time with director Yûdai Yamaguchim, of Battlefield Baseball fame. It's a great Japanese cyberpunk film that relies heavily on body disfigurement and a bizarre storyline, as well as elements of horror and post-apocalypticism. Then of course you've got your blood and gore by the bucketload. All of these things combined are the perfect combination for an excellent movie.
Our film today is really comprised of two storylines that eventually mingle together to become the movie. The first story revolves around Yoji (Issei Takahashi), a loner who works in some industrial warehouse. He is harboring a secret attraction for Sachiko (Aoba Kawai) another lonely girl who lives near his place of employment. After being beaten up by a transvestite whose advances he turned down in a porn theatre, Yoji finds what can only be described as a golden turtle shell, that secretes what can only be described as golden turtle shell semen. Curious boy that he is, he takes it home and puts it in his closet. Shortly afterwards he stumbles across a co-worker attempting to rape Sachiko. After being beaten by a man in drag, I don't know if I'd be trying to take on a full grown man, even if he was by himself. Failing miserably but still causing the man to leave, Yoji is taken to his home by Sachiko, who tends to his wounds. To his horror, the semen secreting golden turtle shell attacks Sachiko and turns her into a kind of cyborg battle machine. The other storyline involves these parasitic creatures. There appears to be two separate groups, each side taking a number of hosts who are then forced to battle each other to the death. Not the most original idea, but when combined with the first story, it gives the film a bit of heart, and you find yourself torn between wanting more action and more gore, and also rooting for Yoji to save the woman he loves.
I think it's safe to say that this is one of the best cyberpunk movies I've seen. I've probably only watched 15 or so, but this was the most fun of the bunch. Even though Issei Takahashi and Aoba Kawai were the two "leads" in this film, they really didn't play as big a part as you'd think. They did an incredible job at portraying the pain, sadness and despair you would feel in a situation like this, but their roles were considerably smaller than a typical film. Part of this is because of the time spent as the creatures. The suits they had to wear were massive, and didn't allow for much acting to take place. It must have been pretty physically demanding mind you, especially during the fight scenes. The majority of the gore was in said fight scenes, and to my delight there was almost no CGI used whatsoever. I can't tell you how much this pleases me, to see filmmakers actually creating movie magic, rather than let some geek in a chair take care of it. I've seen some gory movies in my day, but this ranks up there as one of the better ones. There's just something about it that makes it graceful; almost playful. That sounds strange for a movie with head splitting, dismemberment, and an eyeball gouging scene that is almost on par with Fulci's Zombi 2. There is enough of the red stuff in here to satisfy the cravings of even the most fiendish gorehound, myself included.
If I were to look for flaws in this one, I'd only come up with one - the bizarre way in which the fight scenes were cut into the beginning of the movie. It was interesting to see the battles mixed in with the crowded and bustling city, but I think it could have been better if they saved them for later in the picture. I think they tipped their hand a little early, and didn't focus as much on the story as they did on the extreme gore and special effects. Don't get me wrong, I loved that part of it to no end, but I also love a good story and some character development. While a bit lacking in this department, it was still a fantastic movie. In case you haven't figured it out, I loved it to bits and would recommend it to fans of splatter films, Japanese cinema, cyberpunk, or just movie lovers in general. If this had been released this year, it would have made my top 10 list for sure. 9/10. By TheFecalKid
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Like A Spicier Meatball., 14 Sep 2009
This is the most satisfying flick I have had the pleasure of watching this year. If your a fan of '80's horror, like myself, you will love the old-skool special effects in this Japanese cyber-punk gem. Think Tetsuo in colour meets Versus and your halfway there. The Necroborg have come to earth to invade the human body like a parasite and use it to commence in battle with other Necroborgs. They fight to the death and then move on searching for their next opponent. The perfect host is one who has suffered extreme pain, so theoretically the good natured individual should be safe. Yoji's nature is so and when he stumbles across a hard metal shell in an alleyway (the Necroborg before it metamorphosis with a host) it has no reaction to him but his curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to take the thing home. Sachiko is the women Yoji is infatuated with but has never mustered the courage to ask her out. One night on his way home he stumbles across Sachiko in another alleyway being raped and instantly steps in to save her. He takes her back to his home and the two of them exchange the usual formalities and begin to realize that they both have the same intense desires for one another - happy days!
Sachiko declines Yoji's advances and begins expaining the horrific life she has suffered at the hands of her molesting and abusive father. The rage and despair within her awaken the Necroborg which then leaps out of the cupboard attacking her and engages with the transformation process. When she becomes completely under the parasite's control she goes in search of a worthy opponent. Yoji is hot on the trail and when he thinks he has found an understanding companion to help him, it transpires to be the individual who has been cultivating the Necroborg at his home for his own twisted reasons. Yoji is then himself transformed into a blood thirsty killing meatball machine. Yoji and Sachiko finally meet-up and go head to head in a fight to the death - true love, happy days!
The host's rage combined with the parasite can create any biochemical weapon they desire - an arm becomes a rocket launcher firing human bones collected from the other defeated foes, bombs, flame throwers etc etc. This is all done in the best possible gory taste culminating in a splatterific blood bath. If you enjoyed Tokyo Gore Police then you will absolutely adore this one as the two flicks go hand in hand. The ending to this low budget, unpredictable mass of demented energy is brilliant and by the time the final credits roll you will be begging for more Meatball!
|
|
|
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
meatball machine DVD, 20 Aug 2009
One of the worst horror films ive seen in years, not due to the lack of blood, but due to the lack of scare factor and realism. At least a good horror film has to be semi realistic or enough to provoc the imagination but this is just cartoon level with giant saws and guns growing out of stomachs.
DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
|
|
|
|
![Meatball Machine [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518v-oW-CSL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Tokyo Gore Police (2 Disc Collectors Edition) [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514v74bUgXL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Dead Snow [DVD] [2009]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51euJ2ssHhL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Chanbara Beauty [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oHsQ4jHUL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Tokyo Gore Police (2 Disc Collectors Edition) [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514v74bUgXL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
![Dead Snow [DVD] [2009]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51euJ2ssHhL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Charlotte Frogner
![Martyrs [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NJHSfDSkL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Mylene Jampanoi
![Chanbara Beauty [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oHsQ4jHUL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Yôhei Fukuda
![Sick Nurses [DVD] [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mZt%2BL1RvL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Dollaros Dachapratumwan
