Zebraman

Title: Zebraman
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Sho Aikawa, Kyoka Suzuki, Koen Kondo
Year: 2004
MPAA: PG for violence, thematic elements, and gore used for comedic purposes
Date of Review: January 29, 2005


This is one of the latest films that Takashi Miike has splooged out. I don't know if it is actually his latest, since it seems he comes out with a new full-length movie every week.

This strange blend of sci-fi, action and comedy centers around a middle-aged school teacher whose life is uneventful and unsatisfying. His wife seems to be having an affair, his children have no respect for him, and his students don't take him seriously. As an escape during his spare time, he makes a costume resembling an old television superhero called "Zebraman", which aired in Japan for 7 episodes before being cancelled. Before you begin asking questions or searching for pictures, it is a fictional television show, and yes, it is actually a costume that resembles a zebra.

Coincidentally, at about the same time that he begins wearing his costume outside his house and attempting to foil robberies and petty crimes, the world is being invaded by strange, jelly-like aliens residing under the stage of the local junior high school. Of course, this becomes the main conflict, with Zebraman fighting the aliens and attempting to defend Earth by himself.

There are several subplots thrown into the mix, but none of them are really fully explored or resolved. There is one that is quite touching, involving a new student in his class who is handicapped, and who shares his love for Zebraman. There is also one featuring two military officers working incognito as a gay couple trying to find where the aliens are hiding. Throughout the film we see these characters pop in and out, but the boy is really the only one that has any impact on the story and how it unfolds.

One major drawback to the film is that it seems Takashi Miike couldn't really decide what type of film he was trying to make. It begins as an almost gut-splittingly funny spoof of the recent Hollywood explosion of superhero movies, but then turns into an overly-sentimental feel-good film. It also contains Miike's signature disturbingly gross gore, though since it is generally aliens involved (with their blood and organs being green) it's not as gross as his other films such as "Ichi the Killer". By the time the ridiculous final battle rolled around, I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to be laughing at how intentionally horrible and cheesy it was, or cringing at how badly it was done.

The special effects are nothing to call home about, but they get the job done and there are no times when they look particularly horrible, but at the same time they never look great either. You can tell that most of the effects budget was spilled into the final battle, which is quite sad because it is very disappointing and, again, it's hard to tell what Miike was actually going for with it.

Overall, like the special effects it showcases, "Zebraman" is nothing spectacular, but is worth seeing if you are interested in Asian cinema or are looking for something that is generally fun and at times has a good sense of humor. It's sort of like what you would get if you took Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!" and put it in a blender with any one of the recent plethora of superhero movies that Hollywood is spewing out.

4.5/10