Zebraman
Originally Reviewed on May 3rd 2008
I read a review that recommend this to fans of Power Rangers type shows, so I went into this expecting something for kids. But when a character in the opening scene complains that his, uh, man thing itches from crabs that he received after sleeping with a prostitute. Umm, sufficed to say I quickly realized that this wasn't going to be no movie for the kiddies.
A Japanese production from the director of "Ichi the Killer", it tells the tale of a glum loser who works as a teacher. His students hate him; they bully his son for simply being his son. His daughter disrespects him and his wife is having an affair. The only solace the guy finds is late at night, when he locks himself in his study and dons the uniform of his favorite TV superhero, Zebraman. Of course, being who he is, his favorite TV show was seen by scant few and was canceled after only 7 episodes aired.
One night the poor slob decides to venture out in his costume and while out and about he stumbles upon a serial killer dressed as a crab! A fight ensues and much to the surprise of the teacher, he suddenly displays amazing powers! Soon the new hero is encountering villains that are straight out of the TV show.
Zebraman has a pinch of horror (Via an alien invasion from a horde of green see-through globs), a bit of compelling mystery and a dash of comedy. And the reason it all works is that it's played mostly straight, there's real human drama and you care for this guy and the people around him (including a new student in a wheelchair, also a Zebraman fan, and his mother).
The story flows at a nice pace (though during the ending I wondered why the alien just stood around while some interaction and drama played out) and it held my interest from the start. The acting is very good, (though the protagonist wears this expression of bewilderment throughout). And I liked the score, especially the ominous tones that would creep up from time to time.
The humor is sharp: For example, the teacher soon develops his own version of "Spider Sense", I guess you'd call it Horse Sense, and it was revealed in such an unexpected manner that I was delighted and surprised when it happened. The comedy caught me off guard in general, as I don't think I was expecting the film to be so funny. There are sight gags, strange out of the blue moments (Zebranurse made me laugh my ass off) and of course, humorous parodies on the genre. I loved the scene where the future hero is watching a TV show, which was a cross between the Power Rangers and the Ring. (and of course, Zebramans TV theme is a "Jet Jaguar" style anthem that is hilariously cheesy).
I was pleasantly surprised by Zebraman and enjoyed it so much I watched it twice and will put it on my wish list of super movies to buy. (I watched it with subtitles, The translations are not always accurate and in some exchanges it makes things confusing. The dub makes more sense, but the acting is awfully carton like.the dubbed version is very cartoony sounding)
Zoom: Academy for Superheroes
Originally Reviewed on September 9th 2007
Zoom is based on a children's book but it doesn't follow the source material at all (Which was a kind of Harry Potter for the comic book set. Only the School was for young superheroes to learn their trade and is headed by an alien). In this version the alien is changed into a has-been hero who has lost his power. The story: Back in the Day, Captain Zoom (Tim Allen) headed a super team, the military messed with their powers and Zooms bro -Concussion- turned bad and killed them all (save Zoom). 30 years later the military discovers that bad brother is returning and they enlist Zoom to train a new set of heroes to save the day.
The flick seems to be trying to zero in on the success of Sky High, but it lacks the charm, wit and depth of character of that film. This is so scattershot and the screenplay is terribly out of focus. The people who populate this movie don't react properly or in a natural, real manner. Tim Allen, for example, is just an infantile jackass who bursts out mean spirited insults for no reason other than the writers somehow though this would suffice as character development.
Courtney Cox is bubbly and comes off the best of the cast (though that's not saying much) - Poor Chevy Chase, comes off far worse. He's just there to be abused and sprayed with whatever gross, smelly substance the filmmakers can find. Serious issues are touched on superficially but these are discarded quickly, with the writer and director instead choosing to focus on tired montages, often accompanied by the tired strains of "Smash Mouth" tunes (that's so 'yesterday' man).
The film shows some spark of life in the final battle. But those life signs are pretty week. Concussions power manifests itself well; it's probably the best (albeit easiest) FX in the movie. But it's far, far too little too late. This is a wash out as a family film, avoid it at all costs and rent Sky High instead.
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