Don't really know why everybody hates this movie and calls it so poor compared to the almighty 1988 original. Is it because this sequel is more coherent and easier to understand, maybe? People tend to refer to a movie as a 'masterpiece' much quicker when they don't understand one iota of it, of course. As far as I'm concerned, "Tetsuo II" is more or less as powerful (or as weak, if you wish) as the original, naturally with some aspects that are worse but also some aspects that are better! The story is pretty much a reworking of the first, only it's more accessible and on a personal matter it gave me a lot less headaches (which I liked!). Once again, the story handles about a man who strangely and disturbingly fuses into a piece of metal equipment, yet now you know more about his background so you can sympathize with him at least a little. His painful transformation is mainly caused by rage (his son was kidnapped) and 'medical' experiments performed by a group of skinheads. "Tetsuo II" contains just as much weirdness and psychedelic imagery as the original, but I admit it all doesn't look so nightmarish here. Partly because it's in color and partly because the characters are given depth, this sequel feels less like a genuine cult gem.
Review of Tetsuo II: Body Hammer
