Shinya Tsukamoto's 1989 film 'Tetsuo: The Iron Man' is a creepy, disturbing classic of body horror. In my opinion the third film, 2010's 'Bullet Man,' is a godawful wreck of little value, bordering on self-parody. It seemed only fair to watch 'Body hammer' and see where it lands between those two ends of the spectrum. For my part - while it's not all bad, I'm sorry to say that I'm simply not impressed.
The plot is distinctly ham-handed from start to finish, unconvincingly combining elements of 80s gang movies, super soldier action flicks, abduction thrillers, and the body horror Tsukamoto has previously demonstrated he can do so well. This is as true of individual scenes as it is of the narrative as a whole. That tawdry over the top slant is emphasized with dubious overlaid graphics and inserts, laughable training sequences, and below average, unremarkable music that feels like the result of bare minimal effort to capture basic moods. Occasionally an actor will demonstrate welcome nuance and poise, but mostly the cast is directed to chew all available scenery; that goes most of all for Tomoro Taguchi as the protagonist, but certainly others as well.
The frenetic editing and stop-motion animation that characterizes Tsukamoto's work is employed here as well. In this instance they come across as less gaudy than in 'Bullet Man' - but also much more kitschy than in 'Iron Man.' So it is with lighting, and effects generally, seemingly trying to mirror the horror stylings of Sam Raimi a la 'The Evil Dead,' but to less success. Set design and decoration is pretty great, but even makeup and costume design is questionable in my mind. Dialogue and the execution of most scenes join the screenwriting in being decidedly overdone.
There are some good ideas here, including a welcome suggestion of emotional weight, and a few scenes are actually done well. But what value 'Body hammer' possesses is gravely undercut by a preponderance of schlock. To whatever extent it's entertaining, it's mostly in the same way that mindlessly channel-surfing on a TV can be, and the passing worth is pushed aside and forgotten.
I want to like this more than I do, but its flaws do too much to hold it back. The great concept Tsukamoto developed into 'Iron Man' is expanded, to its detriment, incorporating influences that bog it down while also just trying too hard. Sometimes less is more, and the converse absolutely applies here. It's not all bad, but unless one is an utmost devotee of the filmmaker, I see no particular reason to watch it, or recommend it. 'Tetsuo II: Body hammer' is an instance of an idea taken too far, illustrating the risk of oneupmanship.
The plot is distinctly ham-handed from start to finish, unconvincingly combining elements of 80s gang movies, super soldier action flicks, abduction thrillers, and the body horror Tsukamoto has previously demonstrated he can do so well. This is as true of individual scenes as it is of the narrative as a whole. That tawdry over the top slant is emphasized with dubious overlaid graphics and inserts, laughable training sequences, and below average, unremarkable music that feels like the result of bare minimal effort to capture basic moods. Occasionally an actor will demonstrate welcome nuance and poise, but mostly the cast is directed to chew all available scenery; that goes most of all for Tomoro Taguchi as the protagonist, but certainly others as well.
The frenetic editing and stop-motion animation that characterizes Tsukamoto's work is employed here as well. In this instance they come across as less gaudy than in 'Bullet Man' - but also much more kitschy than in 'Iron Man.' So it is with lighting, and effects generally, seemingly trying to mirror the horror stylings of Sam Raimi a la 'The Evil Dead,' but to less success. Set design and decoration is pretty great, but even makeup and costume design is questionable in my mind. Dialogue and the execution of most scenes join the screenwriting in being decidedly overdone.
There are some good ideas here, including a welcome suggestion of emotional weight, and a few scenes are actually done well. But what value 'Body hammer' possesses is gravely undercut by a preponderance of schlock. To whatever extent it's entertaining, it's mostly in the same way that mindlessly channel-surfing on a TV can be, and the passing worth is pushed aside and forgotten.
I want to like this more than I do, but its flaws do too much to hold it back. The great concept Tsukamoto developed into 'Iron Man' is expanded, to its detriment, incorporating influences that bog it down while also just trying too hard. Sometimes less is more, and the converse absolutely applies here. It's not all bad, but unless one is an utmost devotee of the filmmaker, I see no particular reason to watch it, or recommend it. 'Tetsuo II: Body hammer' is an instance of an idea taken too far, illustrating the risk of oneupmanship.