Gunhed - DVDvisionJapan.com
- DVDvisionJapan.com
- 11/01/04
- click here
SUMMARY
In the year 2025, the supercomputer Khyron 5 declared war on humanity. In response, the United Nations dispatched a Gunhed battalion to the island of 8J0 to deal with this problem. Apparently the Gunhed units were able to stop the Khyron 5, although no one was heard from again. The UN declared 8J0 a forbidden zone, and for the next 13 years, all was silent.
Brooklyn and the six man crew of the Mary Ann have arrived on 8J0 to score some computer chips and Gunhed parts. No sooner than they arrive, half of them are killed by a creature called a bioroid. While on the run, Brooklyn and his fellow survivors render aid to the wounded Sergeant Nim of the Texas Air Rangers. She tells them that the Khyron 5 is fully active, and that it plans to start the war where it left off. Soon, only Nim, Brooklyn, and two survivors from the first robot war are the only ones left alive, with no way to escape from the defense systems of the Khryon 5.
Until Brooklyn gets the idea to reassemble a Gunhed!
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO: The video is decent, but nothing to write home about. The image is a little washed out when compared to the original Laser Disc release. There are some instances of rainbows, and some light artifacing during scenes with more ambient light.
AUDIO: The Japanese 2.0 sounds pretty good. It's loud, with enough depth to make it interesting. On the other side, the English dub track is horrible. It's very low, has no directionality, and sounds like someone recorded the dialogue with a sock over the microphone.
EDITS: The Japanese text that was used during the English speaking parts has been removed. The original Japanese credits for the opening and closing has been replaced with English titles, along with a crappy freeze frame to hide the original Japanese Gunhed logo.
EXTRAS: The original 30 second trailer and a reversible cover. That's it. Nothing else.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY: Based of the short manga by Kia Asamiya, the script by Masato Harada and James Bannon is a very faithful adaptation. Many of the key elements have been successfully transferred, and in come cases expanded on. There isn't a lot of characterization to be found, and those hungry for hard core action may not get their fill as well.
ACTING: The acting is pretty solid. Masahiro Takashima plays Brooklyn as your typical 'reluctant hero', not thrilled at what he has to do, but cool enough to do it. As Nim, the very sexy Brenda Bakke does the 'tough chick' routine perfectly. The supporting cast does fine, and Randy Reyes blend of grit and wisdom makes a great voice for Gunhed.
The dub on the other head is down right pathetic. It's so bad, I refuse to talk about it.
FAN SERVICE: Other than Nim in her tight spandex outfit and the almost direct adaptation of the manga, there really isn't much in the way of fanservice.
CONCLUSION:
Gunhed is fairly unique experiment in East meets West filmmaking. Based off the Kia Asyama mini-series, Gunhed combines Japanese actors and moviemaking styles with Western actors in a cyberpunk war movie. While certainly nothing more than an above average B-Movie, it does have all the makings of a cult classic.
Back in the early 90's (1991 to be exact), I happened upon the 'Gunhed' three book mini-series by Kia Asamiya. A fan of giant robot stories and Asamiya's visual style, I could not help but fall in love with Gunhed. When I learned that a live action Gunhed movie had been made, I began a search to find it. Perhaps the owner of my local comic shop knew this, because the next time I went in, he had a VHS copy ready for me. When I asked him if it was dubbed in Japanese, he told me no. The Japanese spoke Japanese, the Americans spoke English, and they all understood each other. Right then and there, I gladly plunked down my money, and went home to watch my first un-cut, live action Asian cinema. Now thanks to ADV, I can retire my VHS copy to the archives, and enjoy one of my favorite live action flicks.
The best part of Gunhed is it's retro future visual style. Rivaling 'Alien' for dark and dingy, it has a very 'Max Headroom' vibe, with it's decaying structures, left over computer equipment, and monitors everywhere. The design for the Gunhed and even the Aerobot are not your typical super slick, can run like the wind, giant robots. They are functional, ugly, and fairly slow pieces of military hardware. The cockpit of the Gunhed isn't all digital read outs and the such. It's gages, LCD lights, and CRT monitors. The clothes have a cyberpunk look, with wires, tubing, and cybernetic devices all over the place. Nim is also packed to the hilt with ass-kicking hardware, and she wears this sleek, black spandex, which just screams fetish! Really, the Japanese know how to do low budget cyberpunk.
I find the blending of Japanese and American characters an interesting concept. Having them speak in their native languages yet understand each other is an nicely idealized concept of the future. Don't we all wish for the day when the world is one big community? I've had several experiences with this kind of 'cross talking, and it's cool, interesting, and heart warming all at the same time. Seeing a Japanese speaking hero and a English speaking robot form this strong bond, I can't help but hope that there may be a day when we all can get along.
The ladies of DVJ have a thing for the other star of the movie, the buff Masahiro Takashima. Son of Tado Takashima (star of several Kaiju films), this six foot something hottie has that quiet sexuality that women are just drawn too. His character is a lonely young man trying to do the right thing, and he uses his puppy dog eyes to great effect. However, he does look like a dork in the 1940's aviators headgear.
This was the movie I discovered B-Movie actress Brenda Bakke, and man is she fine! Her toned an lean look combined with her deep, sultry voice makes you stand up and take notice. While there isn't much to Nim as in the way of characterization, Brenda does know how to project an air of authority, and dogged determination. She certainly doesn't take any crap from men.
Many of us who watched the movie were intrigued by the very existence of the 'Texas Air Rangers'. These guys are known all over the world. They are dogged and determined 'cops', who keep on going, even after they have been shot down, stabbed, lasered, tripped, and knocked out. I wonder if Texas has finally become an independent republic, or have the Texas Rangers expanded into air, land, and sea divisions? I tell you, they breed them tough in Texas.
As much as I love 'Gunhed' I'm not going to tell you it's a brilliant film. It's a pretty average B-Movie. The plot is a one part 'Alien' and two parts 'Godzilla' flick. The basic plot is thread bare, and there are some gaping plot holes to go with it. The characters are don't have a lot of depth, and fit the archetypes of many heroes that have come before. Before you say anything, personality quirks do not equal characterization. The special effects, while visually and stylishly cool, are pretty lame, even for the late 1980's. If there was a movie in dire need of a remake, or some CG enhanced retouches, 'Gunhed' fits the bill.
For all it's faults (or because of them) Gunhed is a fun, cult like film that doesn't try to hard to be more than it is. It's visual style, decent acting, and interesting blend of East and West makes for a different viewing experience. I think it's well worth the time to sit down and take a short trip to 8J0.
Posted on Monday, November 01, 2004 (Archive on Wednesday, December 01, 2004)