Electric Dragon 80000VElectric Dragon 80000V (that's pronounced "eighty-thousand volts") is a delightfully strange and experimental film that is part superhero-like action and brawling, part Japanese noise punk rock opera, with all the trimmings of an underground cult classic. Tadanobu Asano plays "Dragon Eye" Morrison, a self-employed "lizard detective" who, in theory, searches for lost lizards in the streets of Tokyo. Weird as that is, his more particular talent is that when he was a lad, he was struck by lightning, and this rare event had the even rarer side effect of granting him the ability to conduct electricity, although he struggles to contain the animal rage it also unleashed.
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In an early montage, we watch Morrison struggle to cope--or not cope at all--with his rage, treated for his violence with progressively more intensive shock therapy. The figurative (and literal) force of nature that roars within him is so overpowering, he has to be bolted into his bed (if you want to call it a bed) at night. His only solace is his when he can play the electric guitar (if you want to call it playing), to the enjoyment of his dancing pet lizard. The noisy squeals of the guitar and screaming feedback are not for everyone's ears, but the cacophany is a perfect reflection of the tempest raging in Morrison's mind. As addressed early in the film, the lightning actually gave him a kind of brain damage, and he's been trying to cope ever since. It would be strange enough if Morrison was an isolated case of this kind of supernatural power; however, he has a rival in the cryptic "Thunderbolt Buddha" (Masatoshi Nagase). In truth, Thunderbolt Buddha is an equally complex antagonist, who possesses similar powers, but he doesn't seem to have the same hang-ups about rage. No, Thunderbolt Buddha has another kind of eccentricity--he comes across as having some kind of dissociative identity disorder, where he periodically freezes up, and another personality in him (never clearly defined) attempts to attack him for some unexplained reason. Thunderbolt Buddha spends his daylight hours as a TV repair man, revered by little old ladies to whom he provides satellite television--by night, he acts as a vigilante, targeting detestable yakuza. So why then does someone who comes across as almost benevolent instigate a conflict with Morrison, and cruelly kill his pet lizards and destroy his guitar? Maybe this inner bully and his split personality represent the damage inflicted upon Thunderbolt Buddha when he experienced the same kind of galvanizing accident as a child that Morrison did.
A coherent story may not be Electric Dragon 80000V's crowning achievement, but many other elements make the movie an enjoyable time. The punk music--punctuated by sounds of electricity and equipment that would not be out of place in a Frankenstein movie--positively drenches the film, a persistent percussion and sound of jangling chains give the film a stylish, industrial bent. The band that performs the musical score, MACH-1.67, is comprised not only of the director (Sogo Ishii), but of its star (Tadanobu Asano), too, a rare accomplishment in any movie. The choice to film in gritty black and white, combined with the background alternating between bustling city and dingy back alleys are reminiscent of other classic Japanese midnight shockers, like Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and deliver that same kind of thrill that comes from uncovering a forgotten B-movie masterpiece. And Electric Dragon 80000V is often absurdly funny, with numerous sight gags and silly lines of dialogue delivered at climactic moments. One of my favorite of the aforementioned sight gags is when--as a child--Morrison is first given shock therapy, then later as a teenager, then later as an adult--it is always by the same clinician who hasn't aged a day. The result of this highly charged cinematic circuitboard is a film that is devilishly simple, but thoroughly enjoyable to watch, a snazzy, even silly, action flick that jolts by at high speed--a real energizing romp of a movie.
Recommended for: Fans of off-kilter Japanese action films, in the vein of Eraserhead-meets-Power Rangers. The lighthearted experience is silly and quick, and is best suited for those wanting to watch something that crankily refuses to be easily defined.
A coherent story may not be Electric Dragon 80000V's crowning achievement, but many other elements make the movie an enjoyable time. The punk music--punctuated by sounds of electricity and equipment that would not be out of place in a Frankenstein movie--positively drenches the film, a persistent percussion and sound of jangling chains give the film a stylish, industrial bent. The band that performs the musical score, MACH-1.67, is comprised not only of the director (Sogo Ishii), but of its star (Tadanobu Asano), too, a rare accomplishment in any movie. The choice to film in gritty black and white, combined with the background alternating between bustling city and dingy back alleys are reminiscent of other classic Japanese midnight shockers, like Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and deliver that same kind of thrill that comes from uncovering a forgotten B-movie masterpiece. And Electric Dragon 80000V is often absurdly funny, with numerous sight gags and silly lines of dialogue delivered at climactic moments. One of my favorite of the aforementioned sight gags is when--as a child--Morrison is first given shock therapy, then later as a teenager, then later as an adult--it is always by the same clinician who hasn't aged a day. The result of this highly charged cinematic circuitboard is a film that is devilishly simple, but thoroughly enjoyable to watch, a snazzy, even silly, action flick that jolts by at high speed--a real energizing romp of a movie.
Recommended for: Fans of off-kilter Japanese action films, in the vein of Eraserhead-meets-Power Rangers. The lighthearted experience is silly and quick, and is best suited for those wanting to watch something that crankily refuses to be easily defined.