The creator of such wicked bloodbaths as "Audition" and "Ichi the Killer" had it in him to craft a nearly family-friendly flick. No doubt, this kitschy CGI-action spoof is still deliciously insane.
Zebraman(ゼブラーマン)
✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Japan · 2004
1h 55m
Director Takashi Miike
Starring Show Aikawa, Kyoka Suzuki, Atsuro Watabe, Yui Ichikawa
Genre Action, Comedy
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Shinichi, a down-and-out schoolteacher, escapes his mundane everyday life by dressing up as Zebraman, an obscure TV superhero from his childhood. Every night, he dons a makeshift zebra suit and acts out his escape fantasy. However, he gets more than he bargains for when he is called upon to protect the city from an alien invasion.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Utterly delightful.
The special effects are quality fun, the humor only a little Japanese, and the story boasts the offbeat genre twists Miike lovers clamber for.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
A family-friendly fantasy that finds the director working in an uncharacteristically gentle mood.
It's goofy as hell but devilishly smart about it, which is why it's such great fun.
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
Driven less by civic duty than by the need to escape his dreary life, Zebraman is a tragic, touching figure too often obscured by Kankurou Kudo’s hyperactive screenplay and a special-effects team drunk on alien slime.
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
Goofy, raunchy and very Japanese, Miike's film will probably play best to fanboys who love "Power Rangers" and "Ultraman" -- and there are plenty of them to go around.
It pains me to report that his Zebraman is a disappointment.
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