Released: April 1, 2006 (Philadelphia)
Directors: Yudai Yamaguchi; Jun'ichi Yamamoto
*****
At first glance, "Meatball Machine" plays like a gloriously bloody and R-rated version of the "Mighty Morphin´ Power Rangers." The thing they most have in common, aside from their Japanese origins? Battles between characters which look like nothing more than oversize muppets swinging and shooting at each other. Oh yeah, and blood pouring out of every hole in their bodies.
Yoji is a young man, relegated to work in a factory with co-workers he doesn´t like and jerking off to the image of a girl-Sachiko-who works next door. He thinks he´s hit the jackpot when Sachiko takes notice of him after he saves her from his colleagues. What Yoji doesn´t realize is that he´s been sucked into a battle like nothing Japan has ever seen.
Alright, sounds interesting, right? In the right hands, it could be. Co-directors Yudai Yamaguchi and Junichi Yamamoto aren´t those people. They´re more concerned with visual splatter than actual story. Imagine an episode of the aforementioned "Power Rangers" in which the kids never don their rainbow uniforms and don´t join together to form a Mega Zord…or whatever it´s called. Now imagine those six people beating the tar out of their enemies made of foam and causing them to bleed profusely. That´s just a taste of what "Meatball Machine" has in store for viewers.
The narrative is so thin, the characters behave like mindless automatons even before they are taken over by the little bugs-for lack of a better term-who make them fight each other. This is classic Japanese cinema, or, at least classic Japanese in the best tradition of "Godzilla" and every rip-off, remake, homage and reimagining ever made. Little story, lots of action, none of which pretends for a moment to be rooted in any form of reality.
And that´s where "Meatball Machine" goes terribly wrong. If a movie is going to buy 100% into the concept and story, it should go all the way, abandoning all pretense of humanity. Get rid of the romance story and make this what the directors invariably wanted it to be: a demo reel for a career in visual effects. There is no shame in that and having an organization bankroll what is essentially your resume? You´ve gotta have either great connections or one hell of a sales pitch…or both.
That´s all the movie is, though. Special effects. Nifty costumes. Blood, blowtorches, weapons. I´m sure there´s some sort of morality tale on not being able to control your actions because there is a "little person" inside dictating every move; it just doesn´t matter. It is analogous to flipping on "Jaws: The Revenge" for a lesson on how sharks behave. "Meatball Machine" is so splatter happy from beginning to end, so determined to douse every character and the audience in blood it forgets the cardinal rule of filmmaking: have the audience identify with a character-any character. We don´t, leading us to be disconnected from the events happening on the screen. There´s no sense of dread, no vested interest in these people or the situation. Just blood, blood and more blood.
Some people would have us believe "Meatball Machine" falls into the cyperpunk genre. With that assessment, I whole heartedly disagree. Cyberpunk deals with technological dystopia, as seen in films like "The Matrix" and "Blade Runner." This genre went through a minor renaissance in the 1990s with "Johnny Neumonic," among other flicks. What we have here is more akin to a creature feature, something to run on cable in the wee hours of a national holiday when no one´s watching. To be cyperpunk, there would have to be a bleaker look, a world in which nothing is right and everyone is struggling against it.
There is technology in "Meatball Machine"-albeit it alien technology which allows the control of human beings-but that´s not what the term was ever designed to mean. As far as we know, this was the intended purpose behind the tech in the first place; cyberpunk deals with technology used for a new purpose, something not intended. Moreover, there are certain conventions of the genre which, while not strictly adhered to, are usually followed. One such convention is the computer hacker character; he´s absent in "Meatball Machine." But we´re getting wildly off course now.
VIDEO:
What was inevitably a low budget film looks pretty darn good, thanks to the video transfer. The 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen print is free of most common problems, which is especially welcome since so much of the film is covered in reds and offbeat colors, most of which cause problems on the home theater. The blood may appear a bit thinned out, compared to what we think it should look like, but that´s not the fault of the transfer. Each location, more or less, has its own look to it: Yoji´s apartment is dark, illuminated only by what seems to be a fluorescent light while the outdoor scenes come across bright and cheerful, none of which is hindered by the transfer.
AUDIO:
Unlike other Danger After Dark releases, at no point does the music overwhelm the Japanese stereo track, nor does the music feel cheap and low rent. Coupled with the video, "Meatball Machine" could be a legitimate American theatrical release. The Japanese dialogue is complemented by English subtitles. And more kudos: there isn´t a dubbed English track on the disc, something which would inevitably be added for the cable viewings. Overall, the sound mix knows what it´s role is on the disc and performs it admirably.
EXTRAS:
This is one of TLA´s most loaded discs, extras-wise, in a while. But quantity does not necessarily mean quality. Let me explain. First up is "Maximum Meatball Machine," a nearly half hour making-of piece featuring a whole host of cast and crew ruminating on what it took to put the film together. With solid information and knowledgeable folks, this should have been easy to put together. What totally destroys the doc is the half hour of talking heads and bad jump cuts. For instance, we´ll be in the middle of a behind the scenes story and in the very next frame, the speaker´s head is slightly out of position from where it was previously. It´s a black mark on the piece and detracts from its usefulness.
Next we have the original "Meatball Machine" film, running about thirteen minutes. It´s in full screen and very shoddy quality. This film was the inspiration and groundwork for the feature (as told in the doc), so its inclusion is welcome for posterity despite being redundant with what we just watched. Another short film, "Reject or Death," is included. It carries on a story with what look like the same creatures from the main feature.
A short intro to the DVD plays the when the disc is booted up and is also included in the Special Features section (1:58). Some full color creature designs (1:06) pop up in an automated gallery while the set is rounded out with four trailers: "The Wedding Party" (1:55); "Strange Circus" (2:01); "Evil" (1:01); and the Danger After Dark three-pack (1:19). We´ve seen all these trailers before.
PARTING SHOTS:
In the end, there are redeemable aspects to the production: it is a somewhat original concept and most of it looks damn good. It´s shot reasonably well, with no major omissions or problems. The story fails to resonate with the audience, killing any chance at a mainstream run. All that aside, we´ve been given a packed DVD with everything a viewer would want to know about the film. That counts for a lot.
(spout.com)
Originally posted on:TheMovieRambler’s blog