Zeiram 2

First off, my hat goes off to all who watch this movie. Now to business, first off, reviewing a movie such as this one has been.....difficult because of the fact that these films are usually harder to find than my keys when the apartment is a mess. However, I give this movie a 7 out of 10 for a good reason. First off, most people who watch these films give a bad review for one reason. The effects are not what they are wanting, as is the story line. Most people expect a George Lucas (My apologies in advanced) style story. I liked this film because it takes me back to the old monster films of the 50's to 70's. The story is unique in its own right. The characters are well told. The monster effects, while many people call them campy, cheesy, etc., are normal fair for all tokusatsu series. And yes, I like these films.

This is one of my top ten favorite films. Although it is essentially an inferior remake of the original "Zeiram", where it really shines is in actress Yuko Moriyama's portrayal of the principal character, Iria. Her character has been refined and fleshed out considerably since the first film, and Ms. Moriyama's uncompromising presence, radiant beauty, and fierce intensity quickly elevate the film from mediocrity. Fans of science fiction, Japanese monster movies, and femme fatales will all find something to like in this film. The weakest links in the film are the challenging pace (typical in Japanese cinema) and the return of Teppei and Kamiya to provide mirthful moments of comedic relief. Typical of Director Keita Amemiya's other work, he seems more interested in delivering a stylistic and visually stunning film instead of a cohesive narrative, but on that level it succeeds with flying colors.

As young as I was when I saw this movie, it still felt claustrophobicly cheap. I don't recall if I had seen Dark Hero Guyver before or after this one, but in terms of concept, pace, choreography, and effects, I was much more impressed by the latter. I do remember feeling there was something memorable about the way Irya fought the Zeiram in their first combat, but as rich as the costumes and characters were, they were wasted. Robert Rodriguez' Desperado is less random in killing away potentially interesting characters. Zeiram 2 does not waste time in reducing the principal characters involved to Irya and the Zeiram. The movie is all about Irya's character. Ironically, she was all I was interested in when I saw her on the cover of the videotape--in the end, the movie basically delivered all that I wanted, and I was sad I didn't wish for more.

Not funny bad... just plain bad (and very boring). Poorly directed, written and acted. The best that I can say about it is that some of the costumes were of average quality. Reminded me vaguely of the Power Rangers without any campy fun (not that the PR had much it's just that this is quite possibly worse). Avoid at all costs.

If you aren't familiar with the Zeiram franchise, take your favorite Saturday Morning action cartoon from the 1980's, adapt it to live action, and add HR Giger-like R rated special effects to it. Zeiram 2 continues that formula of taking campy action packed fun and adding impressive horror special effects to it.

Zeiram 2 covers a lot of the same group as the original but you can tell that director Keita Amemiya feels a lot more comfortable with the material. The main character Iria is a bad ass space bounty hunter in both, but she comes across as a lot more friendly and relatable in this sequel than in the first film. The Zeiram monster is impressive in both movies, but monster lends itself to better action sequences in the second movie and far more horrific scenes involving the biological elements in the sequel. The fight scenes between Iria and the Zeiram are better choreographed and varied in the second movie. Outside of the iconic opening of the first film, which is probably the peak of the entire franchise, the second movie is a plain better movie overall.

Do you need to see the first movie to enjoy the original? The second movie assumes that you've seen the original. The concept of "The Zone" is explained in the first movie and the second movie just assumes that you know how it works. The second movie expands on the character relationships of the first movie. If you can watch both movies, then watch both movies. If you can only watch one movie then Zeiram 2 is the way to go.

Judging Zeiram 2 as a stand alone film away from it's franchise, they don't make action movies like this anymore. No one uses practical effects like this anymore. No one makes movies with this kind mix of PG tone and R rated violence at the same time. I'm reviewing this movie in 2022, and as such I think that Zeiram 2 is a worth while sci-fi action movie that stands as a cool hidden gem from an era that is gone and is no longer coming back.