Ika resuraa

I have no idea where I found out about The Calamari Wrestler, but I'm glad I added it to my watchlist and eventually got around to watching it tonight. Honestly, it's surprisingly good, enough so that I can almost call it a calamarsterpiece.

It's basically a loose retelling of the story found in the first two Rocky movies, except Rocky is a squid, and his opponents are also various sea creatures. I never got tired of watching the calamari wrestler walk around in a terrible-looking but very endearing costume, and the fight scenes are a sight to behold. Honestly, once you get into the film's bizarre world, there's even something of an emotional core to it, which isn't something I thought I could say about a movie called The Calamari Wrestler.

I also love the bizarre sense of humour this movie has, and the fact that someone one day came up with the dumb idea of making a wrestling movie where the main character is a squid, and then they just went with it, and the movie ended up being made. And I think it's fair to say that anyone in the 21st century who says cinema is dead probably hasn't seen The Calamari Wrestler.

I also really loved the side character who referenced how much he wanted to eat the calamari wrestler in every scene.

Overall, this probably isn't for everyone, but if the title sounds like something that could entertain you for 91 minutes, I'd say this is worth a shot.

OK, make a list of all the things you've never seen a movie about.

Keep going...

Keep going...

OK, stop.

Now, that's quite an impressive list, but I bet you $5 it doesn't include "A Pro-wrestling Squid"! Right? 'cause if you haven't seen CALAMARI WRESTLER, there's no way you would ever conceive of CALAMARI WRESTLER... unless you're writer/director Kawasaki Minoru, apparently! Taguchi finally achieves his dream when he knocks out his opponent to claim the Japan Pro Wrestling championship... but he barely has time to hold up the belt when it is grasped from his hands by... a giant squid. The squid then knocks him out cold and claims the championship for his own. Who is this wrestling squid? Where did he come from? Should giant squid be allowed to fight in the Japan Pro-Wrestling league? The leaders of the industry think no, but Taguchi feels he must have a real match with the squid or he'll never feel like a true champion, and the squid needs a proper match so that he can truly claim the championship himself. Will the public accept a cephalopod as a wrestler? CALAMARI WRESTLER is basically a "boxing movie", and follows most of the conventions of the genre... with the exception of species. There's also a bit of a love triangle, and some social commentary on the state of Japan in the modern age. It's shot on video and features some of the worst acting ever committed to screen... but it's about a giant wrestling squid! And that's just cool :-) It's very very silly indeed, and really quite amusing - and even quite touching at times. The rubber suits for the squid and some other characters who enter the plot are pretty well done... though they never actually look like anything other than a man in a rubber suit, which is part of their charm.

Cheap and cheerful, and something that could only have emerged from Japan... not quite brilliant, but interesting enough to receive a recommendation... especially if you're feeling that your cinematic diet is starting to feel a bit bland :-)

After seeing this delightful little film, the only way I can think of to describe it is as a Santo (Mexican wrestling) movie set in the weird, weird world of a Japanese cartoon sushi menu. In fact it follows the typical Santo film formula to a T: orphans, love interest, entertaining the children, fighting for the glory of the sport of wrestling. Only the wrestler is a giant squid.

Oh, and the Squilla Boxer is a Mantis Shrimp, and they really do have a punch as fast as a bullet. The biology is surprisingly accurate, such as pointing out that invertebrates are naturally good wrestlers because they can get out of any hold. I guess that shouldn't be surprising coming from a Japanese film, though.

If you love sushi, cephalopods, magical realism and wrestling, this is the film for you! (if you can find it)

Charming, and very, very odd.

Ridiculous; that's the only way to describe this movie. The costumes, the fights, the whole premise- utterly ridiculous. And that's exactly what the filmmakers intended. If the name alone didn't tell you that something is up, then you probably don't speak English. Not that any of the people here does either, because The Calamari Wrestler is from, where else, Japan.

This is the kind of production that only the Japanese could make. The storyline is actually quite familiar. Mysterious outsider with skills like no-one has seen before enters the ring, set on winning the championship and the girl of his dreams. Pretty standard- except that the wrestler is a giant squid! Yes, in the pre-title scene, following the championship bout of Japan's premier wrestling league, a giant squid appears from nowhere and defeats the new champion.

But this isn't just any old piece of Calamari; this is Kan-ichi Iwata, former champion who was forced to retire with a terminal illness. Now he's returned to claim his title. He also hopes to reconnect with his former girlfriend Miako, who's now dating his rival Koji Taguchi. I don't think I need to tell you how this boy-girl-squid love triangle turns out.

For the first half of the film, everything builds up towards the big rematch to determine who will hold the title belt. The match, when it comes, features a hilarious twist, and it's not over yet. Iwata's spot at the top is now threatened by an even more formidable opponent; the utterly merciless Squilla Boxer. Can the Calamari wrestler keep his title with the help of a former foe? And what's up with his promoter? These and many other questions which you may not have will be answered in the riotously funny ending, which I admit I had not completely anticipated.

Now this may sound like the kind of schlock fest where the writers count on the characters to get laughs because of what they are, rather than what they do. You know, the kind of thing that seems like a high school play, where you'd enjoy it more if you were close friends with the actors. But that's not how this turned out at all. Out of all the approaches the filmmakers could have taken to the humor, they chose to do it completely deadpan. Every scene is played entirely strait, and I can't imagine how the actors kept from cracking up.

Another thing that the filmmakers have done an outstanding job of is parodying the 'sport' of pro wrestling. Every aspect is lampooned here, from the outsize egos of the wrestlers, to the execs' obsession with ratings and merchandising revenue, to the wacky, scripted story lines. Considering some of the matches that the WWE has set up in the past few years, maybe guys fighting each other while dressed as marine life is the next big thing.

The fans don't escape the treatment either. In numerous interviews they come off as hopelessly devoted to their idols in the ring. Especially hilarious is the newscast from the market Iwata frequents, in which the shop owners do everything they can to cash in on the buzz surrounding him. At the same time, the movie's surprisingly honest about the blood lust that drives many fans. Comparisons with This is Spinal Tap may not be far-fetched. The Calamari Wrestler certainly isn't at the same level as that classic mockumentary, but it's a highly entertaining comedy in its own right.

I never thought that a film set in the professional wrestling arena could be so entertaining on so many comic levels. From slapstick to irony, the artful deadpan acting and the multi-faceted script filled my livingroom with laughter.

Every time the reliance on the costumes began to irritate my sensibilities the intentional ambiguities and incongruities of the characterizations fractured my funny-bone.

Love is a many-tentacled thing for the lovely girlfriend who can't make up her mind and the comedy comes at the viewer from all directions: Love and loyalty, character and competition,fathers and sons, winners and losers, biology, gastronomy and sport-tainment are all satirized.

I think that this film should appeal to fans of wrestling, "The Iron Chef", "Finding Nemo", "Rocky", sci-fi and anyone who appreciates that humor knows no international boundaries.

The film is suitable for all audiences. Anyone who gets a fraction of the gags will be entertained. It would be a great Saturday night comedy for the whole family. An English language dub would eliminate the only barrier to the film's mass-appeal.