Review of Zebraman (2004) by Scott B — 05 Nov 2011

Japanese auteur Takashi Miike takes on the superhero genre and claims it as his own, delivering a film in which he keeps to the formula while stamping events with that certain Miike something that has allowed him to successfully bend every genre to his will. Even as "Zebraman" gives us the typical nebbish-turned-hero story, Miike uses the opportunity to poke good-natured fun at popular cinema, notably such films as "The Ring," "Ghostbusters," and "Men In Black." He also works in his recurrent theme of severely dysfunctional families rescued from disintegration by bizarre circumstances, continuing in this vein from "Visitor Q" and "Happiness of the Katakuris." "Zebraman," however, is also among his most good-natured, light-hearted films, devoid of any trace of cruelty. Critics who didn't like this film have largely missed the point; the milieu here is the cheeziness of old Japanese children's TV. Complaining about the silly-looking special effects and corny dialogue is like looking at a Monet painting and complaining about all the little dots.

"Zebraman" is pretty close to black and white ecstasy, and if you like anything Miike has done, he still has a few surprises up his brilliant sleeve in this one, crabby critics notwithstanding.