Okay, here's my best shot at describing Tetsuo The Iron Man: What if Seth Brundle's DNA was merged with a scrapyard and the contents of Radio Shack instead of an insect?
The above sentence doesn't even come close to adequately summarising what this surreal experimental Japanese horror is about, mainly because, to be totally honest, I didn't have a clue. A mind-boggling hour-and-a-bit of kinetic visuals, accompanied by a cacophonous industrial soundtrack, Tetsuo appears to be more about the cyberpunk aesthetic than it is the narrative, although apparently there's a story in there somewhere, amidst the writhing wires, flailing tubes and whirling phallic drillheads - I just wasn't able to find it, possibly because of the intense headache I got from all of the manic black and white visuals and the horrible clanking sounds that pass for music.
Shin'ya Tsukamoto's debut undeniably possesses bags of energy and boundless creativity, but the manner in which it is presented is so inaccessible that only the most pretentious fans of cult cinema would hail this as a masterpiece. At best, it's an interesting curiosity; at worst, it's a reason to reach for the ibuprofen.
3/10. Could have done with being at least half the length - the shorter the better, in my opinion.
The above sentence doesn't even come close to adequately summarising what this surreal experimental Japanese horror is about, mainly because, to be totally honest, I didn't have a clue. A mind-boggling hour-and-a-bit of kinetic visuals, accompanied by a cacophonous industrial soundtrack, Tetsuo appears to be more about the cyberpunk aesthetic than it is the narrative, although apparently there's a story in there somewhere, amidst the writhing wires, flailing tubes and whirling phallic drillheads - I just wasn't able to find it, possibly because of the intense headache I got from all of the manic black and white visuals and the horrible clanking sounds that pass for music.
Shin'ya Tsukamoto's debut undeniably possesses bags of energy and boundless creativity, but the manner in which it is presented is so inaccessible that only the most pretentious fans of cult cinema would hail this as a masterpiece. At best, it's an interesting curiosity; at worst, it's a reason to reach for the ibuprofen.
3/10. Could have done with being at least half the length - the shorter the better, in my opinion.