Miike directs with due care and attention and comes up with the odd striking image, but the material is so inert that nothing can stifle yawns.
Comment
08/16/07
Zebraman (2004)
46 %
Reviews Counted: 13 Fresh: 6 Rotten:7 Average Rating: 5.9/10
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Synopsis: Prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike (AUDITION) helms this frenetic action-comedy hybrid about a grown man who dresses up as a beloved superhero named "Zebraman." The fun and excitement begin when he runs across another masked man, but this character has villainy on the brain.... [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Sho Aikawa, Kyoka Suzuki, Yui Ichikawa, Akira Emoto
Reviews
1 - 13 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Top Critic
Its odd clash of shifting sensibilities is just as often wearisome as engaging.
01/04/08
...it also has an undeniable charm, and the kitschy, CGI-enhanced special effects add greatly to the amusement factor.
09/10/07
Top Critic
Frequent readers may have noticed my fondness for films by Japanese cult director Takashi Miike. So it pains me to report that his Zebraman is a disappointment.
08/22/07
Will probably play best to fanboys who love Power Rangers and Ultraman.
08/17/07
Though featuring cheapo special effects, phony-looking fight scenes and cornball dialogue, this throwback is readily recommended for anyone who might enjoy a campy cross of Mothra and The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
08/16/07
Utterly delightful...a loving spoof on the Ultraman tradition of 1960s and '70s low-budget Japanese TV superheroes.
08/16/07
A downtrodden schoolteacher, a disabled boy and a government agent suffering from an embarrassing itch are the unlikely heroes of Zebraman.
08/15/07
Top Critic
Zebraman has come to save our summer from bloated Hollywood product that takes itself but not its audience seriously (here, it's the other way around).
08/14/07
Like the faux gays from Japan's defense agency, Miike refuses to get real, but his gonzo, punch-drunk surrealism has never felt so arbitrary.
08/13/07
1 - 13 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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• Zebraman at Rotten Tomatoes
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