Infra-Man (a.k.a. Super Infra-Man) is believed to be the first Chinese superhero film of all time. Ironic, seeing as how it's a riff on a Japanese creation - Ultraman. What is it about stringy superheroes in bionic suits that drive Asians wild? All I know is that this is an uber-cheesy b-movie that you have to see to believe. There is nothing to the plot. A demonic dragon bat cunt from outer space calls upon her fleet of goofy monsters to torment Earth. A scientist invents an indestructible suit to combat these evil forces and convinces a fit young man to assume the role of Infra-Man, protector of galaxies (or at least China).Infra-Man melds sci-fi, horror, martial arts, kaiju, psychedelia and basic action. It's fucking insane. I know what you are thinking, and yes, this is essentially a feature-length episode of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. But this is so much more awesome. Infra-Man sports a breathless pace, garish sets, and impressive fight sequences. Anyone who gets bored with this flick needs to cut downers from their diet. Speaking of narcotics, I'm pretty sure that Infra-Man is crack. Literally! Tell a crackhead to snort the DVD, and I guarantee that he won't be able to tell the difference.
In order to accurately describe this film, I'll have to steal a page from Joe Bob Briggs. That's right; it's time for Drive-In Totals!
Countless dead bodies
Laser guns
Thunder fists
Triffid-esque plant monster (vine tentacles included)
Gratuitous explosions
1 motorcycle chase
2 robots
1 fiery pit
3,672 skeleton warriors
Witch fu
Speedboat fu (see image below)
Earthquake fu
Totally inconspicuous villain hideout in the form of a dragon-shaped mountain
One of the all time classics. I still remember seeing Siskel and Ebert reviews this when it came out. Roger gave it a thumbs up, and included it in a "guilty pleasures" episode later as well. Can't remember if Siskel liked it. Probably not, although he did give a thumbs up to 'Carnosaur' later down the road.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun time, I will be adding this one to my que, sounds like a great movie to watch with friends.
ReplyDeleteSiskel and Ebert reviewed Inframan??? Bob, you've just blown my mind.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely the kind of movie you want to watch with friends, Franco. Unfortunately, I watched it alone, but I still had a blast.