Zëiram 2 (1994)

A lot of fun.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

I came across this movie some time back and decided to pick it up since the anime version remains one of my favorites of all time. The premise seemed promising, as did the cast of characters. Iria and her partners Bob and Fujikuro face off against an army of intergalactic mercenaries, thugs, etc. and a new robotic Zeiram unit is assigned to help them out. With Iria's old friends Kamiya and Teppei stumbling upon the face-off, the fusion of the first film and the anime was complete and success assured. And then somehow the director let everything fall apart at an amazing rate. Whatever potential the elements from the anime storyline had were completely wasted in favor of reiterating the first movie. As a result, by the end of the first hour you have the feeling that you've seen it all before, and performed a lot better the first time around. All in all, the ONLY reason to get this movie would be for the exceedingly small satisfaction of completing the Zeiram series. Otherwise, stick to the first two installments (Zeiram & Iria: Zeiram the Animation) and you'll be a lot better off.

Not funny bad... just plain bad (and very boring). Poorly directed, written and acted. The best that I can say about it is that some of the costumes were of average quality. Reminded me vaguely of the Power Rangers without any campy fun (not that the PR had much it's just that this is quite possibly worse). Avoid at all costs.

This sequel to the 1991 hit Japanese movie is just as entertaining as the first movie. The plot contains a lot of elements from the first movie (i.e. being trapped in the Zone, etc.). With that said, the film covers a lot of familiar territory, although there are some significant differences. Zeiram's design is a lot different; he's a lot slicker, he has more weapons, and he's one heck of a fighter. There are also some new characters that appear in this film. Yuko Moriyama, reprising her role as Iria, is still beautiful and a joy to watch onscreen. Once again, this movie treats us to lots of gunplay, hi-tech kickboxing, interesting gadgets, and some cool looking monsters. The action scenes were a lot more exciting this time around. My only complaints are two graphically violent scenes (they're short though) and the fact that Zeiram doesn't evolve into some cool stop-motion monstrosity at the end. However, the end duel was quite fun. Overall, a solid entry in the series.

This is one of my top ten favorite films. Although it is essentially an inferior remake of the original "Zeiram", where it really shines is in actress Yuko Moriyama's portrayal of the principal character, Iria. Her character has been refined and fleshed out considerably since the first film, and Ms. Moriyama's uncompromising presence, radiant beauty, and fierce intensity quickly elevate the film from mediocrity. Fans of science fiction, Japanese monster movies, and femme fatales will all find something to like in this film. The weakest links in the film are the challenging pace (typical in Japanese cinema) and the return of Teppei and Kamiya to provide mirthful moments of comedic relief. Typical of Director Keita Amemiya's other work, he seems more interested in delivering a stylistic and visually stunning film instead of a cohesive narrative, but on that level it succeeds with flying colors.