Electric Dragon 80,000V (2001)

Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS audio tracks 16 x 9 Anamorphic Widescreen Original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Theatrical Trailer Title designs Filming snapshots About the tattoo illustrations Synthesized images with commentary Formal Press Conference Tadanobu Asano Day Masatoshi Nagase Day Press conference with Sogo Ishii Final Showdown Staff profiles Cast Profiles Insert written by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes Limited Edition packaging with Original Soundtrack CD included!

Reptile investigator Dragon Eye Morrison has possessed high-voltage superpowers ever since a childhood accident at a power station. With megawatts of power coursing through his body, he discharges his surplus energy by playing high voltage rock 'n' roll with his electric guitar. He spends his days looking for lost lizards in the alleyways of Tokyo, and his nights fighting the reptilian part of his brain that is making him increasingly violent. A shadowy figure named Thunderbolt Buddha soon surfaces and begins following Dragon Eye about town. A former TV repairman turned super-villain, Thunderbolt Buddha uses his high-powered love of technological devices to aid in his evil plans. Powered-up to the max in his electrical body suit, the two finally come face to face in an all out electricfied rock 'n' roll battle for the supremacy of Tokyo!

Starring Japanese megastar Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer, Last Life in the Universe, Zatoichi) as Dragon Eye Morrison, and directed by cult icon Sogo Ishii (Burst City, Gojoe, Angel Dust), also starring Masatoshi Nagase (Suicide Circle, Hidden Blade, Stereo Future) as Thunderbolt Buddah. A hyperkinetic descent into electro-charged punk madness, set to an eardrum-shattering industrial punk/noise soundtrack by Mach 1.67, Electric Dragon 80,000 V transcends film to become an overwhelming, all-immersing experience. Nothing will prepare you for the assault on the senses that is Electric Dragon 80,000V!

What a pleasant surprise

I saw this movie online and I adored it. I immediately looked it up on amazon, and found it for sale. I was saddened however, that it wasn't the two disc special edition with the soundtrack. However, upon receiving the item, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had INDEED received the special edition. THANKS AMAZON! :D September 25, 2008

Bizarre and Unique

Dragon Eye Morrison hasn't exactly had a normal childhood. We see him as a young boy climbing an electrical tower with some friends telling him he's going to get electrocuted. Sure enough...it happens. After that, he seems to go through electro shock therapy whenever he gets into trouble. It's usually in fights and continues as he gets older. As a result, he's now charged with 80,000 volts of electricity at all times. He has his own version of the therapy that involves him bolting himself to a table. The only way he can deal with being charged with this much electricity is by playing his electric guitar. On top of that though, he's a lizard expert and has quite the collection. When one of his lizards turns up missing and Thunderbolt Buddha steps into the picture, that's when things get even more bizarre.

This movie is beyond weird. It clocks in at a little under 55 minutes. Calling it a film or a movie may be a bit out of place considering the length. The best way I can describe it is by saying it's like an extended music video meets a live action anime or manga. I was reading up on the film's origin and apparently the director used the leftover funds from a previous film to make this one. Even using two of the main actors from that same film(Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle). While that may be the case, this stands alone as its own film. The film's biggest strength is the way it was shot. It's entirely shot in black and white and its style just seems to bleed off the screen. The most unique shots tend to be when Dragon Eye is playing his guitar as the lighting and perspective are just what you'd expect from someone taking all their frustrations out on a guitar, which tend to be in your face. There's a scene towards the last half of the film though where Thunderbolt Buddha does something to get Dragon Eye's full attention where Dragon Eye is moving through rooms without moving himself. It looks like he's just floating from room to room and it just helps the viewer realize what he's feeling at that particular moment in the film. Like it's all some sort of bad dream.

The music may be what makes or breaks the film for the viewer as it tends to walk a thin line between being kinda catchy to just being distorted noise with screaming. The film is loud in every sense of the word. Whenever Dragon Eye started playing his guitar, it just sounded like noise to me. It fit the film as that would make sense if someone was channeling 80,000 volts of electricity through a guitar it would probably sound more like that than something a bit more polished. But if someone wasn't a fan of loud, heavy music then it may affect their judgement of the film.

Electric Dragon 80,000 V is more of a bizarre black and white experiment than anything else. On the bright side, it's original. It's not based off of anything or remaking anything. It stands on its own two legs and that's saying something these days. Its originality may be its downfall for some viewers though as the manga influences practically flow through every frame surrounding itself with loud, heavy guitar riffs. If you're a fan of previous Tadanobu Asano films or are in the mood for something unique, I'd highly recommend it. I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone though as it may be so bizarre it'd wind up going over a lot of people's heads.

Rating: 7/10 June 22, 2008

A Supersonic Journey on a 80.000V Lightning Bolt!

Now here is a movie which really goes the extra mile for that high octane speed of a supersonic journey into Japan's fantastical cinematic lunacy, by ways of a stylish approach to the urban allegory of "electric" lives, and of "electric" and violent childhoods that spawn truly ugly and senseless beasts into the streets of modern society.
Is our civilization just waiting to die on the hands of our "electric" youth? It seems as if, the faster you go the more will you want to best, no matter how powerful or mighty obstacles are.
Far from being a cinematic masterpiece, it effectively does deliver the goods in a frenzied surrealism, with a rock`n'roll attitude and some cyberpunk elements thrown in for good measure, as this is a low-budget production shot on black and white, drawn on top of Sogo Ichii's japanese underground filmmaking of the early 80's, from the time when he made Burst City (1982).
Definitely not Blade Runner but rather a runner-up to Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo - The Iron Man, Electric Dragon 80.000V (2001) is made to satisfy those hungry for dynamic cinematography, weird characters with even weirder agendas, racing through a lethargic metropolis in a lightning speed overpowering crescendo of Electricity!
Do not expect classical dramatization, social light comedy or a dense intellectual mystery. This is an over-the-top loony piece of adrenaline fueled j-fantasy, driven by a rock solid soundtrack, added by churning guitar soundscapes of abrasive rawness.

I'm just waiting for it to arrive, so I can throw it inside my player and, BANG! Rock'n'Roll, baby!

Worth the wait, definitely! September 18, 2007

Just an appetizer!

I really liked this film. My Only problem is that it is just too damn short! Just as soon as you get ankle deep into the story, it's over. Aside from that, Japanese films like this show what kind of high quality films can be achieved with a clever execution. August 8, 2006

BYAAAAAH

As a parent of four, I highly reccomend buying a copy of this film for your household. Any child who watches this movie and doesn't have a seisure seems to become obsessed with it. I actually get the kids to clean their rooms AND do dishes just by threating them that if they don't do what i ask, they can only watch the film a minimum of two times a day(its only an hour long). Eek,!! and also if I turn it off, the youngest and oldest children will respectivly start to cry.

Its like handcuffs for your kids' brains. Its a wonderful thing. August 5, 2006

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