Nemesis

Oh, man. This one definitely gets me into the way back machine. It was about ten years ago and I was in college. Being a SF fan, I was told by a bud and SF mega-geek (Hey, Reuben) about this movie. So we either popped it into the VCR or saw it on cable. I think it was the VCR - and boom. Nemesis is set in a near future where humanity and machine have begun to merge. Some add on machine parts to make them stronger, faster, or capable of carrying data. And some machines have taken on human appearance, and become human-like androids - cyborgs - further blurring the line between human and machine. Olivier Gruner is Rain, an enhanced cop, watching out for all kinds of new generation criminals, and using his enhancements to try to stay ahead - or at least on par - with the shifting enemies. But then of course he stumbles on something even more sinister than the usual, and it's look out. There are mega over the top gunfights, done in more wild detail because of the low budget, and very little computer generated effects. (Except one scene that others have noted.) Most of it is squibs, sparks and good old fashioned stunt work. Once this one kicks in it ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT let up. Ever. This is one smaller-budget production where the acting, directing, script and frenetic pace combine to make a movie more entertaining and thought provoking that many mega budget SF pics. On top of the action, the script and atmosphere so perfectly evoke a dark, flawed future that other filmmakers should take note. The guy who said it evoked William Gibson's type of dark cyberpunk future was right on the money. It was darn close and had great twists and setting. One reason I took to it was that at the time I was something of a gamer - mostly the Shadowrun series of dark, cyberpunk future. This might have biased me a bit, but I believe that it increased my appreciation of the movie instead. People who dig the newer cyberpunk stuff should check this one out. It does more convincing stuff with less budget and without any obviously fakey CGI. (There is one stop motion shot some have complained about, but at least no one flies around like superman or gets digitally reproduced 1000 times) From the over the top shootouts to good acting by SF legend Tim Thomerson, the ultra cool Merle Kennedy, Deborah Shelton, Gruner himself (with an ultra cool smooth delivery) and a cast that absolutely fits perfectly into their roles and their interactions with each other. This is a movie which achieves a sum greater than the parts, and overachieves from start to finish. People have argued about the later part, but believe me the ending is so cool character wise, that makes up for any other worries. Just a non stop awesome movie that creates atmosphere, features white knuckle action sequences, and creates characters that are believable, bad ass and also people that you end up caring about. If you are a SF buff or even a good movie buff, check it out and you'll be surprised by how well this one hits on all cylinders. Oh, and if you are a cyberpunk fan and dig that stuff, prepare for an awesome depiction of an atmosphere that many other films and other works have tried and failed to capture. Two thumbs way up for this movie, which combines action and character with great settings, overachieves from the get go, and endures as one hell of a fun movie!

Albert Pyun really likes making movies about cyborgs. His entire career as director owes everything to THE TERMINATOR and ROBOCOP, as he seems obsessed by throwing in as many special effects of half-human half-robot creations as possible into his movies. This post-apocalypse action outing is no different, as it sees Olivier Gruner (the poor man's Van Damme) battling an endless succession of cyborgs who seem to have it in for him. The plot of this film is somewhat ridiculous, and the running time seems to entirely consist of robotic people being shot at or blown up.

Still, something stopped me turning it off, and towards the end I realised something odd: I was actually enjoying this movie. It may be the fast-pacing or the cheesy earnestness of the special effects, but I think this may be Pyun's best movie yet; at least it's one you can sit through without succumbing to boredom. The low rent effects are cheap and dated looking, but I got a real kick out of seeing them and especially the effort (if not originality) having gone into their creation. Take, for instance, the preposterous, ambitious climax, in which our hero battles a robotic skeleton hanging off the back of a plane. It's an obvious attempt to recreate and outdo the climax of The Terminator that fails on every level, but it's still hugely entertaining.

Although Gruner is never more than a solid block of wood as this film's hero, Pyun has assembled quite the supporting cast of B-movie players. There's Tim Thomerson, voraciously chewing the scenery as a corporate bigwig, and an oddly underused Brion James struggling with an appalling German accent. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is there as another sneering example of brutality and even RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD's Thom Mathews makes a brief showing as a robotic assassin. Yes, the film may be trite, ill-conceived, ludicrous and a rip-off, but it actually has style – and I found it more entertaining than Richard Stanley's much-talked-about HARDWARE.

Celebrate Oliver Gruner's heyday by watching the B-movie masterpiece "Nemesis". It's really pretty good. Gruner may be the poor man's Peter Weller, but he plays his 85% android character with an effective stone face and only shreds of humanity. Tight direction and good special effects also keep it fast moving and fun.

Gruner plays Alex, an undercover cop/cyborg hunter. He becomes involved in a dangerous (and at times confusing) plot that sends him fleeing through an industrial wasteland in search for answers. I was tickled pink by a story that doesn't count on cheesy, cop-out twists to maintain its excitement, but simultaneously delivers the goods of a sci-fi and action movie. It lovingly references the movies it takes from, also- which include "Terminator", "Robocop", and "Blade Runner" which keep it on the respectable side of generic. Director Albert Pyun creates a slick neo-noir atmosphere which extenuates the story.

And the action scenes. Oh, the action scenes. Hit and miss Pyun is in top form- using high-tech, but refreshingly not over the top, weaponry and beautiful urban sets. The shoot-outs are imaginative and never redundant or trite. Don't miss the apartment shoot-'em-up where Gruner shoots at the floor spiraling as to create a hole for him to drop down, which he continues to do for two more floors. As if this wasn't cool enough, Pyun uses a Raimi-esquire shot that stays on Gruner's head as he drops through the building. Yes, 10 years later "Underworld" implemented this idea in a more popular film, but I hardly think it did so in better form. There are great stunts, focused direction and good acting to keep it unrelentingly fun.

"Nemesis" does need work, don't get me wrong. As Pyun demonstrated in his 1997 disaster "Mean Guns", he has a hard time tapping into his characters and material which makes things seem distant, confusing and at times impenetrable. He has a difficulty capturing transitions adequately, which obscures some of the action scenes.

Most in the audience will be pleased by the film's unlimited sex appeal. The movie creates a fascinatingly erotic connection between the near future and wangled, unrestrained sexuality. Deboarah Shelton is endlessly sexy and gives the movie a raw energy that almost compensates for its distant connection to the material.

I loved "Nemesis". It has a wonderfully distributed blend of science fiction and action. While there may be a brick wall between the audience and any hope of an emotional connection, it is sexy and fun enough to remain a great time.

"Nemesis" is a mixture of incoherent plotting (with rehashed bits from "Robocop" and "Terminator"), brainless action sequences, distracting accents and sarcastic wisecracks spouted by leading man Olivier Gruner, who comes off as a cut-rate version of Van Damme. By all means, it should be a pretty bad film, and maybe it is, but it's nevertheless always watchable and never outright boring. The pacing is continuously fast and the energy level high. (**)

Footnote: If you watch the film, look out for Merle Kennedy who plays Max, the hero's sidekick in the last 20 minutes or so. I loved the athleticism she brings into her small role. What an incredible body! Why hasn't anyone else mentioned her presence??

Nemesis hits well above it's weight. Full of ideas about cybernetics and artificial humans and with some great action scenes this neat little movie is a bundle of fun.

It's far from perfect, at times it makes little sense and lacks the refinement of bigger budget films but all can be forgiven as it's clear the film makers were working on a shoe string budget.

If you like the old 90's shoot-em-ups and the sci-fi genre, Nemesis is worth a look.