slowbrooo

I got this movie just because of the name and assumed it would be a typical bad/campy B-movie. Let me just say that this goes WAY beyond just that! The first half of the movie is really generic, a bunch of idiots roaming around an abandoned building and getting picked off one by one by some monster. The necessary gratuitous sex scene and gratuitous shower scene consolidated into one sex-in-the-shower scene, which proves that the makers of Creepozoids are thrifty if nothing else. Now the first weird thing about this movie was that there is some virus floating around that makes infected people not have to eat, and gory stuff happens to them if they do eat. However, there is also a big monster roaming around attacking people which has NOTHING TO DO with the rest of the movie!! I was waiting for them to say something like "when people are infected with the virus for a long time, they turn into insane monsters!", but no, there just happens to be this thing hanging out in the same building as the rest of the characters. Now let me get to the "climax" of the movie - which takes up the entire last half of the movie!! OK, so the monster kills all but one of the characters, and he decides to try to kill the thing. Now, I looked at the counter on my VCR and said to myself, "hey, there's more than half an hour left in this movie!" There was no mistake in my addition - for half an hour, the guy attacks the monster, the monster throws him into a shelf or something, he gets back up, attacks it, etc. Eventually, he kills the thing... or does he? I think I groaned out loud as some movement is seen in the dead body of the monster. Suddenly, a disturbing baby puppet hops out of the dead body! A few minutes later (did I mention that this movie is a little slow paced?) the baby gets around to ambushing the guy, and he throws the baby away into a shelf, and the baby attacks him again, he throws it away, etc. I guess he kills the baby and the movie ends, but I can't swear to this. Things got a little hazy after seeing this surreal movie. If you really think you can handle watching what might be the most painful and cliched movie ever made, by all means, watch this movie! It is certainly the epitome of the 80's B-horror flick, at least as far as badness is concerned. If you want to see a good movie DON'T watch this one, for God's sake!!! 1/10

Anyone who has an interest in the lives of serial killers should definately see this movie. Mark Harmon is no less than perfect as Ted Bundy. Although this movie is based on a true story, you still have to give the filmmakers credit for doing such a great job depicting Bundy as a likable, outgoing guy - just like a real sociopath. I've read a couple things on serial killers and what they are like and this movie is 100% on the mark. The only cons are the TERRIBLE music (what where they thinking?) which I learned to ignore, and the fact that this is a very rare find being made for TV and all. I was lucky enough to stumble across this while flipping channels. If you liked Minus Man or any of the other more recent & famous serial killer flicks, try to find this one. It is just the best film of its kind. 9/10

This somewhat lengthy review is more a personal diatribe on this famous and infamous of animes, Harmagedon. To be kind to the users who simply want a review of the movie to decide whether they wish to see it or not, I've decided to start by explaining why exactly I enjoyed this movie.

Harmagedon must be described as an epic before any other categorization. It is an account of the battle between humanity and a force of pure chaos that wishes to destroy it. This movie succeeds brilliantly in its massive-scale depiction of the battle. Most of the movie is about the espers (psychics) of earth gathering together in an attempt to fight off Genma, the force which has destroyed many galaxies before and is now heading towards the Milky Way. This first part of the movie is easily the most astounding part of the movie, and is the reason why most fans of the movie like it. The segment where Azuma Jo is forced to deal with his supernatural powers is done with utter brilliance. The cinematography in these scenes is so amazing that no other movie, animated or otherwise, can compare in my opinion. The intenisty in this part of the movie is what really grabbed me and is why I love this movie so much. The rest of the movie puts many challenges in front of the gathering espers in the form of Genma's minions, demon-like creatures who posess poweful supernatural abilities not unlike those of the heroes. Each ensuing battle is more spectacular than the last, and the espers (particularly Jo) become more disciplined and cooperative with each victory. Although the final battle and its aftermath are my least favorite scenes in this movie, they are an acceptable wrap-up for the plot.

This movie has received much criticism from die-hard anime fans for a variety of reasons. Anyone who watches this film can pick them out: a bizarre and jarring musical score, moral lessons that seem targeted for an audience of children, and many two-dimensional, underdeveloped characters that often boil down to cultural stereotypes. Although I agree with some of these criticisms, it is my firm opinion that the intense action scenes and wonderful animation and direction more than make up for any shortcomings this film has. (I gave this film a 9 out of 10 and stand by it!)

Now, for those of you who have seen this and/or are interested in this film as piece of anime history, I'd like to give my opinions on this film in terms of its influence and originality. Some of the style elements and characters in this film are seen repeated time and again in anime, which may make this film seem like a generic anime based on archetypes. However, it must be realized that this film was made in 1982 when anime was much less developed than it is today. The popular movies and series that had come before Harmagedon; Macross, Gundam, Lupin III and Urusei Yatsura come to mind; are all much different in terms of characters and plot elements. The sci-fi epic/monster movie archetype of anime really came only after this movie, and I can't help but believe that this movie was an influence on later, similar animes. The angst-filled teenager of Azuma Jo has been repeated in countless animes, but was not really a prevalent archetype before Harmagedon. The excellent villians of this film are both despicable, inhuman, and yet eerily disturbing in a way which can be seen in many later animes (check out Silent Mobius for similar antagonists). I also really liked the way that the espers' powers - of course, most notably Azuma Jo's - grew throughout the film until they reached a sort of "ultimate" height in the final battle (watch the final battle in Wicked City for a strong parallel). Add to this the excessive displays of destruction and power that are inseperable from modern anime, and I feel that this film must have made a great impact on all the anime that has followed. It even received a little tribute in the super-spoof Project A-Ko, which you must see for yourself if you've watched all the important animes of the early 80's.

In conclusion, this is an anime that no anime buff should miss. It is an example of exceptional film that, in some areas, has never been surpassed within the art form. It is also a great choice for anyone who has seen little or no anime previously for the very same reasons. Other recommendations: Akira, Patlabor 1, Ninja Scroll, The Professional: Golgo 13, and any Lupin III movie.