2013 (Japan)
Contains spoilers.
If I wasn't already
on a list, after importing and watching part 2 of director and co-writer
Naoyuki Tomomatsu's sleazy and
horrendously b-movie soft-porn zombie nonsense I almost certainly am now.
Excessive, misogynist and exploitative Lust of the Dead 2, or Rape Zombie: Lust
of the Dead 2 is everything that's wrong and shady with this odd little
particular porn niche. It's a cheap one trick pony relying on the fun and games
of horny rather than hungry and the willingness of actresses to show some flesh
whatever the reason; and yet for such nonsensical zombie bunkum, it has to be
said, the original origin narrative is surprisingly fleshed out and almost
coherent, there is a semi-legit story being told and some of the audacious and
stupidly bad set pieces and gore is surprisingly entertaining.
Following the events
of Lust of the Dead, Tokyo really is now the post-apocalyptic wet-dream; a
smouldering ruined city-scape with desperate isolated survivors hiding from the
now grotesque, charred and mutated men that survived the nuclear blast. Two
such figures are Shinji and Maki who hungry and scared are at least safe in
their apartment and able to celebrate their anniversary, with love, candles and
wine. That is, of course, until zombie-penis-boy bursts in, rips off her top
and panties, fondles her breasts then gets himself ready for a good ol' rape.
Any hope this wouldn't just be succeeding the first in premise and setting
alone is immediately quashed. Tomomatsu's Lust of the Dead 2 is the story of
desperate women rallying together, of scientists scrambling to find answers, of
a world torn asunder, but it's still a silly little one with otaku virgins
forming a cult to take revenge on all the women who humiliated them, daft
American robots with laser eyes, flamethrower mouths and perfect breasts, and
an opportunity to screen a lot of half naked women and indulge an obvious public groping
fetish.
If you don't
remember, I'll refresh. For some reason; a meteor, the ozone hole, or even some
evolutionary Gaia reason all men have become infected with a bacteria that
removes any and all imperative other than to have sex with any and all women. I
say all men; it's really only dokyun aka successful, sporty, normal that turn,
with otaku aka manga, idol, anime, loners and virgins that while infected can
somehow keep their urges dormant. Lust of the Dead 2 elaborates, explaining
otaku are safe because in many ways they're the modern samurai; their years of
abstinence and screen watching, actually a zen like philosophical conditioning
akin to Bodhidharma's nine years of wall gazing. They're actually the
enlightened ones. They're also quite a terrifying nonsensical bunch of losers
and though I believe their ignorance, justified violence and deplorable
objectification of 3D women (as in not on screen, ala real) is by design and a
deliberate parody, like the first, there's always a line of dialogue or a particular sequence that makes you think you really ought to stop laughing along.
Gone are the randy
little Japanese business men, instead in the aftermath of the blast, they're
replaced with giant penis wielding monstrosities that appear more comical than
frightening. Though it's never been a film anyone involved ever intended to be considered
horror, for a film about rape and death it's incredibly light and frivolous.
With the otaku now the main threat there is less rape; but what there is
perhaps more graphic, though maybe my memories of the first have been
deliberately purged (or repressed). The soft-porn has definitely upped a notch
and titillation has now upped a base and it's no longer just jiggly boobs, but
hands in pants, touching and obvious stimulation. I should also mention the
obligatory and utterly incongruous lesbian and masturbation scenes, which as
obviously uncomfortable and strained the actresses look, are equally awkward to watch.
Both men and women do a good
job with what's obviously a mediocre b-movie script that's entirely driven by
the porn scenes, and even the painfully drawn and staged backdrop they're
forced to work with for all outdoor shots. In fact the two long sequences where
there actually isn't any 'action' are painfully paced and entirely tedious.
Half way through, there's an attempted philosophical diatribe, with added aesthetic twinkle, that
tries to explain all the otaku bull, but more criminal is a brilliantly staged
conversation, ala The Return of the Living Dead, with a genuinely good and graphic
prosthetic zombie carcass with semi-detached head, but impressive erection, and a primal insight into the caveman brain, yet ends with appalling
cognisant justification with nonsense about gender ratios and the relatively
recent judicial outlawing of mans natural right to take any woman he wants, whenever he wants.
And then it was all
over. You see Lust of the Dead 2 was shot with Lust of the Dead 3. I say shot
with; I think the actual phrasing would be Lust of the Dead 2 was filmed then
cut in half with some bright spark thinking two sixty odd minute films with nothing
cut would be better, financially, than a single well edited entry, thus
explaining the poor pacing and the overly drawn out exposition we're subjected
to throughout. A soft-porn monster movie no one thought we'd ever want or
need, Lust of the Dead 2 is brazen with its desires and painfully honest with
its execution. Now with parts 4 and 5 finished it's obviously a niche somebody
wants to see and though I did have moments of fun I do rather find the whole
rape fetish, as trivially, and justifiably played with as it is, uncomfortable
and unsettling. Still, it's not a film I can honestly say is possible to take
too seriously and I'm not going to end the review with a moral lecture. It is
what it is and I do actually now want to see how the story ends, so it must
have done something right - 4/10
Steven@WTD.
