Most
of the films I cover on here are either cult/exploitation films that are recent
discoveries or random picks that I come across. This one is special. I have
a strange history and nostalgic attachment to…
MEATBALL MACHINE: Yoji is loner. He can’t talk to Sachiko (who has a crush on him and equally awkward and sad), ignored at his job, and has an inability to socialize on a basic
level. All the while, a mad scientist is breeding cybernetic alien parasites
that mutate humans (with severe trauma and negativity) into
NecroBorgs. Yoji discovers a defective one but it turns Sachiko into a NecroBorg. He tries to find a way to save her, even if that means turning
into a monsters himself.
 |
| POV Post-Head Slice |
In high school, I was one of those movie guys that spent every single
moment I could watching horror, action, cult, and anything offbeat. When I had
extra money, my go-to was to stop by Moviestop (RIP) and get as many cheap DVDs
as I could. Then one day, they had a single brand new copy DVD of something
called MEATBALL MACHINE. The
close-up of Sachiko as a fleshy and bloody cyborg was truly astonishing. That cover lingered in my mind for weeks. Up
until that point I had never seen or even heard of anything like it outside of
Troma’s output, that was actually watchable. The price was high (to me) but I took a
chance. Possibly, it was my first Japanese film too (not sure which I saw
first, this or ICHI THE KILLER). At
the time, I loved every frame, scene, and drop of blood. A film so outrageously gory and sad, completely
and totally rocked my perception of “foreign” film. They weren’t only prestige
Oscar pictures. They could be a lo-grade, super fun horror/science fiction
romp.
 |
| Sachiko's arm transforms into a flamethrower |
Directors,
Yamamoto Jun’Ichi and Yamaguchi Yudai, unleash a barrage of unpredictable
creativity and pure fun. Their approach to the gore and violence is firmly set
in the realm of late Showa Godzilla fare and Ultra-Man. In many ways, MEATBALL MACHINE is a live action
cartoon with the rules that only animation could
provide. The fights are people in suits with clearly fake weapons - drills,
blades, giant penis cannon, etc. They flop and flail around with the grace of a
sloppy drunk mixed with a pro wrestler. Super punches, super kicks, explosions into bloody chunks,
colorful energy blasts, even flames and more are fair game in these clashes.
The rules and limits of reality are gleefully abandoned for the chaotic cartoon
antics.
The
general appearance, attitude, and even subject matter all stem from the
classic, TETSUO: THE IRON MAN. It’s
not a ripoff or rehash by any means. They have the same lo-fi approach but go in
different avenues. Yamamoto and Yamaguchi honor their forerunner and expand on
it. There are several visual references - the ‘man in suit’ designs, tentacle
cords, and mutating weapons. These are also strong connectors to the Resident
Evil series with the tyrants. Some of this, of
course, is down to budget and what can be done within that budget. I’ve seen a
few reviews and such comparing these 2 films and citing one as superior but that’s
silly, to me at least. They have 2 different goals, 2 different different
styles, and are 2 different films all together.
 |
| Sachiko's arm transformed into a buzzsaw |
Central
to MEATBALL MACHINE, is loneliness.
Yoji is the classic socially awkward trope taken to an extreme. We see one
scene of him by himself and know everything we need to know about him. After
work, he rubs one out to Sachiko. She, it turns out, is equally lonely and
seemingly might have the same routine but fantasizing of Yoji. They have no outlets and repress all emotions, which is the very thing that ends up destroying them. The plot device is simple but so effective. There is no hope for them. The sheer nihilism is on par with Miike Takashi's late 90s/early 2000s output.
In
the factory, Yoji is virtually invisible. He has no status outside of employee.
Sachiko suffers a similar fate. She’s merely another hole to fuck for the other
men at the factory. Together they fight off a potential rapist, but the
universe does not allow them an ounce of comfort. The collective repressed
sexuality and societal angst between them gets manifested into powerful NecroBorgs. The NecroBorgs sole purpose is to fight then consume the loser. Their connection and failed communication when it's needed most make for a climatic THEY LIVE style fight. Yoji's sexual frustration ends up destroying her with a giant, veiny penis cannon.
 |
| She gets her revenge on the man who assaulted her. |
The metaphor never quite reaches the
depths that TETSUO: THE IRON MAN
achieved. That isn’t a slight (to me) though, the style and tone are closer to
saturday morning Tokusatsu than an experimental and grotesque short film. Nothing is subtle in MEATBALL MACHINE but that's part of its charm. Yamamoto and Yamaguchi never try to bullshit you, it's a simple straight forward story about loners in love...and alien parasites.
Everything on display is insane, fun, and a true celebration of what is
possible when you care deeply and actively try your best with what’s available
when there isn’t much to work with. The biggest complaint I’ve come across is the ending. I
like the ending. It fits with the tone and story. The parasites
that attach and mutate humans were sent by
aliens for sport in search of the ultimate pairs to duke it out - an emotional connection makes for the best battles. The PREDATOR franchise does a similar thing and no one complains about that.
Aliens
toying with vulnerable individuals makes perfect sense with this story. Every character with power
over people abuses their status with no disregard. This is the same behavior
from the factory boss/attempted rapist, Sachiko’s father, and the mad
scientist. The cycle never ends. That relationship between those with
and without power is central and serves a cinematic purpose. Power can and will corrupt anyone and it's those at the bottom who always get the shit end of the stick.
All
that said, I haven’t watched this in a over decade. Revisiting this was a blast
and a half, I still enjoy the ridiculous bloody nonsense. This was not the maestro caliber explosion of
blood, bodies, and bots that I remembered. It’s still a fun time, if you’re
into hyper-gory splatter films.
MEATBALL MACHINE is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and various places online as well.
Comments
Post a Comment