In the 1990s, the Heisei Godzilla films were the most successful and popular special effects projects in Japan at the time. Yet, a whole plethora of tokusatsu content was released during this decade. The King of the Monsters wouldn't be the only iconic character to be reimagined. Gamera would make a divine return after a long period in hibernation with Shusuke Kaneko's excellent “Heisei Gamera Trilogy.” Kamen Rider would see some unique renditions of him, such as Keita Amemiya's terrific movie “Kamen Rider ZO,” which celebrates the franchise while giving a more modernized spin on the material. Television would thrive with series like Chojin Sentai Jetman” and “Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.” Regarding Amemiya, he was prominently proactive during this period, both as a character designer and now as a filmmaker, even working on the two previously mentioned Super Sentai shows. His first picture, “Mirai Ninja,” would show what he could do regarding directing. Yet, his next directorial project would further cement his skills as a director, that being his entertaining science-fiction feature, “Zeiram.”
In contrast to “Mirai Ninja,” a direct-to-video release, this would be Keita Amemiya's first feature to be theatrically shown. The movie would be made on a fairly low budget, especially compared to many of its competitors at the time. A perfect example is “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah,” which came out the same year and was made for more money. “Zeiram” would be met with success in Japan, and a few years later, in 1994, the film would be followed up with a sequel, “Zeiram 2.” That same year would also see the release of a prequel OVA anime series titled “Iria: Zeiram the Animation.”
A monstrous alien known as Zeiram escapes from its dimension and ends up on Earth in Japan, where the behemoth intends to cause destruction. However, with the aid of her AI comrade Bob, an intergalactic bounty hunter named Iria manages to track down and trap the abomination in a virtual reality known as a Zone, where she intends to face it head-on. Yet, the murderous creature is a force to be reckoned with, showcasing noticeable intelligence and overwhelming strength. The behemoth can even create other lifeforms to follow its orders. To further complicate things, Teppei and Kamiya, two everyman electricians, accidentally get roped into this other-worldly conflict.
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Keita Amemiya makes it abundantly clear that this isn't meant to be a philosophical game-changer with allegory tying into humanity's imperfections. Instead, he has a different motivation: to entertain the audience, and the movie succeeds in droves. For starters, the film has a lot of humor, and most of it lands. While slapstick is occasionally utilized, the comedy primarily shines in the humorous dialogue between Teppei and Kamiya, along with their communications with Iria, who, in contrast, is played straight against the strange and surreal scenarios she finds herself in, nicely contrasting the electricians horrified reactions to the presence of monsters. Occasionally, even the beast Zeiram gets in a laugh when it expresses frustration when plans do not go as initially intended.
Yet, even with a lot of funny comedy, the movie is also surprisingly creepy and dark sometimes, even at points throwing in some body horror. Zeiram is a terrifying monster, and the opening black-and-white sequence clarifies that beyond its threatening appearance; this abomination is powerful and intelligent. Furthermore, the idea that it travels intending to conquer other worlds and devour lifeforms is a scary concept. Then there is the environment of the Zone, which is very eerie and foreboding, largely thanks to how the shots are composed and the emphasis on lighting. It truly feels like an isolated, abandoned area without escape. The humor and horror aspects thankfully never inappropriately clash and instead work off one another thanks to a sharp script. In addition to those elements, plenty of fun action sequences are thrown into the mix.
An appealing aspect of the film is its approach to gender, with subtle undertones of female empowerment. Amemiya has made his views on gender norms in Japanese culture no secret, expressing disdain for Japan's continuous sexism and hierarchy mentality that men come before women. For “Zeiram,” the lead protagonist Iria, who, in many scenarios, would likely be played by a man, is instead portrayed by a woman who is charismatic, strong, and free-thinking while also knowing when to shift gears if something goes wrong. She also has a ton of humanity that adds to her likability, with her softer side blossoming from her tough demeanor as the narrative progresses as she warms up to and bonds with Teppei and Kamiya. The movie goes the extra mile, turning stereotypes on its head by having the male players in constant need of aid against the antagonist. The switch in gender roles also applies to Zeiram. Initially, the creature is referred to by male pronouns, yet numerous touches hint at the monster being female. A perfect example is the feminine face atop the alien's head and some of the transformations it goes through later.
A lovable cast that plays off each other makes “Zeiram” all the more enjoyable. All the characters have a lot of personality that helps make them memorable. Yuko Moriyama is great as Iria, the heroic bounty hunter determined to defeat Zeiram. She is strong and quick-thinking but also likable and charming. It is easy to root for her in taking down the main antagonist. Thanks to Masakazu Handa's voice acting, Bob is more than just a standard AI character, giving the sidekick personality to latch on to. With a lesser script, Teppei and Kamiya could have been insufferable, yet on top of good writing, the dynamics of Kunihiro Ida and Yukijiro Hotaru make these two dorks enjoyable. Finally, of course, it would be a disservice not to mention Mizuho Yoshida, who plays Zeiram. On top of his tall stature, he gives the monster a ton of personality and a terrifying presence.
The special effects in Zeiram, directed by Hajime Matsumoto, are spectacular. There is a great display of suitmation, stop-motion animation, puppetry, animatronics, gore effects, miniature work, and even occasionally tidbits of CGI. Keita Amemiya's design for Zeiram is outstanding, and the costume is super detailed but not too bulky to the point where it is immobile. Beyond great effects, there are impressive action sequences along with exceptional set pieces. In conjunction with all of this is terrific cinematography by Hiroshi Kidokoro. The music score by Hirokazu Ohta is also very memorable; a nice highlight is the foreboding chanting that accompanies Zeiram.
“Zeiram” is fun from beginning to end. It is a film that knows what it wants to be and succeeds in droves at what it sets out to do. The feature also creates a strange and effective ambient atmosphere, topped with exceptional production values, with the highlight being an imposing antagonist. Further adding to the charm is a likable cast. Following this movie's success, Keita Amemiya would continue to create more impressive projects that further cemented him as a pioneer in tokusatsu filmmaking.
