Adventures of Electric Rod Boy

Director - Shin'ya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Tokyo Fists)
Starring - Kei Fujiwara (Organ, Id), Nobu Kanaoka (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer), and N. Senba
Release Date - 1987
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi/Comedy
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     My Shin'ya Tsukamoto marathon is still in full force as I work on my third out of then films in the new Solid Metal Nightmares set.  So far I've enjoyed myself with the first two films; Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, but I was very curious how this 40 something minute sci-fi horror comedy about a boy with an electric rod pultruding from his back was going to work.  Regardless, I went into it with an open mind and really enjoyed myself.
     The film follows a young man with an electric rod growing out of his spine.  He is often the target by local bullies but is able to use his electric rod to power a time machine where he goes 25 years into the future.  He arrives in a dystopian future where vampires wreak havoc.  It is up to him and an old friend to stop them before they build a machine that can wipe the human race off the face of the Earth.    

     Honestly, I had no idea what was going to happen with this one when I tossed it in but I have to say that this one is my favorite in the set so far.  It was funny, creative, and really threw a lot at the viewer with overwhelming them.  The acting in this one is very enjoyable.  The cast does a great job at taking their not-so-serious roles seriously.  They made the scenes fun and really dedicated themselves to their roles.  The story for this one is unique and fun.  We have a man with an electric rod, vampires, time travel, and apocalyptic hardened school teachers.  The film makes great use of it's time and doesn't over do it.  Clocking in around 45 minutes makes this one well worth your time.  Finally, the film has a little blood and some make-up effects but my favorite scene involves a vampire melting.  It's not the best effects for a scene like that but I really liked how it looked on film.  Overall, Adventures of Electric Rod Boy is unlike the films Tsukamoto is known for.  It's extremely clever, strange, and unique.  I doubt another film with resonate with me from this set like this one did.