Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Infra-Man (aka: Zhong Guo Chao Ren)




(1975) Directed by Hua Shan; Written by: Ni Kuang; Starring: Danny Lee, Wang Hsia, Terry Liu; Available on DVD.

Rating: ***½

“Shaw Bros, at the time wanted to film a Kamen Rider type of film for the Hong Kong children. …Although I had watched a few episodes of Kamen Rider on TV and was aware of its popularity, I never expected them to ask me to direct Infra-man.” – Hua Shan (excerpted from interview by Linn Haynes)


When approached by the organizers of The Great VillainBlogathon 2015* to write about a favorite movie foe, my brain shuffled through 100 plus years of cinematic history. With such an enormous sandbox to play in, I was overwhelmed by the countless choices. At the end of the day, one individual stood triumphant: Princess Dragon Mom (aka: Elzebub). Who? Well, dear reader, allow me to elucidate on one of the most dastardly (and admittedly ridiculous) foes to appear on film.

* A hearty thanks to the organizers of this spectacular five-day blogging event, Kristina of Speakeasy, Ruth of Silver Screenings and Karen of Shadows & Satin.


At first glance, viewers might write off Infra-Man (aka: Super Inframan, or Zhong Guo Chao Ren) as a thinly disguised rip-off of Japanese TV shows such as Ultraman and Kamen Rider. The similarities were in fact a deliberate effort on the part of prolific Hong Kong-based filmmakers the Shaw Brothers to reproduce the same type of action show for Hong Kong audiences. While the film certainly owes much to those programs, director Hua Shan and team really make Infra-Man their own, transforming the DNA of its predecessors into an amazing mutant creation.


One of the refreshing things about Infra-Man is how quickly it throws the audience into the action, without wasting a lot of time on the titular’s character’s origins. There’s no time for brooding superheroes, or a Christopher Nolan-style deconstructionist meditation on the nature of revenge, examining how violence begets violence. Nope, the Shaw Brothers don’t have time for that jazz. The world of Infra-Man is divided into good and evil, with nothing in between.


The movie opens with a series of natural disasters, all which can be traced back to Mount Devil (a dragon-shaped mountain that looks suspiciously like Vaal from the old Star Trek episode, “The Apple”) and its nefarious inhabitants. The ringleader for these evildoings is none other than our villain of the hour, the 10-million-year-old demon Princess Dragon Mom (Terry Liu),* who’s consumed by thoughts of conquering the human world. There’s no mistaking her for some lesser villain, with her distinctive appearance. One hand is a dragon’s claw, while the other is a dragon’s head (what else?).** She struts about her lair, which wouldn’t be out of place in one of the Sid and Marty Krofft shows, cracking a dominatrix whip and ordering her skull-faced henchmen to do her bidding. For the heavy-duty skullduggery, however, she unleashes a horde of special creatures, including a plant monster, spider monster and other nasties.

* Technically, only the English dub refers to her as Princess Dragon Mom. In the original version, her name’s Elzebub, although I must admit I’m partial to her adopted English name.

** Of course, her distinctive appendages beg the question, how does she take care of (ahem) daily functions? (On second thought, the less time devoted to this subject, the better.)


But humanity, being a resilient lot, is not about to take this onslaught lying down. An enigmatic professor (Wang Hsia) and his crackerjack strike team are willing to go mano a mano with the bad guys, and they have an ace up their collective sleeve in the form of a top secret project. Our hero Rayma (Danny Lee) probably takes three seconds to ponder the painful, potentially life-threatening treatments he must endure to become Infra-Man. Through the miracle of cybernetic implants and vaguely explained science, he’s transformed into an ultimate fighting machine, endowed with super-strength and impervious to most weapons. It probably goes without saying he doesn’t stop to grapple with his newly acquired super powers, or endure a long-winded speech about “great power” going with “great responsibility.” Instead, he emerges from his transformation, fully realized, and ready to kick some monster butt.


Infra-Man isn’t the sort of movie that you nitpick. The filmmakers recycle Rayma’s transformation sequence multiple times. The effects, even by 1975 standards, are decidedly low-fi, mostly consisting of people in monster suits duking it out. It’s a simple, but winning formula that’s familiar, yet fresh. Some movies exist to entertain, and this flick does it in spades. Unlike many modern superhero movies that fumble for profundity, Infra-Man isn’t afraid to embrace its goofy side. Infra-Man doesn’t elevate the genre, it celebrates it. I was fortunate enough to watch this a few years back with the ideal audience, a theater packed with families, at one of the Kids Club Saturday matinees at Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. You don’t need to watch it with kids to have a good time, though. Just kick back with some good friends, shut your brain off, and soak in the nutty action sequences and sheer lunacy. Princess Dragon Mom aside, the fact this film never spawned a series of Infra-Man adventures is the only real evil.

12 comments:

  1. You know, I respect movies that don't pretend to be more than what they are. It's refreshing to have an unapologetic bad guy sans the weepy & traumatic back story. Just set the parameters of the movie and let's GO!

    This sounds like that kind of movie. I never, NEVER, would have heard of this film if you hadn't reviewed it as part of the blogathon. Thanks!

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    1. This movie definitely takes a direct approach with its characters. Great fun!

      Thanks so much for hosting the Great Villain Blogathon. I had a blast!

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  2. This is such a goofy movie and Dragon Mom really was about the best part of it next to those ball and chain twin monsters, those were honestly impressive. The rest of it felt like a very fun episode of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers which of course were inspired from those old Kamen Rider shows.

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    1. I really had a blast with this movie. Princess Dragon Mom is tough to beat, although those twin monsters come close. Thanks for visiting!

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  3. WOW - this sounds like a treat! I love a good female villain, Princes Dragon Mom sounds like she's up there with the best!

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    1. If the title had been Attack of Princess Dragon Mom, or similar, I wouldn't have complained. The movie might have "Infra-Man" in the title, but it belongs to her.

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  4. I have never seen this! But it looks right up my alley :) I love these kinds of movies and always looking for a new area to discover. I'm glad you picked this for the event and so happy you joined us again, wouldn't be the same without you! Thanks

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    1. Thanks, Kristina! You're too kind. I'm honored to be part of The Great Villain Blogathon.

      Infra-man is 90 minutes of pure, mindless fun. The perfect antidote for a dreary day.

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  5. I was jonesing pretty hard to see this after becoming aware of it when we watched The Mighty Peking Man on the Virtual Drive-in. Of course, I completely forgot about it shortly thereafter. Thanks for reminding me.

    By the way, check out a few episodes of Danger 5 on Netflix now. Its overall tone hearkens back to movies like Infra-Man and Thunderbirds Are Go - but played for laughs.

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    1. I'll bet this would be a perfect candidate for your Virtual Drive-in!

      Thanks for the tip about Danger 5. The source material is certainly ripe for parody.

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  6. Awesome write up! This sounds like a blast. I think my kid had suggested this to watch at one point but I may have overlooked it. Will give it a shot, Barry. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks, Vic! This was a real treat for those who like this sort of stuff (and I do). Perfect for family movie night.

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