MANBORG (2011) Review | Part Man, Part Borg, All Indy GOLD

Cyborgs battling Nazi vampires -what more do we need to say? Imagine an 80s era arcade game having sex with a front loader VCR. Okay, now imagine their offspring …meet MANBORG! A loving ode to the halcyon days of VHS, MANBORG is one of the most spectacularly trashy joyrides you are ever likely to encounter. Sit back, adjust the tracking and LIVE! The armies of Hell have taken over the Earth, and all that stands in the way of the villainous Count Draculon and humanity’s total extinction is the mighty MANBORG: a warrior that’s half-man, half machine, but all hero. Aided by a post-apocalyptic Australian punker, a knife wielding vixen, and a kung-fu master, Manborg must square off against Count Draculon in a desperate and bloody bid to take back the Earth!
MANBORG Synopsis

From the depths of the lowest of the low budgets and most indy of the indies comes MANBORG from Astron-6. This 70 minute extravaganza really shows what a group of filmmakers with very little resources are capable of. The film looks like two thousand budgeted film for sure but that only adds to the charm. It is not the strongest or tightest script ever but the project exudes the effort and love for the genres they are tackling. It’s all in the wrists with MANBORG.

The plot is a mashup of almost every pop culture 80’s and 90’s things. From movies to video games the film grabs from everything it can to build its own thing. The story is as cliché as it can be and it leads to you being able to pay attention to all the beautiful artwork happening in front of you. The tone of the film is pitch perfect and it the reason you ride this film out even of it looks a little shabby to you at first. Stick it out, as I watched this with a few friends who love every 80’s sci-fi action film ever but it took them 20 minutes to get what they were watching. Everyone was cheering by the end of the film, no alcohol included.

The real artistry in the film are the practical effects. There are many monsters and creatures that float around the film and they are all pretty great looking real creations. The creativity is well above water with this team. Some of the humor may fall flat at times but all humor can do that and the film sustains the energy and laughs throughout its short run-time. The film is best enjoyed with friends who are into these types of ironically toned films. I would assume the type of people who don’t like a film like this also hate dogs. Check out the trailer below…..