And everywhere, eighties geeks just had the largest orgasm after watching “Kung Fury.” In fact, if you’re an eighties geek, I dare you not to break down in tears while watching. David Sanberg’s “Kung Fury” is bleeding eighties ephemera from every orifice. It’s a sweet eighties homage that mixes every cliché imaginable right down to the screaming police sergeant forcing a new partner on his rebel cop. Triceracop. There’s actually a goddamn Triceracop.
David Sanberg played Kung Fury, a mix of Billy Lee, Keanu Reeves, and Ryu from “Street Fighter” who was granted the ultimate weapon of kung fury after being bitten by a cobra while struck by lightning. This turned him in to an ultimate weapon allowing him to fight every known villain in the futuristic world of 1985 from gun toting hoods to a kung fu fighting Hitler. What’s most pleasing about Lazer Unicorn’s production is the masterful quality behind the indie film, and how it all comes crashing together piece by piece in to one amazing bow. There’s the VHS quality filmmaking, the VHS tracking trouble during a climactic fight, the amazing creature effects, and the sound track.
I loved the ability to mix traditional effects with green screen providing a near flawless effort that I was bowled over by. From the T Rex, right down to Triceracop, I loved how director Sanberg was able to implement his budget wisely and offer up many memorable moments. As well, he leaves the door open for a ton of spin offs, introducing a slew of lovable characters that would have been around during the age of Barbarian movies during the eighties. What I love about this movie is that David Sanberg throws so much eighties clichés at us, and while it could be nothing but hollow aesthetic like something from a Astron 6 movie, it sticks with immense resonance.
The eighties clichés are important, and they add to the narrative with a great weight that serves the surprise twist in the finale. Sanberg could easily just toss out joke after joke, instead he uses the gags as a means of stunning audiences, while involving them in to the goal for Kung Fury to stop Hitler. I wanted more of Sanberg’s character Kung Fury, and I wanted to see more of just about everyone, from Triceracop to Thor, who could lead his own movie with the female warriors that enter mid-way. I loved “Kung Fury.” It’s thirty minutes eighties gold, a wonderful example of how to pay homage to a facet of pop culture without getting lost in a haze of randomness and lip service.
It’s now available to watch in its full length, in high definition, for free!