Manborg is Available on DVD April 30th
The forces of Hell have seeped to the surface of the Earth and our only hope is “Manborg”. Half-man, Half-cyborg is an equation that equals total hero. Actually a cyborg is already half-man, half-machine so that makes “Manborg” 75% man and about 25% machine although, by the looks of him, that ratio is off. Despite the mathematics, “Manborg” is a righteous champion who stands with his metal chin held high against the legions of Hades and their dread leader Count Draculon (Adam Brooks).
The “what” of Manborg is not where the real story is to be found. It is the “how” that is fascinating. Completed in 2011. “Manborg” is a camp-filled action flick that was made in director Steven Kostanski’s garage for about $1,000. The results are an amazingly well-crafted work of art (yes, I said art). The cheese factor is spread thick and the performances are assembled from chunky- terrible delivery that only goes on to solidify the film’s inevitable cult status. The film was touched and manipulated so lovingly by the filmmakers that the image has dulled and you could swear that you can see the fingerprints stained in the corners of some of the frames.
“Manborg” takes place in a future filled with horrors and bad prosthetic makeup appliances. A solider (Matthew Kennedy) is killed on the battlefield during the first war against Hell but awakes to find that he has been turned into…that’s right…Manborg. As he searches for the truth behind his origin, he joins forces with an Australian punk (Conor Sweeney who looks like an extra from “The Road Warrior”), a kung fu master (hilariously over-dubbed by Kyle Hubert from “Dragon Ball Z”) and ass kicking chick (Meredith Sweeney) who inexplicably is the Australian dude’s sister even though she, herself, has no accent. Together the crew learns a most valuable life lesson: “It’s not about the killing, it’s about family”. And Killing too. There is a bunch of killing.
The future world is lovingly put together using computers and composite shots, layering images to tell the story. Kostanski’s mind is firmly planted in the 80’s with homage paid heavy to “Robocop” and “The Terminator”. “Manborg” is a testament to fact that the peasants have the keys to the castle. With advancements in camera technology, anyone with passion and vision can get a movie made. But Kostanski has made a true Hand Whittled Movie that doesn’t rely on a computer for all of its magic. Stop motion animation and detailed costumes add to the layers and make “Manborg,” with all of its silliness, the stuff from which dreams are made. Very bizarre but entertaining dreams.