If you've decided to sit down and watch a film with a title like Electric Dragon 80000V, you've probably already conceded to the idea that it's going to be a pretty wild and crazy ride, right? In fact, you'd probably be pretty disappointed if it wasn't filled with bizarre characters, a lightning fast sci-fi storyline (pun very much intended), supercharged action sequences (this is getting too easy), and an outrageously loud noise-punk soundtrack, right? Well have no fear because this over the top, non-stop blast of energy (okay, I'll stop) from director Sogo Ishii, one of Japan's old school rebel filmmakers, certainly won't leave you hanging.

Dragon Eye Morrison is a detective like no other. He specializes in locating reptiles. Also, during a tragic accident as a child in which he was struck by lightning, the portion of his brain that controls emotion and desire was damaged, awakening the "dragon" within him, that dark, primeval animal lurking in all of us which acts solely on raw instinct. Now he's a total badass with superhuman strength, but also a ticking time bomb who can only control his monstrous urges to explode and destroy everything around him by rocking out on his cranked up electric guitar and nightly shock treatments. Little does he know, but his powers are about to be tested. There's another contender for the title of king of the current in town - Thunderbolt Buddha, a satellite dish repairman who also happens to be a super villain with an arsenal of high voltage weapons at his disposal. He has it in for old Dragon Eye and sparks are literally going to fly (c'mon, what's one more gonna hurt?) when these two high powered masters of energy clash head to head in the ultimate battle for electric supremacy!

The title of this film is very appropriate, and not just because the characters harness the power of electricity to do battle, but because in many ways the film itself is electric. The kinetic camerawork, breakneck editing, pulsating electronic throbs, and ear piercing sonic feedback of screeching guitars all come tearing at you from right out of the gate, never once ceasing their all out attack on the senses. This intense energy makes the movie come alive like a cinematic Frankenstein's monster, combining the black and white cyberpunk look of Tetsuo The Iron Man and the rock n' roll insanity of Wild Zero with just the slightest touch of art house thrown in (the irony is that the director's earlier "punk" work is what most likely inspired those other films). If Sogo Ishii is the mad doctor who created this beast, than Tadanobu Asano (Dragon Eye) is his Igor, and fans should find it as no surprise that he plays a major part here (animating the titles in addition to his role) considering he has undoubtedly become one of the biggest names in Japanese fringe cinema (his resume includes Ichi The Killer, Survive Style 5+, Tokyo Zombie, and director Ishii's epic samurai film Gojoe, which was shot back to back with this).

My advice to the potential viewer - sit back, let it rip, and give your brain some time off - at least the part that wants to ponder the intricacies of a detailed plot, because Electric Dragon 80000V is definitely one of those movies where not a lot happens. On the other hand, make sure your eyes and ears are sharpened and ready to go; they're going to need to be primed for maximum reception if you truly want to get the most out of this purely audio/visual sensory experience.

I'm happy to see some of the work of Sogo Ishii finally getting a release here in the U.S., and Discotek has given it all the respect it deserves. The transfer is clean and crisp and the sound vibrant, all very important aspects when dealing with a film shot in black and white which relies very heavily on its use of music and sound effects. The DVD menus are also very well done and accurately capture the spirit of the film instead of simply slapping a logo over some flat stills. Considering the movie is a little on the short side, coming in with a run time of 55 minutes, Discotek has definitely tried to make it up to the viewer by loading it up with extras, including trailers, snapshots, stills of the title animation, a history of the design of the character's tattoos, a feature on some of the computer effects, interviews and press conferences with several members of the cast and crew, and brief liner notes that present some very informative facts about a director who has had very little exposure in the West, rather than a standard chronological filmography and little else, which is often the case.

Also included is a soundtrack CD, with several tracks by Mach 1.67, Sogo Ishii's experimental noise group of which none other than Tadanobu Asano has sometimes been a member. The soundtrack is a nice addition to this package, especially since some of the people involved with the film actually composed some of the music themselves, and because the film was often shown as a backdrop to Mach 1.67's live show (a fact I learned from those very informative liner notes!). There are 17 tracks in all, primarily consisting of electronic-industrial and blasts of fuzz guitar. Unfortunately, my favorite music from the film, the upbeat lo-fi punk song toward the end (it also plays over the main DVD menu) was nowhere to be found on the CD.