Sometimes you hear about a movie and you just know it is going to be right up your alley from the title alone. PG: PSYCHO GOREMAN is just such a film, a crazy homage to Saturday morning sentai shows and the 90s that lands in a spectacular fashion. It’s funny, it’s inventive, it’s creative, it’s bloody and most of all it is one hell of a ride.
The movie follows two siblings, Mimi and Luke, who after playing a round of their home-brewed game of Crazy Ball, find a strange glowing gemstone in the grave they were digging. Yes, that sounds ridiculous right from the start and it only gets better from there. Mimi takes the gem and they head home. Unbeknownst to them, the thing they removed the gem from was the coffin of an alien monster that had been imprisoned there. Now free, he wanders off to an old shoe factory and murders the thieves using it as a hideout using his dark powers.
The following day, the kids see that something has extricated itself from the hole and they follow the trail to the factory and encounter the monster. He attempts to kill him but Mimi stops him with a word, learning in the process that because she holds the gemstone, she can control him. She and Luke decide to name the creature Psycho Goreman and make him their new friend, which he isn’t exactly crazy about. However, with little choice in the matter, he does as he is commanded while plotting his eventual revenge. Meanwhile, in space, the Planetary Alliance that imprisoned PG in the first place find out he has escaped and send Pandora, a warrior from an order called the Templars to go to Earth and destroy him once and for all.
As you might imagine, hijinx ensue as the kids try to teach PG about their planet and Pandora tracks him down.
PSYCHO GOREMAN is one of those rare parodies that fires on all cylinders throughout its runtime, never overstaying its welcome. Nor does it stray from its brand of humor, remaining consistently insane and a pleasure to watch. I particularly liked how they weren’t afraid to go subtle with some of the gags, which is a nice pace from most of the over-the-top action that you will find throughout its runtime.
The kids were a treat, too. Sure Mimi is a psychopath and a little overbearing, but that is part of her charm and honestly, I enjoy that more than when they have children trying to be too cute in a movie. Her feud with her brother usually ends with attempted murder but despite that, they do love each other. Same with her parents, where the father is a lazy layabout and the mother is at the end of her rope dealing with them all. They’re broken but they have each other. I wasn’t familiar with any of the actors but they all do a fine job and commit to the bizarre premise with gusto.
The movie boasts a plethora of special effects, a nice mix of practical and digital that compliment each other nicely. The majority of the makeup and costumes are done with good old rubber and latex, mimicking the feel something you might find in an episode of POWER RANGERS or the GUYVER film. PG in particular stands out with his awesome design, and his mixture of dark and neon purple is a nice contrast to the silver templar armor that Pandora wears. They might not have had much of a budget in making PSYCHO GOREMAN, but they made sure that every penny of it ends up on screen for your enjoyment.
All in all, it’s a great way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon when you’re looking for something fun but not too heavy and PSYCHO GOREMAN hits both of those spots perfectly.
Check it out.
