Customer Reviews

Cyborg

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Restore it? Why?!
I like the death
I like the MISERY
I LIKE THIS WOOORRRRRRRLLLLLDDD!!!

this movie rocks!.. it has some AWESOME fight scenes, really well done. They may not be overly skillful (i don't even think Van Damme is an overly skillful martial artist unlike Jet Li, Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee) But he has the ability to make his fight scenes just "look" so damn cool!

There are so many "cool" moments in this film
eg.
-Van Damme does the splits between 2 walls and waits for one of the pirates to walk under him, before killing him with his kickass knife

-Van Damme and one of the pirates eye each other off from a distance in a factory.. then run full pelt at each other screaming, then engage in an awesome knife fight (cool use of slow-mo too)

-the first appearance of Van Damme in the film is basically just a shot of his leg out of nowhere executing an awesome roundhouse kick to the face of the bad guys (soo cool)

and so many more quality scenes

the more i see this movie,the more i enjoy it.its one of those movies that never get old.
canniballistic pirates,sword-slinging heroes,and one info-gathering cyborg.all set in a mad-max like future.
the villain (fender) is as original as they come,covering his insanely white eyes behind a mask of silver-lenses.resoundingly demonic as he curses at everyone he meets,and occasionally stopping to philosophise on the world or rant out morbid comedy.
the hero on the other hand is hellbent on destroying fender at any price after costing him his family.he couldn't care less about what is going on in the outside world,what with an apparent plague sweeping it.he just wants to rip open his arch-nemesis.and with the many styles of blades in this barbaric thrill-ride,there are various ways to do it.
more steel than bullets in this film,for the true weapons-afficianado,and loads of martial arts kicking whoop-ass,since its essentially the"Dammage's"movie.
yes,its a western,an eastern,and medieval as all getout.
not many action/fantasy movies take place on the shores of the east coast,and since i live close to that area,it makes this film all the more enjoyable.if you are into post nuclear wasteland warrior movies,like steeldawn,or beowulf,you will enjoy this.

I hope you will forgive me when I tell you I have a crushing headache as I write this review. Why? Because I devoted several hours of this sunny day thinking about not one, but two, of Albert Pyun's films. Pondering the importance of "Ticker" and "Cyborg" to the cinematic world wore me out in ways I would not think possible. Pyun, if you are not familiar with his oeuvre, constructed his B movie credentials by releasing such classics as "The Sword and The Sorcerer," "Nemesis," "Mean Guns," and "Postmortem." He's a hack's hack in the hack world of zero budget schlock. Not to pound you over the head with it, but watching a Pyun film often resembles in no little way craning your head out the window to see that car accident on the freeway. Initially, you are intrigued by what you might see only to realize later how low you feel as a human being for looking at scenes of abject horror. Ok, I am exaggerating slightly. "Cyborg," the 1989 film that launched the dubious career of Jean-Claude Van Damme, is one of Pyun's better efforts. In fact, it is one of the few movies in his canon I can watch on a regular basis and not feel too badly about it the next day.

Here's another film dealing with life in a post-apocalyptic world. Gibson Rickenbacker (Van Damme) arises from the ruins to play the part of a Good Samaritan. He tries to help survivors of a plague flee from the ruined cities to the countryside, hopefully so they can reconstruct some semblance of a normal life. Rickenbacker, as the hero, of course has an unpleasant memory of one of his missions. He tried to save a family and ended up falling in love with a woman. You don't need me to spell out what happened next. Ever since this unfortunate incident, Gibson struggles with what he should do next. When he runs into a woman named Pearl Prophet (Dale Haddon), a cyborg attempting to carry a cure for the plague back to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, he must decide whether to resume the role of hero. Why not take part in helping Pearl carry the antidote? This mission could turn Rickenbacker into the savior of the world. Unfortunately for Rickenbacker and Pearl, Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn), a scary looking dude with weird eyes and a mechanical voice, and his gang of like-minded cyborgs have their own ideas. They think if they can capture Pearl and get her to Atlanta, they will control the future of the world.

When Prophet falls into the hands of Tremolo's gang, Rickenbacker decides to get her back. With the help of a mouthy young lady he picks up along the way named Nady Simmons (Deborah Richter), Gibson lurches from one violent confrontation to another. Thugs fall to the ground like leaves as the two pursue Tremolo with malevolent intent. Numerous showdowns in burnt out and broken down buildings provide Pyun and Van Damme with plenty of opportunities to showcase martial arts madness. Kicks, punches, and blunt and sharp instruments-anything you can think of that will cause damage to a human or cyborg body finds a use in this movie. And for the most part Pyun carries off the action well, much better than he has in many of his other movies. You are surprised that you actually root for this guy who speaks English like he just walked off a boat. Before feelings of giddiness carry you away, however, you need to reconcile yourself with a few of the cheesy aspects of the movie. Nearly all of the characters are named after musical instruments, the outfits look like the film crew robbed a New Wave band's wardrobe closet, and the dialogue tends towards the insipid. Still, "Cyborg" entertains as few Pyun films do.

"Cyborg" works largely due to the gritty, blasted urban background that the characters move through. It is here, in the ruins of civilization, where most of the action takes place. Moreover, the picture quality of the film (probably as a result of poor film stock) has a dirty look to it, which actually gives the movie a better, more realistic atmosphere. I even thought Pyun tried to inject a philosophical statement in the film (yeah, right) when we see Rickenbacker staked to that ship's mast. Is Gibson a Christ figure "rising" from the grave to help save the world? Maybe, but I'm probably reading more into "Cyborg" than the director intended. Sure, the acting could be better-lots better-and the fight scenes are a little over the top, but why else would you watch this movie? You don't expect Oscar performances and you don't get them. What you do get is an entertaining way to spend eighty plus minutes (the movie doesn't run for even an hour and a half).

The DVD version is strictly bare bones. If memory serves me correctly, the only extra on this disc was a trailer. Too bad, but a bit surprising considering this is officially a cult classic. It's interesting to note that none other than Cannon, the company that released TONS of low budget action flicks in the 1980s, helped fund this effort. Charles Bronson benefited from Cannon's attentions back then, so why not Van Damme? I recommend "Cyborg" not only to fans of action films, but even to fans of science fiction since the movie takes a stab at incorporating both elements under one umbrella. Is it intelligent cinema? Nope, but who says it needs to be?

Jean-Claude Van Damme was 28 when he made CYBORG, a low budgeted, post-apocolyptic martial arts adventure. At that time in his career, he'd made his name through a number of low budget, B-quality kung fu flicks. I liked BLOODSPORT, all the more so, becuase it's based on thrue events in the life of kumite champion Frank Dux, and Van Damme was definitely the right guy for the role.

Then there's KICKBOXER, which, like BLOODSPORT, shows Van Damme as an apprentice on a vendetta with a Mike Tyson-esque Muy Thai champ. That movie is distinguished, if nothing else, by the final battle between Van Damme and Tong Po, who was played by Van Damme's close friend Michael Quissi (though he was still credited as Tong Po.)

Then came CYBORG. It was released it 1989, and starred Van Damme as a martial arts master named Gibson Rickenbaker living in the post-apocolyptic ruins of New York. He finds himself rescuing a cyborg codenamed Pearl Prophet (Dayle Haddon) from a murderous gang of hooligans led by the sadistic Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn). Seems Pearl has detailed information on how to sythesize a cure to the plague that has caused all the chaos and is on her way to Atlanta to give the info to the last scientists. Tremolo and his gang would do anything to get ahold of the information and rule the world. It up to Gibson to save Pearl.

Now, I'll admit that when I was short on cash, and I had a choice between buying CYBORG or TIMECOP, I went with the latter, but I almost immediately after ordered CYBORG over the internet, and it was well worth it. As another customer pointed out, the fights in CYBORG are amazingly realistic and show Van Damme getting hurt and taking just as much of an butt kicking as he dishes out. (In a particularly brutal scene, Gibson is battered and exhausted, and gets beaten to a pulp by Tremolo.)

The movie has sort of a ROAD WARRIOR quality to it, the bigeest difference being the budgets of the two films. The villians and even the good guys dress in ragged clothing, like THE ROAD WARRIOR. The land is basically deserted, and there is an utter feeling of helplessness and anarchy. That's the essence of post-apolyptic action films.

Bottom Line: CYBORG is a great movie in my eyes, because it shows that in any martial arts movie, what is at it's heart is the fact that the hero can have all the strength, speed, and power in the universe, but no matter what, the hero is always human. In other Van Damme movies, like STREET FIGHTER, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, TIMECOP, REPLICANT, or DOUBLE TEAM, he was a righteous fighting machine, but he could still be hurt. Even in THE MATRIX movies, Neo was the Chosen One, capable of fantastic, inhuman feats, but he was still just a man, he could be beaten to the point where he would cough up blood, but he had the spirit to back him up.

And so it is with CYBORG. Gibson is a fantastic martial artist, but he could be beaten up almost to death by a bigger, stronger opponent. He got into certain situations where he would have to rely more on what he had inside than his blackbelt status. That's what truly makes a great karate flick, having a fighter who has fantastic fighting skils, or even superhuman powers who has the the heart and will to win. CYBORG is such a movie.

What they need to do is start getting critics who go more by what people like. Not those who judge movies by how much flaws it has. What the hell is the point of even letting these people publish their meaningless opinions if so much more people would disagree with them. Guide, my a**.Cyborg is an excellent movie. One thing I like about the movie is the ruthless Fender. It was kind of messed up when those people were getting married and Fender and his maruaders killed the newly weds with no intention of giving them mercy however, I think that was an interesting part because it emphasized the fact that Fender is RUTHLESS. This is one of the only movies I have ever seen where the main villian is truely careless about the lives of his foes. Excellent! The only thing I wish was different was Van Damme's fighting style in movies. In the past, I thought they were great but, that was before I started seeing martial arts movies with faster and more active fight scenes. Still, it's pretty cool that they sometimes put some moves in slow motion. Overall, this was a great movie with a good enough storyline. Yes it does have a few gaps but if they would have tried to fill those gaps it probably would have made the movie really as bad as Leonard Milton said it is.

The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)

1.Who is he? Gibson Rickenbacker, a post-apocalyptic fighter who helps people affected by the plague
2.Which family member/friend must be avenged? His entire family was murdered
3.Does he take his shirt off? Yes, in the rain.
4.Does he have sex with a C-List actress? Yes, some cute brunette (Dayle Hadden)
5.Is there a tournament? No, just a battle for survival
6.Is training needed for this tournament? No tournament here, but judging by how badly he beats down the enemy lackeys, it doesn't appear that training is needed.
7.Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Several times
8.Does he punch someone in the balls? No, but he engages in a little five-on-two grab move during one fight
9.Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? Constantly
10.Is his enemy unbeatable? Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn) is a cyborg who has nearly glowing eyes and a robotic voicebox similar to that of a tracheotomy patient. He also has a gang of cyborgs at his disposal.
11.Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? Yes, at one point he literally gets crucified
12.Does he win? Despite the fact that he's absolutely pummeled by Fender, and a car door, he somehow manages to win via meat hook.

Perhaps the most violent of JCVD's flicks, the action in this one is pretty good. The fight sequences are a little choppy at times, with the mega-pause between hits, but overall the choreography is solid. A few gory scenes are a bit of a shocker, specifically the crucifixion scene. Amidst the post-apocalyptic setting, however, everything seems oddly appropriate for a movie approaching B-Movie status. Classic JCVD, it's great.

Jean Claude Van Damme has been smashed by critics throughout his career, but the bashing of Cyborg is crossing that fine line. If you are a Van Damme fan, then this is a must by dvd...beyond a doubt.

This movie has all the makings of a cult classic: Engrossing characters, post apocalyptic plot lines, and a conflict between good and evil. The movie alone is worth watching for the final battle between Fender(Vincent Klyn) and Gibson Rickenbacker(Van Damme). It is the epitome of action movie battles, and immortalizes this fine production in the annals of martial arts/action history.

But hold on, the rest of the movie is just as good! Cyborg roars on the 5.1 dolby and the resolution is fantastic. When Fender removes his sunglasses on dvd, you will jump!

So, fan of Action or not; Fan of Van Damme or not, this movie deserves the respect and publicity it never received. It takes a great villian to make a great hero, and Fender is the best villain character to come along since...well...ever! Cyborg is a cult sleeper that you have to see to believe!

I just bought the DVD and haven't seen Cyborg for 15 years or so.

This movie despite the 1980's MTV band costumes is a great movie for having a couple of hours of fun.

best move: the nail out of JCVD's boot as he does a jumping spinning hook kick.

the cheese: the bad guys popping out of the mancover -- sort of like a Monty Python skit.

But good stuff!

I don't know about other people, but I thought that movie was pretty horrible. Given, fight scenes were OK, but the dialogue was just horrid and half of the movie was just uncoordinated yelling and growling. The storyline was alright, but badly executed. Van Damme did fine on the fight scenes, but the rest of the movie was lacking at best.

Award for best villain in a cheezy sci-fi martial arts film goes to: FENDER!!

WOW! That guy has to be the wickedest mother to have ever walked the post-apocalyptic world!

If you do not like this movie, then you are not cool.