Product Details

• Actors: Lee Ho, Eiichi Kikuchi, Arthur Kuroda, Hironobu Nomura, Hideki Saijo
• Directors: Minoru Kawasaki
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Synapse Films
• DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001EAWMLA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,124 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Executive Koala" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 11/18/2008

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXECUTIVE KOALA, November 15, 2009

By 

ribcage (Lantana, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Executive Koala (DVD)

Executive Koala is what happens when you mix a thriller, a slasher horror, a zany comedy, add in the spice of Asian storytelling sensibilties and top it all off by making the main character a man in a koala suit. Going into the film, I thought I had an idea what to expect but Executive Koala hits from all sides and is just so outlandishly bizarre I'm not quite sure what I sat through but I know I liked it.

What really sold the movie was that there's a strange seriousness to it, much like Minoru Kawasaki's previous anthropomorphic excursion The Calamari Wrestler. However, Calamari Wrestler kept more to a reality that was bent but at least didn't twist around on itself. Executive Koala shrugs off being restrained to any rationale whatsoever, but except for being spontaneously bombarded with a FANTASTIC musical number, everything remained deadpan, as if this was how the world really is and this how all movies really are.

The story is a dark, personal one focusing in on the koala in question, Tamura. In the wake of being accused of his girlfriend's murder, memories of his last love disappearing three years ago stir up and he realises there are gaps in his memory and he fears there is some dark secret lurking in those gaps. From there, we are taken on a twisting surreal ride as the boggling truths reveal themselves, leading to a completely incomprehensible but totally acceptable ending. And all of its mesmerizing and totally off the walls hilarious.

Executive Koala was a trip. If you read the premise and prepare yourself for a film that's well beyond the bounds of just a typical comedy and that's going to do things you could never expect, then this is certainly for you. If you're looking for some sort of Troma-esque comedy that's going to go straight down the line with its absurd premise, you'll probably be disappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Killer Koalas, October 23, 2009

By 

Gemi-knight (Haysville, KS USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Executive Koala (DVD)

This is one of the wierdest movies i have ever seen, but wierd in a good way. Seeing a koala go from the left to the right side of the screen and back made me think of Jaws.
While it is very obvious that they use dummies for some scenes, they make it funny enough that it doesn't matter. The addition of a musical bit got me think "What the F***?" all the way through it. And the end was another one of those moments.
Overall though, if your looking for a good campy psuedo-slasher or a movie that involves a giant koala, I recommend this movie.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best. Koala Slasher. Ever., March 22, 2009

By 

C. Christopher Blackshere "Mackshere" (hampered by what's acceptable) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Executive Koala (DVD)

This ain't Australia! Only from Japan could we get a 6ft. psyko-ala bear. This killer furball ain't playing around!

The cute cuddly dude's name is Tamura. He's your basic suit and tie business exec that has some serious 5 o'clock shadow. Beneath the grey fur he's a pretty nice normal guy.
But one day his beautiful girlfriend turns up dead, and he is the chief suspect. Tamura is forced to enlist the help of his boss(a white rabbit) and a nearby convience store clerk(a frog).

This is of course some silly arthouse cinema, but it is often hilarious. These large hairy creatures are integrated pretty naturally into society, and nothing is ever explained.
I'll admit, I was hoping to see some sweaty girl-on-koala action, but no such luck. Phooey! Plus the bloody carnage and campiness was much less than I expected, which was a tad dissappointing.
Still there is some nice koala kung-fu fighting and good satire. Not bad.

FINAL GRADE 3.5 Stars, rounded up for originality.