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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Goofy, bizarre, yet surprisingly coherent, The Calamari Wrestler veils sharp social commentary with irreverent humor and corny romance." --The New York Times
Product Description
A championship wrestling match pits Koji Taguchi against Crush Volcano, the latter no match for Koji’s signature move, the Torture Ring Strangler. Koji beams as he clutches the Champion Belt, only to have it snatched away by a mysterious new challenger in the ring—a giant squid! A giant squid, in fact, who not only evades Koji’s key attack, but destroys him with a Northern Light Suplex! Koji’s fiancée Miyako watches tearfully, though there’s something about this Calamari Wrestler that seems familiar to her…
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a Japanese live-action film (with subtitles) about a pro wrestler who dies, but is reincarnated as a man-size squid, and tries to reclaim his lost wrestling title.
Took me about fifteen minutes before I realized it was a satire of the boxing movie, "Rocky". Actually, it's a satire on all of the Rocky movies combined.
Laughed so hard I fell off my chair a few times. Absolutely brain-melting, Highly recommended (that is, if you happen to enjoy the truly bizarre)
Nick
Took me about fifteen minutes before I realized it was a satire of the boxing movie, "Rocky". Actually, it's a satire on all of the Rocky movies combined.
Laughed so hard I fell off my chair a few times. Absolutely brain-melting, Highly recommended (that is, if you happen to enjoy the truly bizarre)
Nick
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Given my lifelong fascination with both squid jokes and professional wrestling, this film was certainly a "must see" for me. Started out great actually. Seemed at first more like Kafka's Metamorphosis and less like a satire. Played almost straight - like a drama but with just the right touch of unavoidable campy humor, you catch yourself getting over the absurd concept of a human-sized, reincarnated as a squid, former professional wrestling star out to reclaim his love and his wrestling title, and start legitimately getting into the plot. What could have been a possibly brilliant, surreal, entertaining and original film, however, takes an odd left turn and gets lost due to an abrupt shift in tone right around the time of the squid's championship match when his opponent morphs, for no apparent reason, into a giant octopus...
From there its cheap fish jokes and frenetic and bizarre and random plot "twists" that are reminiscent of cartoon Anime like Bobobo-bobo-bobo on Cartoon Network.
Weird flick but less due to its bizarre plot than the bizarre shift it takes half-way through the film. That said, this isn't a bad film. It doesn't fall into the "so bad it's good" category either. It's also surprisingly entertaining, quite funny at times. However, had it just stayed consistent with the direction it was going in the first half, it would have been a much better film.
Still, it's entertaining and worth a watch if you're into off-beat cinema.
From there its cheap fish jokes and frenetic and bizarre and random plot "twists" that are reminiscent of cartoon Anime like Bobobo-bobo-bobo on Cartoon Network.
Weird flick but less due to its bizarre plot than the bizarre shift it takes half-way through the film. That said, this isn't a bad film. It doesn't fall into the "so bad it's good" category either. It's also surprisingly entertaining, quite funny at times. However, had it just stayed consistent with the direction it was going in the first half, it would have been a much better film.
Still, it's entertaining and worth a watch if you're into off-beat cinema.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"Calamari Wrestler" is an absolutely bizarre film. It is almost like a Troma flick, like "Toxic Avenger", but much of the Troma fun comes from the sex, violence and raunchy humor, whereas "Calamari Wrestler" is kind of....sweet. And even romantic.
The story, what there is of it, follows a wrestler who is reincarnated as a giant squid. Now, this guy loves wrestling so much, he isn't about to let his new squid body get in his way. He jumps back in the ring, and the Calamari Wrestler becomes an overnight sensation, especially when he faces off and beats the Octopus Wrestler. All the sports flick cliches come into play, as the Calamari Wrestler gets star struck by his own fame, finds true love, endorses products...until suddenly, a strong young shrimp steps in and beats the Calamari Wrestler down. He must train hard to regain his title and self-respect.
There are no special effects here to speak of. The Calamari Wrestler is just a guy walking around with a big squid suit stuck on him. Part of the charm is just how seriously the actors take the story. One almost bounces back and forth wondering if this is a comedy or not.
But make no mistake, it is. Director Minoru Kawasaki specializes in doing parody flicks, riffing on popular genres and making strange movies like "The World Sinks Except Japan" and other oddities.
Just how odd do you like your movies? That is the question you have to ask yourself when considering "Calamari Wrestler". If you like the bizarre and surreal, if a Midnight Madness b-movie is your idea of heaven, then this just might be for you. It was a little too much for me.
The story, what there is of it, follows a wrestler who is reincarnated as a giant squid. Now, this guy loves wrestling so much, he isn't about to let his new squid body get in his way. He jumps back in the ring, and the Calamari Wrestler becomes an overnight sensation, especially when he faces off and beats the Octopus Wrestler. All the sports flick cliches come into play, as the Calamari Wrestler gets star struck by his own fame, finds true love, endorses products...until suddenly, a strong young shrimp steps in and beats the Calamari Wrestler down. He must train hard to regain his title and self-respect.
There are no special effects here to speak of. The Calamari Wrestler is just a guy walking around with a big squid suit stuck on him. Part of the charm is just how seriously the actors take the story. One almost bounces back and forth wondering if this is a comedy or not.
But make no mistake, it is. Director Minoru Kawasaki specializes in doing parody flicks, riffing on popular genres and making strange movies like "The World Sinks Except Japan" and other oddities.
Just how odd do you like your movies? That is the question you have to ask yourself when considering "Calamari Wrestler". If you like the bizarre and surreal, if a Midnight Madness b-movie is your idea of heaven, then this just might be for you. It was a little too much for me.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Freeze
Format:DVD
The opening sequence of the film is amazingly hilarious, and it sadly does not keep that level of hilarity throughout. BUT there are some great moments, mainly the wrestling scenes with the squid, octopus and shrimp/lobster thing and all of the "heartfelt" scenery. The training montage is comic gold. Strangely, the film is like a soap opera where the main character is a squid that wrestles. The low budget costumes are perfect for the tone of the film and will often make you laugh out loud (the eyes are great).
Recommended only for fans of films of the super weird Asian variety.
Recommended only for fans of films of the super weird Asian variety.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved "The Calamari Wrestler" from the moment the giant squid stepped into the ring and counters Koji Taguchi's signature Reverse-Inverted Full Nelson with a Northern Light Suplex to win the championship, shattering Koji's dreams, and making his fiancée Miyako (Kana Ishida) cry. As Miyako ponders where she's seen that squid before, the trippy title sequence and theme music cries "Ika, Ika, Ika!" which is Japanese for "Squid, Squid, Squid!"
Shortly after the credits we see the squid meditating at the temple, and find him to be a very peaceful creature outside the ring. We learn that Miyako used to date and still longs for the great wrestling champion Kanichi Iwata (Osamu Nishimura,) who contracted a rare disease. She believes him lost, but he actually went to Pakistan and became a giant squid as part of his life-restoring therapy. She suspiciously notes that the squid likes to eat red bean rice cakes with citrus dumplings, and recalls that those were Iwata's favorites. The squid tells Miyako that Kanichi is dead, but she quickly comes to terms with his simply having become a giant squid and falls in love with him all over again. The delicately framed shots of the squid stalking the countryside at sunset are beyond great, and when they walk hand-in-tentacle, the shots are even better. The two still clearly love each other, but it can be very dangerous for Kanichi to get too close to her. Despite the hazards, they dance in a park to celebrate, and finally Miyako tempts Kanichi too much, making him return to his human form, which makes him gravely ill. He returns to the temple to become a giant squid again, but it is extremely challenging.... Read more ›
Shortly after the credits we see the squid meditating at the temple, and find him to be a very peaceful creature outside the ring. We learn that Miyako used to date and still longs for the great wrestling champion Kanichi Iwata (Osamu Nishimura,) who contracted a rare disease. She believes him lost, but he actually went to Pakistan and became a giant squid as part of his life-restoring therapy. She suspiciously notes that the squid likes to eat red bean rice cakes with citrus dumplings, and recalls that those were Iwata's favorites. The squid tells Miyako that Kanichi is dead, but she quickly comes to terms with his simply having become a giant squid and falls in love with him all over again. The delicately framed shots of the squid stalking the countryside at sunset are beyond great, and when they walk hand-in-tentacle, the shots are even better. The two still clearly love each other, but it can be very dangerous for Kanichi to get too close to her. Despite the hazards, they dance in a park to celebrate, and finally Miyako tempts Kanichi too much, making him return to his human form, which makes him gravely ill. He returns to the temple to become a giant squid again, but it is extremely challenging.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Words cant describe this movie.
Seriously its so bizzar. The cover makes it look like a comedy, but its played up as a straight up drama. Sorta like Rocky if he were a squid? Read more
Published 4 months ago by Hydra
1.0 out of 5 stars
movie was so damaged I could not play it
I bought two copies of this movie at 2 different times. Both showed up very damaged by the broken spindle inside the case. Neither DVD would play. Read more
Published 10 months ago by John Tyler
4.0 out of 5 stars
Totally Enjoyable
Anyone who thinks that this is going to be a serious movie ought to have their head examined. All it takes is looking at the extras - behind the scenes filming to see that the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Kiltmaker
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just when you thought you'd seen it all
Yes, yes, yes, I enjoyed THE CALAMARI WRESTLER and I'm proud of it! Let's face it folks, if you order this movie you either must have SOME idea of what you're in for or you have an... Read more
Published on January 28, 2009 by Karen Shaub
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
Trust the Japanese to make the wierdest movies ever. This was very strange, but a lot of fun. Between this and "Battlefield Baseball," I am firmly convinced that the Japanese... Read more
Published on December 12, 2008 by Anthony N. Conigliaro
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant in its sheer stupidity.
The Calamari Wrestler (Minoru Kawasaki, 2004)
In a month when I saw two of the five films nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture in 2007 (and a third which should have... Read more
In a month when I saw two of the five films nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture in 2007 (and a third which should have... Read more
Published on March 10, 2008 by Robert P. Beveridge
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