WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Brush off the pastel suits, rev up the Ferrari, grab some quarters for the arcade, and get ready to see the rest of the decade known as “The 80’s” come back to hysterical, albeit absurdly over-the-top and rather irreverent life, thanks to this new 30-minute short film from Swedish music and commercial video director David Sandberg. With the aid of over 17,000 backers via a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter (which ultimately raised over $630,000!), the story tells of Miami-Dade police officer Kung Fury (Sandberg) who gains incredible martial arts powers through extraordinary, but tragic, events while defeating a perp. A day after, having also defeated a decidedly angry arcade game come to life, Fury chooses to quit rather than put his new partner, Triceracop (Erik Hornqvist) in harm’s way.
But, through a fracturing of the timeline, arch villain/martial arts master Adolph Hitler (Jorma Taccone) aka: Kung Fuhrer brings havoc to Fury’s precinct via a very literal take on the concept of “reach out and touch someone” by phone. In lieu of this attack, Fury seeks the aid of Hackerman (Leopold Nilsson) to send him back in time to Nazi Germany and alter history by taking out Kung Fuhrer. Initially sent too far back and ending up in the Viking Age, the detour allows Fury to enlist the aid of Valkyries, dinosaurs, and even Thor himself to arrive in Germany, take on hundreds of Nazi thugs, and put the final kibosh on das Fuhrer. Events unfold back in 1985, and things are as they should be. Or are they?
Next, my Mind:
This reviewer tends to shy away from most modern comedy efforts, only in the fact that overt crudeness, vulgarity, and related factors seem to be the rules of the game for the genre now, and usually doesn’t equal quality. Sandberg takes some liberties with said content here, but thanks to the film being aired for free on YouTube, had to at least show a modicum of constraint. There are many, many “wink-wink” moments to the 80’s here that are quite comical, with nods given to everything from cell phones, video games, “Miami Vice”, and 80’s music, to the over-the-top action films of the era. And understand, most of these elements are purposely overblown for effect.
The violence is so exaggerated you almost have to laugh (equally in disgust at times, while other times in total amusement), the dialogue is hilariously cheesy (though laden with moments of profanity, viewers be aware), and the intentional 80’s, old computer style visuals and music all combine to make one wild, oddly nostalgic journey that’s steeped in its own ridiculousness. Sandberg is quite entertaining as Fury himself, Taccone obviously had to relish going way extreme in his caricature of Hitler/Kung Fuhrer. Add the silliness of “laser raptors”, mythic Viking heroines with machine guns, a mullet-endowed computer hacker, and a determinedly ego-centric Thor, it all boils down to the absolute insanity that is “Kung Fury”. It most certainly won’t be for everyone, but for others, a bit of indie comedy genius.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
