Available to view on Google Play and Prime Video
Spoiler Alert
The Asylum is a movie studio well known for its parodies of blockbuster films, and sometimes they create a hidden gem I enjoy. What writer/director Marc Gottlieb got right in Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order to honour that kaiju spirit. The biggest surprise is the design of the robot! I’d gladly have a model of it stomping on 1998s Godzilla on my shelf!
But for the former, as this planet’s saviour (sort of), the giant sized Abraham knows something the humans do not at the start of this film. And all his human watchers can do is stand by the sidelines and watch the devastation. If that’s not what a typical Toho film from the 70s looks like, then maybe someone can enlighten me. After this monkey’s first confrontation with a worm from outer space, all I wanted to see was who would win during round two!
In the prologue, audiences get back up to speed about why this monkey became huge. After being bombarded by cosmic rays and crash landing back on earth, this test experiment had to be taken somewhere safe so he can be studied. In this film, Hank (Jared Rivet) and Mariana (Ashley Ahlquist) notice his abrupt change of behaviour and try to figure out what’s going on before the attack.
Meanwhile, Naomi (Ashley Dakin) worries about her parents’ well-being because someone reported their cruise ship missing. The reason these two subplots are important is the boat sailed near the island the simian lives on! As this reporter digs deeper with her intern, things get even crazier when a cult is at work. They worship the Great Old Ones and the story turns into a pulp action style Call of Cthulhu adventure.
Had I seen Ape vs Monster and Ape vs. Mecha Ape, I would have understood a few more narrative beats. They trace the monkey’s growth, and while both are available on Amazon Prime to watch, I don’t feel the need to watch either–I would rather read the summary. What’s revealed suggests that the military knows a lot more than what all the films together have revealed. There are forces who want the Great Old Ones back in power, and this Lovecraftian spin isn’t necessarily out of nowhere.
I watched this film because I wanted to look at how Kong would look as a robot and what’s revealed isn’t too terrible. The filmmakers invested considerable resources in creating a high-quality visual effect, rather than a cheap one. Although the concept rips off from Legendary’s film, I can’t nitpick too much. Also, I suspect the monster was actually a spawn of Cthulhu. Should more films get made to follow-up on the cult that’s loose, perhaps meeting the real deal is still to come!
3 Stars out of 5
Ape x Mecha Ape: New World Order Trailer
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