Machine Men
Inspector Gadget Vs. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
by Nathan Rabin
July 28th, 1999
With Disney's big-budget adaptation of Inspector Gadget now in theaters, a new generation can experience the antics of everyone's favorite atrociously animated, lazily written superhero. But if Gadget seems familiar, perhaps it's because he shares a number of eerie similarities to another '80s phenomenon, Japanese cult-film favorite Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Here's a guide to help you tell the technologically enhanced superstars apart.
Tetsuo: The Iron Man- Meek Japanese man transformed through hideous cosmic accident into metallic monstrosity
- Tetsuo's hellish existence reflects the bleak nightmare of post-industrial society
- In one scene, hero's penis is transformed into a demonic, parasitic drill
- Features many shots in which the camera gazes rapturously upon the twisted, rusted metal encasing Tetsuo's body
- Tetsuo is pursued by a freakish metal woman who sodomizes him with a large metallic dildo
- Producers failed to snag lucrative fast-food tie-in
- Directed by eccentric writer-director-actor-editor-cinematographer Shinya Tsukamoto, the auteur behind The Adventures Of Denchu Kozo and Hiruko The Goblin
- Protagonist horrified to find his organs mimicking the structure and functions of machines
- Bumbling security guard transformed into gadget-crazy superhero
- Inspector Gadget's presence as subject of $90 million film reflects the bleak nightmare of corporate greed
- At no point does hero's penis mutate into a demonic, parasitic drill
- Features many shots in which the camera gazes rapturously upon the products manufacturers paid to have shown in the film
- Inspector Gadget pursues former Ellen cast member Joely Fisher as a pretty scientist-lady
- Inspector Gadget Happy Meals are available at all participating McDonald's outlets
- Directed by David Kellogg, the auteur behind Cool As Ice
- Audiences horrified to find Matthew Broderick aping The Cable Guy costar Jim Carrey