What "Manborg" lacks in budget, it more than makes up for in the way of nostalgic goodness and a genuine comedic edge. Taking place sometime in the distant future where zombie Nazis from hell have risen to take over the world, Manborg, along with a gang of '80s caricatures must ban together to fight for both their freedom and humanity as they know it.
Manborg's trusty sidekicks consist of: #1 Man, who's clearly modeled after Liu Kang from "Mortal Kombat"; anime-inspired, blue-haired vixen Mina; and Justice, who comes equipped with a bleached mullet and sleeveless jean vest a la every bully from every '80s movie ever. Stylistically, "Manborg" pays homage to the midnight movies and direct-to-VHS productions of old. Everything down to the synth-heavy background music is meant to elicit thoughts of "Castlevania" and old fast-food commercials.
Despite its obvious budget limitations, "Manborg" is the perfect trashy action throwback. The movie is overtly shoddy and retro but with a comedic styling that refrains from being dated or exclusionary. Rife with cheeseball one liners and tongue-in-cheek '80s cliches, "Manborg" is a sci-fi comedy clearly written and directed by a fellow nerd and strictly geared toward B-movie enthusiasts.
With a freshly original blend of off-timing jokes paired up with the visual effects of an early CD-ROM game, the movie is a splendid onslaught of dutiful irreverence and lowbrow humor. Similar to a Troma movie, only not as blatantly grotesque, it's everything a nostalgic "Schlock Vault" devotee could ever ask for.
For me, "Manborg" brings back fond memories of going to Blockbuster as a kid and picking out the VHS with the best title and/or cover art. It is quite simply a self-aware B-movie treat geared toward a very specific, yet loyal, niche market. Shot almost entirely against a green-screen backdrop, the movie most closely resembles a 16-bit video game with a smattering of Claymation and stop-motion special effects to round out the overall nostalgic feel.
It's difficult to fully-encompass all that is "Manborg", but I feel like the tagline most accurately summarizes the movie: "Half-Man, Half-Cyborg, All Manborg."
The DVD release is jam-packed full of special features that make up for the rather short runtime of the movie. Loaded with bloopers, deleted scenes, interviews and even a short film by director Steven Kostanksi, the extras are the total package.
Also featured after the credits roll is a fake-trailer for an equally delightful-looking throwback entitled "Bio-Cop," which has garnered so much attention in and of itself that there are talks of making it into a full-length presentation as well. All in all, "Manborg" is a well-above-average B-movie that would manage to satisfy even the most jaded of sci-fi nerds. An instant cult classic in the same vein as "Hobo with a Shotgun" and "FDR: American Badass."