Today’s Feature: Bio-Cop (2011) – Manborg (2011)

In 2016, Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie released The Void, a horror film that would make its way to Netflix and become a sizable cult sensation. Peter even wrote a bit about it on our Facebook Page. The Void is a dark, creeping film that stands out amongst the often banal streaming horror crowd. The pair aren’t always so dour, though. Before all this, they would create Manborg, a low budget, low run time send up of Late Eighties/Early Nineties Action Sci-Fi. Manborg’s budgetary restrictions soon fade into the fun of the film and it achieves the comedic effect that far too many low-budget parodies miss. Manborg looks like a cut scene from a Sega CD game; Questionable performances, green-screened locations and some wonderfully trite costume design. The characters and their played out archetypes seem to jump from your childhood toy box on to the screen. Frankly, they nailed it.

But, Manborg isn’t the end of it, not at all. Make your way through the credits an you’ll be treated to a “Coming Attraction” from the guys at Astron-6 Video. Bio-Cop is a horror action film in the vein of Troma’s golden age (boy, we are mentioning Troma a lot these days). What is most impressive about Bio-Cop is just how different from Manborg it is. It wouldn’t have been such a shock to see a fake trailer for a film closer to the videogame cinematic Manborg, but Bio-Cop maintains the aesthetic of the genre it is parodying and effectively moves away from the feature. While I can’t say for certain, I also feel like the creators were commenting on the once vibrant fan-trailer scene, and present a trailer for a movie that would have to be about five hours long if it actually included all of the storylines presented. Because of this, you feel as if you’ve already seen the complete film and maybe even a couple of its Direct to Video sequels. Both Manborg and Bio-Cop exhibit Kostanski and Gillespie’s pension for comedy. While many parodies rely on references to get their laughs, these two films are genuinely well written and, even with the intentionally stiff deliveries, well performed. Unlike the similar Kung Fury, these two never lose their momentum. I enjoy the whole package and Manborg is memorable, but Bio-Cop may well be my favorite short film ever.

Manborg, along with Bio-Cop, is available on DVD and through Digital purchase. You can find Bio-Cop labeled on the Scene Selection screen if you want to jump right to it.  If you’d like to watch the full Bio-Cop film, you’ll have to travel to an alternate reality and purchase it on Video Disc. I mean, you will want to do that if you can.