Dollman

source: Dollman

While I was kinda surprised to see ex bad news bears star Jackie Early Harley as the villain, I found myself quite entertained by the story. Tim Tomerson has to be the best of the b action stars. Whether the good guy, like in Dollman and the Trancers series, or a villain in Nemesis, Tomerson has that relaxed cool aura about him that very few actors have. I saw this movie a few years ago late night on HBO, and mainly began watching it mainly because Thomerson was in it. Why this movie hasn't seen the light of day since is mind boggling, considering that slew of just awful movies that Sci-Fi channel shows. This is another must have for b movie fans, as is the Trancers series.

Brick Bardo (Tim Thomerson), a tough cop from the planet Arturus, pursues his evil nemesis Sprug (Frank Collison), a living disembodied head on a flying machine, across the far reaches of space to Earth (the South Bronx, to be precise) where he discovers that, by Earth standards, he is the size of a doll. But as the saying goes, size doesn't matter, and after Sprug teams up with the local gang who have been terrorising the neighbourhood, Bardo becomes a miniature Dirty Harry crossed with Paul Kersey from Death Wish III, blowing away the scum and punks with his powerful side-arm. Dollman is so cheap that it lifts special effects shots from the cheesy 70s/80s TV series 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century', but producer Charles Band and director Albert Pyun are no strangers to movie-making on a shoestring and still manage to provide a reasonably diverting time despite the obvious budgetary limitations. Early scenes feature some neat full-body explosions, Bardo's gun being capable of blowing people completely apart; Thomerson puts in a fun performance, delivering his Eastwood influenced one-liners in a suitably gruff manner; and there are some truly daft moments that are just too ridiculous not to enjoy (Bardo's dive through a window and onto a moving car is hilarious!).

Dollman is not the greatest movie, but it is also not the worst. It's cheesy, it has one-liners, and it's low-budget. The movie has obvious problems, but it has a certain quality that makes it watchable. Most of it's problems stem from bad acting to cheap effects. I found the movie with a pack of others, including The Gingerdead Man( Made by Full Moon, who made Dollman).The movie definitely stood out from the others, being the best of the other movies( which isn't saying much). Some sites consider the movie to be horror. I wouldn't consider the movie horror, it's more sci-fi/action. Best to watch this movie with a few friends. It can be a good, one time cheese-filled experience.

Another trashy Grade Z quickie from the prolific Albert Pyun. Tim Thomerson´s 13 inch Clint Eastwood-like cop from outer space chases an ugly flying head(!) to Earth and gets involved in a gang war in South Bronx! Mercifully short, but deadeningly dull, with the cheesiest effects since Attack of the 50Ft Woman. They should have fired the continuity guy, too: Note how Thomerson´s sunglasses disappears and reappears in every second shot. Laughably bad, but that´s why we watch these movies, ain´t it? Sequel ´Dollman Vs. Demonic Toys´ is reportedly even worse, if that´s possible. 0 (of ****)

You will have a campy good time watching Dollman. It's about a guy from another planet who comes to earth, but due to earth's gravity, he is about the size of a GI Joe Doll. He is chasing down a criminal (or just the head) from his home world and the criminal is also small. What makes this a classic B film is that over acting of the main character. The lines are cheesy, the plot is stupid, the concept is ridiculous and it all works gloriously together in one insanely stupid and laughable film. This is the type of film you get together with buddies and do your own version of Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentaries. So I give the film a 5 in my book.

This 1991 sci-fi film stars Tim Thomerson, Jackie Earle Haley and Kamala Lopez. Thomerson (Trancers) plays a rogue cop, Brick from another galaxy in pursuit of a criminal and crash lands on Earth. Brick finds himself among humans which are giants to him because he's pint sized. Brick helps a protesting widow, Debi (Lopez) fight against a gang leader, Braxton (Haley) and his thugs in her violent neighborhood. This is cheesy, but amusing and Thomerson is great replicating his badass character, Jack Deth from the "Trancers" films.

This is a very scary movie. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. It is very scary. It is better then A Nightmare on elm street. It is one of the scariest movies I have seen. This is one of the best movies ever. See this movie is a great movie.

I'm surprised I haven't talk more about Full Moon Entertainment. I should do a "Puppet Master" retrospective someday. Anyway, why am I talking about "Dollman" which isn't a horror film? A month ago, while browsing through my local Dollar Store, I found the "Dollman / Demonic Toys Box Set" for three dollars. A dollar a movie! I couldn't pass up such a bargain. As soon as I bought it, I knew I'd be reviewing all three for Halloween. "Dollman" was probably motivated by three factors. It was a superhero movie released in the wake of '89's "Batman." Wikipedia will tell you that this film is unrelated to the Golden Age superhero of the same name but I refuse to believe this. It's not surprising that Charles Band would rip-off a diminutive superhero, considering his love of all threats tiny. Of course, there's nobody Band likes to rip-off more then himself. In Full Moon's long-running "Trancers" series, Tim Thomerson plays Jack Deth, a hard-boiled, sarcastic cop who chases a fugitive from the future to the modern day. In "Dollman," Tim Thomerson plays Brick Bardo, a hard-boiled, sarcastic cop who chases a fugitive from another planet to Earth. The catch? Though normal sized on his world, Brick is only thirteen inches tall on Earth. Armed with an absurdly powerful laser gun, Dollman cleans up the streets of Los-Angles-posing-as–New-York. "Dollman" has a good sense of humor about itself. The title character is introduced as a bizarre riff on Dirty Harry, tying in fat ladies and laundry with the famous "You feelin' lucky?" sequence. Brick explodes a guy with a single shot, a hilarious special effect. Once on Earth, our hero is badgered by children, slings size-related one-liners and leaps from a building, somehow safely landing on a moving vehicle. The miniature Dirty Harry's new size doesn't affect his abilities much, save for a gag where it takes him several minutes to travel a short distance. "Dollman," weirdly, reaches for social relevance. After the sci-fi intro, we get a long montage showing the crime-ridden city. Brick's normal sized love interest is a single mom attempting to survive in the ghetto. A post-"Bad News Bear," pre-"Watchmen" Jackie Earl Haley plays the villain, a nasty thug obsessed with the mom. In one of the more clever bits, what appears to be the primary villain is bluntly dismissed, making way for Haley's vulgar, clueless creep. Don't get the wrong idea. This is an Albert Pyun joint after all. As in accordance with all 90s low-budget action flicks, the climax is set in an abandoned warehouse. Keep your expectations relaxed. "Dollman" is goofy, self-aware, violent, and featuring some solid actors having a good time.

Despite some gruesome and bloody scenes, this movie keeps your interest due to Thomerson's tongue-in-cheek humor and his almost Eastwood-like presence. This is a strange and unique science fiction that keeps you giggling just enough to keep you watching.