4 out of 5

Director: Noboru Iguchi

Let me first get out of the way that this film commits a sin I despise in books and movies: starting with a scene that occurs after the events of the majority of the story (making the story a flashback), and containing elements that, when considered, completely destroy any kind of momentum the story could have. Or, more clearly: if I know the main character is alive in the present, why should I worry about what happens to them in the past? Thankfully, Machine Girl is insane enough to bypass this complaint, entertaining for most of the way through. Perhaps what was most surprising to me about this film was that the director had helmed several rather dirty Japanese adult films – and apparently the initial idea for this movie was akin to a busty girl trying to get revenge for losing her arm – and yet the material, all silliness aside, is handled fairly maturely. Its still insane, mind you, but it doesnt degrade its characters as it could. I watched Tokyo Gore Police prior to this and felt that the film was uneven. Machine Girl starts to tip this way toward the ending (where it starts combining the insanity and silliness), but on the whole, it mixes gore with story at a respectable pace, and keeps the same emotional stance for the whole film. I dont know. I thought it was fun, okay? And what else should this movie have been?