View source for Zeiram

{{Short description|1991 Japanese science fiction film}}
{{For|the Nephite spy in the Book of Mormon|Zeram (Book of Mormon)}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Zeiram
| image          = Zeiram-poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = 
| native_name    = <!-- {{Infobox name module|language|title}} or {{Infobox name module|title}} -->
| director       = [[Keita Amemiya]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|*[[Yoshinori Chiba]]
*[[Koichi Sugisawa]]{{sfn|Galbraith|1996|p=459}}}}
| writer         = <!-- or: | writers = -->
| screenplay     = {{plainlist|*Keita Amemiya
*[[Hajime Matsumoto]]{{sfn|Galbraith|1996|p=459}}}}
| story          = 
| based_on       = <!-- {{based on|title of the original work|writer of the original work}} -->
| starring       = {{plainlist|*[[Yūko Moriyama]]
*[[Kunihiro Ida]]
*[[Yukijirō Hotaru]]}}
| narrator       = 
| music          = Koichi Ohta
| cinematography = [[Hiroshi Kidokoro]]{{sfn|Galbraith|1996|p=459}}
| editing        = 
| production_companies = {{plainlist|* GAGA communications 
*Crowd Inc.{{sfn|Galbraith|1996|p=459}}}}
| runtime        = 97 minutes{{sfn|Galbraith|1996|p=459}}
| distributor    = 
| released       = {{film date|1991|12|21|Japan}}
| country        = Japan
| language       = 
| budget         = 
| gross          = <!--(please use condensed and rounded values, e.g. "£11.6 million" not "£11,586,221")-->
}}

{{nihongo|'''''Zeiram'''''|ゼイラム|Zeiramu|lead=yes}}, stylized as '''''ZËIЯAM''''' (originally marketed in English as '''''Zeram'''''), is a 1991 Japanese [[science fiction film]] directed by [[Keita Amemiya]]. The film stars Yūko Moriyama as an extraterrestrial [[bounty hunter]] named Iria, who comes to Earth to do battle with Zeiram, a powerful alien creature. With the help of her partner—an [[artificial intelligence]] named Bob—and two ordinary Japanese electricians, Iria fights Zeiram in a [[Virtual reality|virtually constructed]] alternate dimension known as a "Zone".

''Zeiram'' was released in Japan in August 1991. It was [[Dubbing|dubbed]] in English and released in the United States in 1994, where it garnered mixed reviews from American film critics. That same year, the film was followed by a six-episode [[original video animation]] (OVA) known as ''[[Iria: Zeiram the Animation]]'' (which serves as a prequel to the film), as well as a sequel film titled ''[[:ja:ゼイラム2|Zeiram 2]]''.

==Plot==
Extraterrestrial bounty hunters Iria and Bob accept a job to apprehend Zeiram, a powerful alien entity, on [[Earth]]. They set up a command center in an abandoned building in a Japanese town, and create a [[Virtual reality|virtually constructed]] alternate dimension called a "Zone" (in this case, the Zone they construct is a simulated recreation of the town, but without any living residents) where they plan to combat and capture Zeiram. Iria and Bob's use of stolen electricity results in electric company employees Kamiya and Teppei investigating their base just as Zeiram enters Earth's atmosphere.

Kamiya accidentally flips a switch that transports Teppei into the Zone. While Kamiya tries to get an explanation from Iria, she transports the two of them to the Zone. Upon arrival, she traps him in a hardened encasing and leaves to destroy the pod Zeiram arrived in. Teppei finds Zeiram, who creates and sends a smaller monster after him; fleeing, Teppei eventually stumbles across the captured Kamiya, and later Iria. Iria's initial attempt to capture Zeiram fails and she finds he has a shield that makes him immune to bullet fire. Iria decides to utilize a special combat suit, despite Bob's protests to not fight Zeiram in close-range combat. After Iria finally manages to capture Zeiram in an encasing, Teppei asks her to free Kamiya, and she obliges. Iria is accidentally teleported back to Earth with one of Zeiram's subordinates, and their ensuing fight damages the teleportation unit. Using weapons left behind by Iria, Teppei saves Kamiya from the monster Zeiram summoned, but Kamiya accidentally shoots the lock to Zeiram's encasing, freeing Zeiram.

Iria tries teleporting back to the Zone but is set back by a power failure. Teppei and Kamiya hotwire a car and use it to incapacitate Zeiram. The human-like face on Zeiram's "hat" attacks them, biting Kamiya. Teppei and Kamiya escape soon after. Bob speculates that Zeiram is a forbidden biological weapon whose "hat" is used to eat other beings and use the organic matter he consumes to produce his monster subordinates. Zeiram's attempt to make a subordinate copy of Kamiya ends in failure and he kills it in anger.

Teppei receives a communicator from Iria. She explains the problems with the transporter and that the Zone itself will not last much longer. Iria and Bob decide to bring a powerful weapon called the Metis Cannon to fight Zeiram, despite the personal risk it causes them to use it without prior approval from the authorities to whom the bounty hunters answer. Teppei loses track of Kamiya but follows Iria's instructions to head towards a building where the Metis Cannon will be transported to. Teppei is impeded by Zeiram along the way, but is reunited with Kamiya, who hijacks an excavator in an attempt to save Teppei from Zeiram. Iria suddenly arrives and shoots Zeiram with a bazooka.

Despite his body being reduced to its skeleton, Zeiram continues to pursue the trio. Iria defends Teppei and Kamiya as they retrieve the Metis Cannon from the spot Bob transported it to. Iria uses the Metis Cannon to reduce Zeiram down to his "hat", and traps him with eight minutes to spare before the Zone breaks down. Teppei and Kamiya are teleported back to Earth, where they meet Bob. Zeiram is teleported to Earth next, but begins to hover and destroys the transport unit needed to bring Iria back. He escapes from the trap, and from Zeiram's "hat" spawns a new form of the creature with prehensile appendages. Kamiya uses his technician skills to help repair the transport unit while Zeiram attacks Teppei. Kamiya succeeds and Iria returns in time to save the two men and Bob from Zeiram. After a brief respite, Iria complements the two on their resilience and offers them two of her braids as a "thank you" gesture. Bob takes a photo of the trio together as a memento.

==Cast==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+Cast
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Role !! Japanese !! English
|- 
! Iria 
| [[Yūko Moriyama]] ||	[[Edie Mirman]]
|-
! Teppei 
| [[Kunihiro Ida]] || [[Steve Bulen]]
|-
! Kamiya 
| [[Yukijiro Hotaru]] || [[Robert Axelrod (actor)|Robert Axelrod]]
|-
! Bob 
| [[Masakazu Handa]] || [[Jeff Winkless]]
|-
! Murata 
| Yukitomo Tochino || [[Steve Kramer (actor)|Steve Kramer]]
|-
! Store Manager 
| [[Naomi Enami]] || [[Jeff Winkless]]
|-
! Zeiram 
| [[Mizuho Yoshida]] ||
|-
|}

===English dubbing staff===
*Voice Production: [[Streamline Pictures]]
*Voice Director: [[Carl Macek]]
*Script: [[Steve Kramer (actor)|Steve Kramer]]
*Additional Dialogue: Carl Macek
*Recording Engineer: David Walsh, Deb Adair
*Final Mix: Ernie Sheesley
*Production Manager: Scott Narrie
*Recording Studio: [[Studiopolis|Screenmusic Studios]]

== Production ==
The film was the second film directed by [[Keita Amemiya]], with his first being ''[[Mirai Ninja (film)|Mirai Ninja]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Maverick|date=May 26, 1994|title=Film New Releases|work=LA Weekly|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93893136/zeram-japanese-live-action-film-review/|access-date=January 31, 2022|archive-date=January 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131204008/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93893136/zeram-japanese-live-action-film-review/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Release==
''Zeiram'' was released in Japan in August 1991.{{sfn|Galbraith|1996|p=459}} The film was released in the United States with an English dub by [[Streamline Pictures]] in 1994, under the title ''Zeram''.{{sfn|Galbraith|1996|p=459}} In March 1994, the film screened with Japanese audio and English subtitles at the [[Brattle Theatre]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]].<ref name="Sherman 1994" /> In April 1994, the film premiered in New York at the Westbury Theater.<ref name="Kelleher 1994" />

The English-dubbed ''Zeram'' was released on [[VHS]] in the United States by [[Fox Lorber]] in 1994.{{sfn|Dr. Cyclops|1994|p=36}} It received a [[DVD]] release in the U.S. by [[Image Entertainment]] in 1998, and was released with both Japanese and English audio as ''Zeiram'' by [[Tokyo Shock]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/zeram-v56138/releases|publisher=[[AllMovie]]|title=Zeram (1991)|access-date=January 30, 2019|archive-date=January 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131041224/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/zeram-v56138/releases|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Reception ==
{{Expand section|with=contemporary reviews from Japanese critics|small=no|date=April 2023}}
''Zeiram'' received mixed reviews from American film critics. Russell Smith of the ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'' gave the film a score of two out of five stars, praising the opening black-and-white sequence but describing the remainder of the film as "90 minutes of enjoyable but unspectacular Japanese science fiction with a fair amount of wit and funky charm, but few real thrills."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Russell|date=September 23, 1994|title='Zeram' provides few, cheap thrills|work=[[Austin American-Statesman]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93890959/japanese-live-action-zeram-review/|access-date=January 31, 2022|archive-date=January 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131171958/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93890959/japanese-live-action-zeram-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Newsday]]''{{'}}s Terry Kelleher, who gave the film two out of four stars, was unimpressed by the comedic banter between the characters of Kamiya and Teppei, but concluded that, "The business of ''Zeiram'' is action, and Amemiya keeps it coming, accompanying the abundant violence with a refreshingly small amount of gore."<ref name="Kelleher 1994">{{Cite news|last=Kelleher|first=Terry|date=April 2, 1994|title=Resilient Space Monster meets match in Tokyo|work=Newsday|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93891388/japanese-live-action-zeram-review/|access-date=January 31, 2022|archive-date=January 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131171952/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93891388/japanese-live-action-zeram-review/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A reviewer for ''[[Fangoria]]'' described wanting to "reach into the picture tube and slap the two male idiots [Kamiya and Teppei]," and criticized the English dubbing,{{sfn|Dr. Cyclops|1994|p=37}} but praised the film's imagination and overall called it "loads of hi-tech fun, and although it's primarily aimed at a juvenile audience, it has enough extreme gore and craziness to keep anyone amused, especially fans of '60s superheroes such as [[Ultraman]]."{{sfn|Dr. Cyclops|1994|p=36}} Similarly, Betsy Sherman of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' wrote that the film "melds the cheesy [[Camp (style)|camp]] of '60s Japanese [[monster movie]]s, the resourcefulness of recent Hong Kong fantasy pictures and the sensibility of pulp science fiction. The mix of characters seems to be aimed toward a young audience, but there are some good yucky special effects for genre fans."<ref name="Sherman 1994">{{Cite news|last=Sherman|first=Betsy|date=March 15, 1994|title=Brattle's Tuesday night at the movies for technophiles|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93892174/zeram-live-action-japanese-film/|access-date=January 31, 2022|archive-date=January 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131204023/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93892174/zeram-live-action-japanese-film/|url-status=live}}</ref> A reviewer for ''[[LA Weekly]]'' praised the film's direction and special effects, describing the latter as "so insidious they're the stuff of nightmares and so cheesy they're the stuff of fondue", and writing: "''Zeiram'' may call to mind ''[[Blade Runner]]'', ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' and even [[John Carpenter]]'s ''[[The Thing (1982 film)|The Thing]]'', but Japanese sci-fi director Keita Amemiya never ceases to amaze with his originality and inventiveness."<ref name=":0"/>

==Anime OVA prequel==
{{Main|Iria: Zeiram the Animation{{!}}''Iria: Zeiram the Animation''}}
''Iria: Zeiram the Animation'' is a six-episode [[original video animation]] (OVA) [[anime]] series produced by [[Ashi Productions]] and directed by [[Tetsurō Amino]]. Released in 1994, the series serves as a prequel to the original ''Zeiram'', taking place several years earlier when Iria is still a rookie and detailing the events surrounding a prior encounter between her and the titular entity. Fujikuro from ''Zeiram 2'' makes an appearance in the OVA.

==Sequel film==
{{Main|:ja:ゼイラム2{{!}}''Zeiram 2''}}
{{nihongo|''Zeiram 2''|ゼイラム2|Zeiramu 2}}, a sequel film also directed by Amemiya and featuring Moriyama, Ida and Hotaru reprising their roles from the first film,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpKGAAAAIAAJ|magazine=Video Watchdog|issue=49–54|page=71|access-date=9 April 2023 | title=Video Watchdog }}</ref> was released in Japan on December 17, 1994. The plot of ''Zeiram 2'' centers around the creature's core, which was presumed dead, having been recovered by a shadowy organization which installs it as the organic core of a [[robotic]] [[supersoldier]]. Iria, Bob, Teppei, and Kamiya continue their battle against Zeiram in a Zone created by the monster. The plot plays out similarly to the original ''Zeiram'', with the four getting into cat-and-mouse confrontations with the creature and the monsters that he summons and dealing with complications caused by Iria and Bob's faulty tech. The sequel adds the additional challenge of Fujikuro, a manipulative rival and saboteur who seeks the same ancient teleportation relic called the Kamarite that Iria and Bob returned to Earth to obtain.

==Video game==
{{Infobox video game
| title = ZeiramZone
| image = 
| developer = [[Banpresto]]
| publisher = Banpresto
| director = 
| producer = 
| programmer = 
| artist = 
| writer = 
| composer = 
| series = 
| platforms = PlayStation
| released = {{vgrelease|JP|13 December [[1996 in video gaming|1996]]}}
| genre = Beat 'em up<br />Fighting
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]<br />[[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]] <small>([[Cheating in video games|cheat codes]] only)</small> <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sakuhindb.com/howtoj/Zeiramzone/TCC/|title=各種裏技 (ゼイラムゾーン攻略法)|website=sakuhindb.com|access-date=2024-05-09|archive-date=2024-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509121758/https://sakuhindb.com/howtoj/Zeiramzone/TCC/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

{{nihongo|'''''ZeiramZone'''''|ゼイラムゾーン}}, stylized as '''''ZËIЯAMZΘNE''''', is a [[beat 'em up]] / [[fighting game|fighting]] game for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=V2EX › Zeiramzone |url=https://www.v2ex.com/gamedb/ps1/zeiramzone |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=www.v2ex.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vgcollect.com/item/114865|title=ZeiramZone &#124; PlayStation [JP]|website=VGCollect.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-22 |title=ZeiramZone PS1 |url=https://todososjogos.com.br/jogo/zeiramzone-ps1/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |archive-date=2024-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119025357/https://todososjogos.com.br/jogo/zeiramzone-ps1/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is partially based on the films ''Zeiram & Zeiram 2''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenation.net/blog/ask-john-could-the-zeiram-franchise-get-revived/|title=Ask John: Could the Zeiram Franchise Get Revived? – AnimeNation Anime News Blog}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gamesoft.ukariko.jp/gps_0523.htm|title=ゼイラムゾーン(PS)|website=gamesoft.ukariko.jp}}</ref>

== References ==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Stuart IV |date=1996 |title=The Japanese Filmography: 1900 Through 1994 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0-7864-0032-3 }}
* {{Cite magazine |author=Dr. Cyclops |date=April 1994 |title=The Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops |magazine=[[Fangoria]] |publisher=Starlog Group, Inc. |issue=131 |issn=0164-2111}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0103327}}
* [[iarchive:1994zeiram-2|Watch the documentary ''The True Story of Zeiram 2'' (1994) (English with Japanese subtitles)]]

{{Keita Amemiya}}
{{Seiun Award - Best Media}}

[[Category:1991 films]]
[[Category:1991 science fiction action films]]
[[Category:Japanese science fiction action films]]
[[Category:Tokusatsu films]]
[[Category:Japanese films about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:1990s Japanese films]]
[[Category:1991 science fiction films]]