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Review
by Kozo: |
Category III comedy The 33D Invader arrives on the heels of 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy, but possesses none of the tech gimmickry or cultural tourism that made 3D S&Z an international talking point. Originally billed as a 3D film, the 2D 33D Invader possesses few innovations besides being the first Category III sex film to follow 3D Sex and Zen and its massive grosses. Also of note: the casting of popular Japanese AV actress Akiho Yoshizawa, who’s known to some as “AV Stephy” for her passing resemblance to Stephy Tang. 33D Invader won't be a cult sensation because it possesses few factors worth hyping, and yet there’s stuff here besides nudity and cheap laughs. Director Cash Chin delivers a knowing slice of exploitation that should entertain inclined audiences, and maybe even some that aren't.
33D Invader opens with a cheesy intro explaining that in the year 2046, alien radiation has rendered 99.9% of the male population sterile. To obtain quality seed and repopulate the species, the United Nations sends Future (newcomer Macy Wu) back to 2011 to mate with a healthy male. Also on the time travel train are alien bastards Xucker No. 1 (Japanese AV actor Taka Kato) and Xucker No. 2 (Hsueh Ya-Wen), who intend to rape Future and ruin her fertility. Future appears Terminator-style (i.e., naked) in the bedroom of Lawrence (Chen Jyun-Yan), a college student with a 98.7% health rating. Because junk food and smoking give most other men bad health ratings, Future decides to jump Lawrence’s bones posthaste. Lawrence refuses because he loves Jeana (Akiho Yoshizawa), a nubile law student fighting for women's rights(!). But Jeana is suspicious and conspires with her pals (Monna Lam, Chen Chih-Ying and Lee Ko-Chu) to uncover the truth about Future. Appropriately, their plans involve getting naked.
Those expecting story have come to the wrong place. 33D Invader’s plot is cobbled together from many sources, from Terminator to teen sex comedies to Chin’s The Fruit is Swelling to numerous Japanese inspirations like anime, eroge (“erotic games”) and pink films. 33D’s plot is standard softporn wish fulfillment, with most erotic encounters right out of the male fantasy playbook. The main plot only kicks in after twenty minutes of horny tomfoolery between Jeana’s friends and Lawrence’s loser roomies (Tsui Ho-Cheung, Andrew Kwok and Justin Cheung). Development is equally weak; Jeana and her friends use sexual favors and aphrodisiac (amusingly packaged in a box labeled “Philtre”) to interrogate Lawrence’s friends when an honest conversation would work. It's fine, though; Chin never pretends that 33D means anything, though we do get lip service about love. Category III flicks frequently use love as thin justification for sleaze, so this is not unexpected. If this kind of trashy filmmaking turns you off, you should obviously stay away.
However, if softcore silliness is on your wishlist, then 33D Invader has what it takes. The film is frank about its influences, with dialogue referencing other films, media and even the actors themselves. Taka Kato is known as the “Hand of God” in AV circles for his women-pleasuring skills, and the film references that through Xucker No. 1's electromagnetic finger technique. The film contains rape, but it's of the screwy pink film variety, involving comic sci-fi, hermaphrodite aliens and mossy plant viruses. The silly unrealism makes it somewhat easier to take than the graphic sexual assault of 3D Sex and Zen. Somewhat. Also, one of the alien-on-human sex scenes features a large painting of Donald Duck in the background. Who knows why, but it certainly surprises. There's also a movie-long jab at Stephen Chow featuring overweight actor Tsui Ho-Cheung. Tsui dresses like Chow, has hair like Chow and makes constant Chow references while being voiced by Wen Chao, a dub actor who’s famous for sounding like Chow. Again, who knows what the point is, but it’s there.
33D Invader also surprises with a couple of gags where you’d normally expect the film to turn away and imply its grossness. These moments that exceed the boundaries of good taste may be enough to push 33D Invader beyond also-ran entries in the Category III sex genre – and it matches up in all the required areas too. Chin Man-Kei loads the film with more sex scenes than is necessary, from cheesy sax-scored softcore to odd couplings that are comically disturbing instead of titillating. The actresses are attractive (which certainly helps) and professionally handle their roles, willingly and enthusiastically disrobing – with the notable exception of lengmo Monna Lam, who’s probably here because they needed a Hong Kong actress in the cast. Also, besides the ugly alien sex, the film is not all that sleazy. The filmmakers intend to titillate, but do so with a wink and don't usually resort to tawdry or sordid content to get a, uh, rise out of their audience. Overall, 33D Invader is as needless, stupid and silly as expected. But it gleefully does what it should, and even a little more. (Kozo, 2011)
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