Often looking like a live-action Anime as directed by David Lynch or David Cronenberg, the film mixes sex, gore, and technology into a highly disturbing brew that uses black-and-white photography with a creative texture rarely seen in American films today.

Unique. I'm not sure whether I liked it or not, which might actually be a positive. It looks amazing--the visual side of things I did adore--and I dug the industrial soundtrack a lot. As for the actual content of the film: some of it made me laugh; the dream sequence with the strap-on sodomy was way more graphic than what was necessary, especially since it looked so stupid; and I had little interest in the "final battle", although the stop-motion stuff was cool. Certainly an experience.

1 hour of raw industrial madness. Wicked atmosphere and soundtrack.

Short, sharp and powerful, like a punch in the throat. Tsukamoto's frightening combination of man and metal is like a twisted fever dream that chips away at your sanity.

A difficult movie to love but impressively uncompromising, industrial and nasty. Biggest problem is it drags on and feels boring.

All you can do is laugh at the complete absurdity of this. Like Eraserhead, the Fly, and Cocteau's Orpheus all rolled into one clusterfuck of a movie.

love letter to Cronenberg; for those who like industrial noise

Ugly, confusing film with some neat effects.

I like experimental film-making, but this is just too ADHD for me to stay interested (and that's saying a lot). It has its fun moments, and you can never entirely hate anything that goes so all out over-the-top-bonanza, but after one hour of this live action manga insanity, you're left feeling so unbelievable God-damned tired in your head. Hm. Come to think of it, this movie could serve as a preparation video, for people who want kids.

Wonky, gross-out surrealism and some very clumsy directing all make Tetsuo difficult to watch, and not just because it's weird. Fans of Eraserhead or The Holy Mountain might find themselves disappointed by the film's lack of finesse, and while it's interesting to watch, it's just not a bright point of the genre. If you're looking for something that will tickle your taste buds for visual absurdness, it will do, but don't expect anything approaching a masterpiece, it barely brushes being "good".

Should be mandatory for everyone to see this once in their life. Liking it is optional.

Utterly repulsive film but it manages to tweak your senses and mind fuck you just enough that you're never actually bored. I wouldn't say this is pleasant to watch because it plays with human anatomy and the material world in ways that you don't want to consider. Overall it's interesting but nothing that's particularly memorable and if there is any deeper message it easily gets lost in the shock abstract grotesqueness.

Has the feel of a gimmicky student film, with loads of special effects and a noise soundtrack. Ugly, disorientating. Interesting, but bloody awful.

The idea is great, but the execution is rather clunky. There is just too much artsy pretentiousness and heavy handed social commentary. In the end this great idea is nothing more than a Videodrome/Eraserhead fan fiction music video for a third rate industrial band.

Imagine Eraserhead + Merzbow.

Imagine a rabid monkey juggling a piece of pork, a rusted car and a handgun all the while watching Eraserhead. Then you sort of have an idea of how wacky this film is. Shinya Tsukamoto has created a visually disturbing yet very binding picture with his stop-motion live action animé. It is surreal, strange and weird and, sadly, it is easily disliked. However, it has an appeal for obscure film fans and I enjoyed watching it. It is an experience and something that should be watched.

"Tetsuo and Fetishist's transformation into Iron Man becomes a response to the machinization of the individual in a systematically regimented Japan." - Ed Gonzalez

Easily one of the most difficult and grotesque experiences I've ever had watching a movie. Not to say that's a bad thing.

Good Movie

"A surreal, industrial, energetic nightmare of men turned into angry mutating machines under the pressures of urban life. This comes off like a blend of Cronenberg and Lynch on speed."

I don't know what the hell this was. It wasn't bad and certainly unique but I didn't particularly enjoy it.

Interesting visuals, marred by almost everything else save for some neat cinematography.

Eraserhead + The Fly + Shinya Tsukamoto, the weirdest director in Japan = Tetsuo.

Well this was fucking incredible/insane. Not much happens in the first 25 minutes of most films, but in Tetsuo, to quote Wikipedia, "his penis has mutated into a gargantuan power drill". I don't know what else to say...incredible practical effects, I guess.

I don't really know what to make of this film anymore, but I'll always have a special place for it in my heart.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man is the J-Horror embodiment of Cronenberg, sufficiently bizarre and visceral. The film ranges from laughable to disturbing to sickening miliseconds at a time, but every frame offers something unique and brainracking. Definitely worth checking out at least once, if only to learn you absolutely hate it.

74.500

Delightfully strange and gloriously off-putting.

DRILLDICK!

Weird way to start the day, well, any day... Imagine if you will; "Eraserhead" spliced with 80's music videos and the yuck-factor of "SAW", watched through superimpositions of Cronenberg's horror while chewing on aluminum foil and masturbating with two forks - constantly thinking "Don't do that!"... I had no idea what the fuck was going on, but It was all very sexy and dreamlike! (The music and effects were especially impressive)

Lol

No idea what was going on in this movie. If anything it's more like an hour-long industrial music video. The excellent soundtrack combined with the jarring visuals make for an interesting experience, but it's not going to be one to sit around and enjoy with friends. Unless they like giant metal cocks.

It gave me a headache. And not in a positive, intellectually-challenging way.

I prefer to read this as a critique of unfettered industrial capitalist accumulation and alienation. Also, there is a drill penis in it.

I guess this was a little too gritty for my taste. I usually love weird stuff, but I just couldn't get into Tetsuo.