DOLLMAN

1991 / Director. Albert Pyun Movie #12

My affection for 80s & 90s B-movies is obvious and Dollman fills me with nostalgia. This is a wonderful movie about a hardened cop from a distant planet who crash lands on Earth after chasing a fugitive across space. When he awakens and emerges from his ship he faces the dilemma of being only 13  inches tall against our gigantic species of humans. Finding himself in a neighbourhood being over-run by thugs and crime, he is taken in by a friendly mother and son and he helps defend them from a drug dealing gang. This is my favourite type of filmmaking, before CGI, when special FX were practical. It might look a little hokey but it's magical stuff. With the use of miniature sets & props and Chroma key, director Albert Pyun pulls every trick in his bag to showcase this tiny hero against giant foes. Forced perspective and sneaky pull-away shots all come together to make Dollman a super fun and delightful sci-fi action. The movie is one of Charles Band's countless Full Moon Features productions and it crosses over in subsequent films such as Demonic Toys, Dollman Vs Demonic Toys and Bad Channels (as well as its own comic book) The average viewer might dismiss movies like this but I think they're fundamentally important. They're independent and visionary and aren't bound by Hollywood constraints. Cinema is all about escapism and these movies are made as pure entertainment. If you're the type of film lover that I am then you will have a  great ability to suspend disbelief... watching movies without it is practically pointless. Dollman. Love it. 

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