Photo cred: Wikipedia
Kickstarter has some wonderful stories of great projects that have made a difference in the world or made an impact on someone’s life. The most curious Kickstarter program was a plea from Swedish filmmakers to make the best short film that they could make. All they needed was 200,000 dollars. Not only did they triple that requested amount but also created one of the most influential movies for aspiring filmmakers. That short film is known as Kung Fury.
The Kickstarter description went in depth of the plot, filmmaking process, and what their dreams were for making this short film. In a nutshell, this movie is a love letter to 80’s cop movies that have become nostalgic in recent years. It features synth-wave music inspired from the decade and has over-exaggerated costumes, characters, and so-bad-its-good CGI. The entire project was funded by supporters from the website Kickstarter, where donations are given to those who ask for it and helps the individual achieve goals. Given the highly difficult nature of making this film, a lot of special effects were needed as well as intricate costumes and an overall good presentation of a short film. The odds of the film becoming popular were a long-shot, but somehow it worked.
The plot, as crazy as it may sound, goes like this. Kung Fury is a cop in 1985 Miami who gained the power of Kung Fu by being struck by lightning. At the beginning of the film, we see that Kung Fury is great at his job by destroying a transforming arcade machine out to destroy everything in sight. After Kung Fury’s defeat of the machine, the chief of the Miami police department wants Kung Fury to have a partner to keep him in check. The chief assigns the cop named Triceracop, and Kung Fury quits at his distaste for the partner. Hitler comes to the future to murder Kung Fury but fails. Kung Fury then contacts his friend Hackerman to “hack” him back in time. From then on a bunch of ludicrous shenanigans ensue creating one of the most creative, insane and downright fun short films.
I am not much of a short film fan save for the little movies that are played before Pixar movies, but watching Kung Fury really makes me want to look into more silly short films. This movie has more passion in it than a DCEU movie, and I would go as far to declare it better than any DCEU movie. The acting is campy, but it is intentional to reflect the movies it inspires from. The costumes are outrageous but they are supposed to be. The movie even has a cameo and an original song from 80’s heartthrob David Hasselhoff. I know that any lover of film would enjoy the hell out of it and I personally recommend the movie to anyone who wants to put a smile on their face.
