Iké Boys

Iké Boys is a 2021 American mixed media fantasy film directed by Eric McEver and starring Quinn Lord, Ronak Gandhi, and Christina Higa as three teenagers who acquire superpowers from a magical anime film. Billy Zane, Yumiko Shaku, and Ben Browder are featured in supporting roles.[1]

Iké Boys
Film poster by Bob Eggleton
Directed byEric McEver
Written by
  • Eric McEver
  • Jeff Hammer
Story byEric McEver
Produced by
  • Jeff Hammer
  • Brion Hambel
  • Paul Jensen
Starring
CinematographyEd Wu
Music byRob Tunstall
Distributed byShout! Factory
Release date
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish, Japanese

Plot

Best friends Shawn Gunderson and Vikram ‘Vik’ Kapoor escape from the drudgery of high school life in Oklahoma through their obsession with all things Japanese. When a mysterious anime film transforms them into its superhuman characters, they at first think that their wildest fantasies have come true. But when ancient monsters threaten to unleash the apocalypse on New Year's Eve of 1999, Shawn and Vik must look to each other to become the heroes they were always meant to be. Joining their adventure is Miki, a Japanese exchange student whose determination to go on a Native American vision quest puts her on a collision course with both Shawn and Vik and their foes... and whose destiny may determine the fate of the world.

Cast

Production

Production took place in Oklahoma at the beginning of 2020, with postproduction conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The original 2D animation was produced by teams in France and Taiwan, paying stylistic homage to Japanese anime of the 1980s and 1990s.[3] The climactic battle was produced by a team of Japanese tokusatsu veterans, with explosives detonated using the same pyrotechnics rig as in Godzilla.[4]

Release

The film premiered at the Fantastic Fest on September 26, 2021.[5][6][7][8] It had its international premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 7, 2022.[9] It also screened at the 2022 Boston Science Fiction Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Editing,[10] the 2022 Phoenix Film Festival,[11] and the 2022 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.[12] Shout! Studios acquired the North American rights to the film, which was released on October 11, 2022.[13]

Since its release the film has been featured at a variety of fan events, including San Diego Comic Con,[14] Otakon,[15] G-Fest,[16] and Anime Boston.[17]

Reception

The film received positive reviews. It has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews.[18] Robert Daniels of The New York Times wrote that, "What “Iké Boys” lacks in budget, it makes up for in ingenuity and spirit... when the big emotional beats arrive, this tight, emotive cast delivers the theme of being yourself no matter what, with aplomb."[19] Harris Dang of In Their Own League called the film "a charming, entertaining and goofy trifle that honours its inspirations with love and respect while providing a warm story about will resonate with young audiences about passion, adventure and friendship."[20] Amelia Emberwing of Slash Film gave the film a positive review and wrote, "The earnest nature of the film is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. But I'll take dorky earnestness over cool glibness any day."[21] Andrew Mack of Screen Anarchy also gave it a positive review and wrote, "The action is just a fun way to reward yourself for learning something other than how to land a proper hero stance off your living room couch."[22]

References
  1. Nolan, Liam (September 25, 2021). "Iké Boys: McEver, Lord, Gandhi & Higa Dive Into the Tokusatsu-Inspired Movie". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. "Cast & Crew from "Iké Boys" on Oklahoma, Japan, Future Projects & Premiering at Fantastic Fest".
  3. "Iké Boys: McEver, Lord, Gandhi & Higa Dive into the Tokusatsu-Inspired Movie". 25 September 2021.
  4. "Iké Boys at Fantastic Fest is an Ode to Fandom and Fantasy". 26 September 2021.
  5. Kellerman, Annette (September 24, 2021). "Check Out The New Poster and Clip From Adventure/Fantasy IKÉ BOYS!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  6. Vito Oddo, Marco (September 23, 2021). "Exclusive 'Iké Boys' Clip and Images Reveal a Holiday-Themed Kaiju Battle". Collider. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  7. Fangoria Staff (September 27, 2021). "Watch This Turkey Shenanigans Clip From IKÉ BOYS". Fangoria. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  8. Henderson, Jason (September 26, 2021). "Iké Boys at Fantastic Fest is an Ode to Fandom and Fantasy". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  9. "Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival".
  10. "Boston Science Fiction Film Festival, US (2022)". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  11. "2022 Phoenix Film Festival: Ike Boys". 2022phoenixfilmfestival.sched.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  12. https://www.yubarifanta.jp/film-2022/screening-2022/ike-boys/
  13. "Shout! Studios Acquires North American Rights to Eric McEver's Fantasy Feature IKÉ BOYS | Shout! Blog".
  14. "Comic-Con 2023 Schedule". comiccon2023.sched.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  15. "Otakon 2023 :: GrowTix". register.growtix.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  16. "BASIC LANDING PAGE". G-FEST. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  17. "Iké Boys Screening with Eric McEver and Quinn Lord!". www.animeboston.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  18. "Ike Boys". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  19. "Five Action Movies to Stream Now". 2023-07-14. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  20. "Review: Ike Boys". 30 September 2021.
  21. Emberwing, Amelia (September 29, 2021). "Ike Boys Review: A Love Letter To Anime And Outcasts [Fantastic Fest]". Slash Film. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  22. Mack, Andrew (September 27, 2021). "Fantastic Fest 2021 Review: IKE BOYS, Kindhearted Tribute to Sentai's Life Lessons". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
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