I never got around to seeing this the first time it was released in the UK, mostly because I found the cover showing Antonio Resines’s bloody face rather too menacing for me to dare pick it up from the shelf in Blockbuster. Now it’s out in glorious HD, thanks to Arrow, and I got sent a screener of it so there was no backing out of watching it.

Contra to the overly sensationalised packaging; rather than being a mindless euro-gore-fest, this is a smart satire with the sci-fi sensibilities and comedic sensibilities of a Spanish Max Headroom reboot. Admittedly it’s more lowlife than high-tech, but it’s setting of a future controlled by the beautiful and the narrative of a plucky cadre of disabled freedom fighters fits firmly into the ethos and politics of cyberpunk, without needing to tread previously over-explored paths. It’s also hilarious, both in its cultural critiquing and painful pratfalls, provided that you’re willing to embrace it’s dark terms.

On top of that, it looks amazing. The first act is based around a wedding at a mansion and all the beautiful people who infest it look like they came off a high-fashion catwalk. Not knowing anything about fashion I don’t know if the looks are pastiche, parody, or pageantry, but I can tell you the elegance and perfection got me instantly on the side of the self-declared Mutants who procedure to murder the shit out of them. The vibrant fabrics and bold designs were complimented magnificently by the leather-clad gang of misfits letting the bullets and blood run free, with Chuckle Brothers style comedy-of-incompetence adding an extra frisson.

Structurally, this is a “heist gone wrong” story, so the second act is a whittling down of the gang until only the hostage (Frédérique Feder), the good bad guy (Alex Angulo), and the bad bad guy (Antonio Resines) are left. All this happens on a spaceship, and there is the same devotion to costume and set dressing continues to be the perfect way of maintaining a sense of reality in this otherwise ridiculous situation. There is also a pivot to more character-driven comedy, and it is the constant evolution of tone and pace that keeps you glued in for the trip.

The third act is when the capper factor mounts, along with the revoltingness, as we are treated to an intergalactic mining backwater planet. The bad guys turn up, the TV crews arrive, a nuke gets added to the mix, and nothing works out the way you would expect it to. I really can’t overstate how smart abusing Jorge Guerricaechevarría and director Álex de la Iglesia script is, and I don’t want to give away all the ways it subverts and plays with clichés and expectations.

The only consistents to be found are the aforementioned production values (how this was made for only $3 million is beyond me), the excellent performances, and the attitude towards disabilities. The subject matter is dealt with a dark reverence and anti-social openness; the intention is that this warm your heart, but it doesn’t give a monkeys if you find offence as that says more about you than it.

The only downside with all of this is that the film is a bit unfocused, with more balls in the air than it can satisfyingly handle, and the constant changes in setting and tone means it’s doesn’t fully find it’s comedic rhythm. The story isn’t as tight as it could be, not every character gets fully developed, and it’s intentions were just beyond the skills of it’s makers. There are no individual moments that I would describe as bad, but the whole isn’t as grand as it could have been and there is something of the sketch comedy to it.

That said, it easily rides into Treasure Town by simply being an interesting idea with interesting execution. It is combative by its own nature, and its disregard for expectations necessarily makes for a bumpy ride. This is body-horror-comedy, mixed in with greasy sci-fi parody, and it makes for a unique viewing experience. Don’t be like me and wait three decades to see it: crack it open, get awkward, and dive in!

The Raggedyman