If the 1980s were condensed into a single, high-octane, neon-soaked fever dream, the short film Kung Fury (2015) would undoubtedly be it.
It’s a masterpiece of intentional camp and over-the-top action that perfectly captures the VHS era’s aesthetic.
And it’s free to watch on YouTube.
The film was the brainchild of Swedish filmmaker David Sandberg. It started as a passion project with a shoestring budget of USD $5,000. Sandberg released a trailer in late 2013 to launch a Kickstarter campaign, which went viral instantly. It eventually raised over USD $630,000, becoming a hallmark of crowdfunding success.
The plot (in all its glory)
Set in 1985 Miami, the story follows Kung Fury, a detective who gained superhuman martial arts powers after being struck by lightning and bitten by a cobra simultaneously. Like you do.
The stakes? Adolf Hitler (aka Kung Führer) has travelled through time to become the greatest martial arts master of all time. Kung Fury must hack time itself to travel back to Nazi Germany and finish him off.
He is helped by Hackerman, a computer wizard who can ‘hack’ time using a Power Glove and – the best-selling computer model of all time – a Commodore 64.
En route he encounters Barbarianna, her partner Katana and Thor – son of Odin and protector of mankind – in some of my favourite scenes in the movie. As are the various fight scenes which are practically a cinematic love letter to the 2D side-scrolling beat ’em up video game genres of the late 80s and early 90s, like Street Fighter.
Why it’s a cult classic
Shot almost entirely on green screen in Sandberg’s office, the film uses heavy filters to mimic the look of a worn-out VHS tape, complete with tracking glitches.
It features an original song, True Survivor, performed by none other than 80s TV icon David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhoff (Baywatch, Knight Rider). The music video is a must-watch companion piece. As are the behind the scenes clips on the LaserUnicorns YouTube channel.
This film doesn’t just nod to 80s tropes, it pile-drives them. It’s a ‘so-bad-it’s-good’ film that is expertly made.
Watch it on YouTube
The entire film is available for free on YouTube. It’s arguably the best 30 minutes you’ll spend on the internet this week.
