Badmovies.org Forum

If you try to explain "Gymkata" to someone, make sure to tell them it is a combination of gymnastics and karate.  Then show them the pommel horse scene (otherwise they will never believe you).

I'm so glad that they got around to releasing this "gem" on DVD.  I've told so many people about this movie over the years and it was getting next to impossible to track down a VHS copy to rent to subject people to the greatness that is GYMKATA!

BTW, I'm surprised that you didn't put in the Stuff to Look For section that completely unnecessary naked man butt after the halfway point in the flick.   That ALWAYs catches people off guard when they are seeing the flick for the 1st time.   :teddyr:

Quote from: Torgo on June 08, 2007, 08:36:58 PM
BTW, I'm surprised that you didn't put in the Stuff to Look For section that completely unnecessary naked man butt after the halfway point in the flick.   That ALWAYs catches people off guard when they are seeing the flick for the 1st time.   :teddyr:

Oh no, I do mention it.  That would be this Stuff To Watch For:
71 mins - Did anyone ask for this scene? Anyone at all?

I just read the review on the front page, and now I must, must, MUST see this movie.

Quote from: Andrew on June 08, 2007, 08:57:52 PM

Quote from: Torgo on June 08, 2007, 08:36:58 PM
BTW, I'm surprised that you didn't put in the Stuff to Look For section that completely unnecessary naked man butt after the halfway point in the flick.   That ALWAYs catches people off guard when they are seeing the flick for the 1st time.   :teddyr:

Oh no, I do mention it.  That would be this Stuff To Watch For:
71 mins - Did anyone ask for this scene? Anyone at all?

My bad then. I forgot it happened around that point in the movie.   :cheers:

It's funny, I remember the scene though I don't remember much of the rest of the movie. In addition to that pommel horse scene, wasn't there a part where it showed the protagonist running from that mob of angry townspeople in slow motion with echoing footfalls? I seem to remember that.

I...... need.... this.... movie.....  :buggedout:

I remember seeing this on HBO back in the mid 80's. I have not seen it since then. I bought the DVD but am waiting for a special occasion (the right frame of mind) to give it another look.

I haven't seen this in years, but I definitely remember the pommel horse scene.  Do all Eastern European villages usually have a pommel horse in the middle of the town square?  Your review actually makes it sound better than I remember it being;  Even back in the days when I thought Chopping Mall and Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity were true examples of cinematic excellence, I still though Gymkata was just plain awful.

I've added this to my Netflix list, but it says there's a "very long wait", so I wonder when I'll actually get to see this.  I might break down and buy the darn movie instead.

Quote from: Inyarear on June 09, 2007, 11:19:26 AM
It's funny, I remember the scene though I don't remember much of the rest of the movie. In addition to that pommel horse scene, wasn't there a part where it showed the protagonist running from that mob of angry townspeople in slow motion with echoing footfalls? I seem to remember that.

Oh yeah, that was another scene in the town filled with crazy people.  They were trying to make that entire part of the movie really surreal.

Quote from: Jack on June 09, 2007, 02:40:42 PM
I haven't seen this in years, but I definitely remember the pommel horse scene.  Do all Eastern European villages usually have a pommel horse in the middle of the town square?  Your review actually makes it sound better than I remember it being;  Even back in the days when I thought Chopping Mall and Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity were true examples of cinematic excellence, I still though Gymkata was just plain awful.

It might be a matter of personal preference.  "Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity" causes me a fair amount of pain, while "Chopping Mall" is on about the same level as "Gymkata" based on my tastes.  Something I love about "Gymkata" is that the movie is so serious in tone, despite the fact that what is happening on the screen will make any reasonable viewer question, "Who thought this up?"

 :bouncegiggle:

Thanks for the great review, Andrew: some karma and a cookie for you.  :cheers:

I have been in movies seemingly my whole life and Robert Clouse's Gymkata remains my favourite bad movie of all time: I have it on VHS and that means only one thing, I cannot join the people at www.ninjaburger.com (http://www.ninjaburger.com). Their rules state quite clearly that ownership of this film prohibits membership, you see.  :smile:

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I saw Gymkata in a cinema (a full one, no less) in Gweru, Zimbabwe, my home town in 1986. I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it now. Maybe I'm the only poor item who will actually admit to seeing it in a cinema?  :buggedout:

Thanks, Andrew!

 :bouncegiggle:

"Never use candlewick for your climbing rope."  :bouncegiggle:

 :smile:

This is my review of it from the Badmovieplanet website: I published this there before I was aware of this site.  I would really have liked Andrew to have it.

www.badmovieplanet.com/inferno/archives/gymkata.html (http://www.badmovieplanet.com/inferno/archives/gymkata.html)

Those spoilers in my review.........what the hell was I thinking?  :buggedout:

Being a flag ninja would suck something something fierce.

Here you are, these legendary warriors that practice stealth based attack tactics, and you're reduced to simply standing around holding flags that don't really even point in the correct direction a lot of times.

I remember the trailers of this...thing.
Even those memories make my mind freeze up.

While I think it's great that they finally released Gymkata on DVD, I really wish that maybe Blue Underground or Synapse could have gotten their hands on it and done  a full special edition for it.

I agree, Torgo.

I like this film so much that I would have paid them for permission to do an audio commentary on it as a fan of it.   :drink:

Gymkata must hold the world record for longest ever time spent in slooooow-moootion. The escape from The Villiage Of The Crazies was in slow-mo for about 10min!!

I remember watching this Movie, at the time it wasnt bad, yes chessy movie, but fun to watch,
I did not remember this movie untill I came to this web site, and looked at all the movies.
Thanks for reminding me of this one and others

Ice Pirates

Adv. of Buckaroo Banzai (Great show also - watched as a kid and liked this)

Bad Taste

Howard the Duck

and what about the Toxic Avenger movies (Chessy but great to watch)(Include those also Please or rate them)

I am sure there are others that I cant remember that are probally lost (No VHS or DVD's made) that we can never play again,

Just watched this film.....Hilarious!!  :bouncegiggle:

I just got this thing from a second hand shop recently. It's pure awesome all the way through.

 :question:did anyone realize that this movie is based on an actual adventure that came out in paperback many, many years ago...I wish I could remember the title...something like "The Terrible Game"...the book was actually  quite good... :cheers:

Quote from: cornholio_by_the_sea on August 22, 2008, 11:49:48 PM
:question:did anyone realize that this movie is based on an actual adventure that came out in paperback many, many years ago...I wish I could remember the title...something like "The Terrible Game"...the book was actually  quite good... :cheers:

I remember reading that somewhere, I think it might in the end credits.

Quote from: circus_circus on August 20, 2008, 07:16:53 AM
Just watched this film.....Hilarious!!  :bouncegiggle:

This is one of those films that catch you by surprise.  The premise sounds ridiculous, and you think "it could never be as cheesy as it sounds.", but you watch it, and it does.

Quote from: cornholio_by_the_sea on August 22, 2008, 11:49:48 PM
:question:did anyone realize that this movie is based on an actual adventure that came out in paperback many, many years ago...I wish I could remember the title...something like "The Terrible Game"...the book was actually  quite good... :cheers:

The book's called "The Terrible Game" and it's by Dan Tyler Moore.  :smile:

The first I'd ever heard of this movie was when I saw the review posted on this website. Just by pure dumb luck, one of my friends happened to own it. He didn't even know he owned it. We stumbled across it by accident, amongst a crap load of VHS movies his father had taped off the television years ago. Awesome.

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god!!! I saw this movie when I was like 7 years old, and I've been looking for it for AGES!!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!! Thanks thanks thanks thanks!!!!!!

My favorite part of this brilliantly awfull movie is where the unsuspecting extra gets mowed over by a horse . . . ON ACCIDENT!!!! I think it's about a third of the way through the movie, look closely at the scene where Jonathan and the other game participants are riding out of the city on horseback. One of the last guys on horses totally hits an extra and looks visibally startled and tries to help him out. Unfortunately the budget must have been tight or they were almost out of film because another guy on a horse kinda motions him to keep going and forget about the guy eating pavement. It really is quite amusing and worth looking for.

Would be interested if anyone noticed the guy at the dock scene, wearing what looks strangely like a Christmas hat (when he's leaning on the rail in particular). I was too busy focusing on the other guy's handlebar tash to notice the first time  :bouncegiggle:

@Andrew - props for the site and keep up the work my man - you've kicked off a real obsession for bad movies in me (not sure whether I should thank you or curse you  :tongueout: )

Quote from: Ollie on October 21, 2009, 09:59:33 AM
@Andrew - props for the site and keep up the work my man - you've kicked off a real obsession for bad movies in me (not sure whether I should thank you or curse you  :tongueout: )

Thank you, and what is wrong with loving movies for being entertaining (no matter how they manage to be entertaining)?  If "Gymkata" is on your list, then that is the start of a great list.

 I also learned from this film that most, if not all, inhabitants of middle eastern nations are Caucasian, speak fluent English and have little to no accents.
Long live bad cinema :)

QuoteWhy not helicopters? Is the country also home to huge leaping frogs that are a hazard to aircraft?

:bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle:

Again I have to say that I think I'm the only person brave enough to admit I saw this in a cinema wayyy back in 1985 or 1986. :buggedout: :buggedout:

Still my favourite bad movie of all time and Alfi Kabiljo's score is great.  :thumbup:

Excellent Site! One of the best.

Gymkata is a classic! Why is there a metal gymnastics bar in the middle of a forest?

Also, (shill alert!) check out my site comeuppancereviews.com for more direct to video madness!

BEST...MOVIE...EVER.

I actually saw this in the theater when it came out.  I saw it opening night, which was a Friday.  There were seven people in the audience, five of which were my family.  The other two left during the movie.  I have been a fan ever since.

I own this film on VHS and DVD.  I strongly recommend you watch both versions back to back.  You will hear that the "remastered" DVD has a, how shall I say, "improved" soundtrack.  Not the music, not the dialog, but the ambient sounds. 

Be sure to watch for the crowd scene where a hapless bystander gets run over by a horse ridden by one of the Khan's guards.

YAKMALA!

Love this movie.  Nowadays they wouldn't even dare make it.  Someone with $150.000 would try probably in Romania where it's cheaper and you can get more for your buck.  Good to see Tadashi  in this as well.  Love those old sound effects and the last part in the film with all the crazies, smoke and farm tools is wild.  Think I'll watch this tomorrow.