Film

Hanuman and the Five Kamen Riders

Name: Hanuman and the Five Kamen Riders
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Horror
Released: 1975
Cast: Yodchai Meksuwan, Tanyarat Lohanan, Pipop Pupinyo, Kaan Boonchoo, Yupon Thammasiri

Superhero
Strange

A 1975 Thai-Japanese co-production that throws the Monkey King into battle alongside five international superheroes against a supernatural villain. It's gloriously chaotic—cheap special effects, dubbing mismatches, and tonal whiplash collide into something genuinely strange. For fans of trash cinema, regional exploitation films, and the sheer audacity of old cross-cultural mash-ups that should never have existed.

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Chinese martial arts surrealism from the same year, equally committed to impossible action and dream-logic plotting. Practical effects and stunt work that prioritizes weirdness over polish.

But The plot barely holds together and the pacing is glacial. Subtitled, and the dubbing choices are occasionally baffling.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla1974

Japanese monster-action cinema at peak playfulness—multiple colorful creatures, international heroes, and a genuine sense of fun underneath the mayhem. Same era, same willingness to be weird.

But Rubber suits and dated miniature work throughout. Tonal shifts from comedy to peril feel jarring if you're not tuned to the frequency.

The Deathless Devil1972

Turkish Batman knockoff mixing superhero action with horror and genuinely surreal visuals. Embraces its own chaos with the same oblivious confidence as Hanuman.

But Nearly incoherent plot, rough dubbing, and scenes that seem to have no narrative justification. Ninety minutes can feel much longer.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Hanuman and the Five Kamen Riders

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Invasion of the Neptune Men1961

Established the exact template Hanuman remixes—international superheroes, kaiju-scale threats, rubber suits, and complete sincerity about rubber suits. Hanuman didn't invent the formula, it inhaled it through dubbing.

Japanese sci-fi action film from pre-1975, shot on a shoestring with miniature effects and international hero squads fighting space invaders. Direct ancestor to Hanuman's DNA.

But Black-and-white, severely paced, and the action is primitive even by 1961 standards. Feels more like a curiosity than a film at times.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Stephen Chow's love letter to martial arts excess—colorful, fast-paced, and unafraid of tonal whiplash. Knows exactly how to make nonsense feel satisfying and fun.

But Tonal shifts might feel irritating rather than charming. Some sight gags don't land outside their cultural context.

The Bodyguard1992

Thai action cinema at its international peak, with Tony Jaa's protégé in inventive fight choreography and a surprisingly earnest plot underneath. Shows the lineage Hanuman emerged from.

But Dubbed, and pacing drags in the middle acts. The emotional beats feel melodramatic if you're not expecting them.

Superman1978

Early live-action superhero cinema trying to balance camp, earnestness, and spectacle. Shows what Hollywood was attempting while other regions made their own versions.

But Three-hour runtime and slow sections. Takes itself far more seriously than Hanuman, which can feel ponderous.

Five Element Ninjas1982

Taiwanese action hodgepodge blending martial arts, ninja tropes, and sci-fi. Achieves similar levels of genre confusion through pure ambition over budget.

But Even rougher than Hanuman in execution. Plot is genuinely hard to follow and patience is required.

Johnny Come Lately1943

Thai action-horror hybrid with practical gore and genuine weirdness. Weird enough to feel like a spiritual cousin without being derivative.

But Bleaker tone and nastier violence than Hanuman. Pacing is deliberately fractured and some will find it frustrating rather than compelling.

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky1991

Hong Kong prison action-horror with practical effects pushed to grotesque extremes and complete tonal sincerity about absurdity. Peak regional cinema excess.

But Graphic violence and gore throughout. Some viewers will find it exploitative rather than entertainment, and the assault scenes are genuinely uncomfortable.

Under the Skin2014

Both are science-fiction horror about predation and bodies in danger, but Under the Skin strips away everything Hanuman adds—spectacle, heroism, explanation—to find something genuinely unsettling in the bones of the same idea.

Scarlett Johansson hunts aliens on the Scottish landscape with utter minimalism. Atmosphere instead of action, silence instead of dialogue, dread instead of heroism.

But Deliberately paced and cryptic. If you're watching because of the premise, you'll be frustrated—it uses sci-fi horror against expectations rather than fulfilling them.