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Professional wrestling, at its base core, is a morality play - good vs. evil. No matter how many spots are done or how many punches are thrown, the best pro wrestling always comes down to wanting to see the hero overcome the villain, so it’s natural to want to see professional wrestlers battle evil, whether it be inside the ring before your very eyes in the arena or on the cinematic screen.
The Unbreakable Bunch, which was just released for streaming on a ton of VOD platforms, including Prime Video, is the latest in a line of films that sees professional wrestlers encounter and do battle with the hordes of evil. Like many El Santo and Blue Demon films before it, or 2013’s Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies, Bunch features a nice mix of nostalgia, silliness, and homages to 1950s B-horror films with the fraternity of professional wrestling the heart and soul of the film, setting old school wrestlers in a battle for their lives - and the planet! - against a horde of infesting aliens that are taking over the bodies of a hapless Florida town.
From the first scenes of the film, obviously shot with The 50’s classic The Blob in mind, you have an immediate idea of what you are in for here. This is meant to be fun and as long as you let yourself go - and pro wrestling fans certainly know that it means to lose yourself in the flow of the story in order to enjoy yourself, you will enjoy yourself watching the film.
The storytelling device of the film is that old wrestler Burnin’ Love (Steve Wilson, playing a mix of Evel Knievel and Elvis Presley’s Col. Tom Parker) is recalling the insane events of a past pro wrestling tour for a reporter, as little did our band of aging wrestlers know that an alien infestation had harvested in a town they are heading to.
Yep, that’s all the plot you need, and if you are reading this, you are probably smirking because you know what we’re all getting into watching this - a lot of one-liners, a lot of fight scenes and a film full of pluck and zest that is undeniably a labor of love that does as much as it can with its limited budget.
The Unbreakable Bunch doesn’t take itself too seriously, but gives you some reasons to care about the wrestlers heading back on the road for one more tour. Legend (Larry Zbyszko) is pained by the loss of his wife. King Tonga (Haku, because who else would be KING TONGA?) is a devoted grandfather, happy to be retired and putting his family first. Jock Holiday (Ray “Glacier” LLoyd) is troubled by the passing of his former tag team partner. Actor Nicholas Logan as Alexander the Great and Burnin’ Love intensely dislike each other with Rogan, the youngest star on the tour, using his international acclaim to get under the skin of Love, who’s towards the end of his career but has never had the same success overseas.
Since pro wrestling is explosion and acting is implosion, no one is going to petition Academy Awards for the cast, but it’s easy to see that everyone did what they could to bring something to their characters - and the most love you have for pro wrestling nostalgia, the more you’ll likely enjoy the film, especially as other names and legends pop up.
The heart of the story is built around the bonds that pro wrestlers have as a fraternity, whether it be telling old war stories, missing loved ones gone or even just getting under each others’ skin to the point things get out of hand in the ring. The camaraderie that exists in every locker room is shown here and there’s a nice mix of humor and warmth involved - especially since everyone is going to have to battle their way through the night if they want to survive.
Haku is undoubtedly having the most fun of everyone in the film and there’s something really enjoyable about watching one of the most fearsome and lethal pro wrestlers who ever lived having the time of his life kicking, chopping and punching away at the humans turned aliens during the big battle. Ray Lloyd is in many ways the central figure of the film as Jock and does a good job playing action hero here, right down to getting the big romantic kiss. Ernest Miller is fun as Mac Brown and it’s great to see a karate fight break out in the middle of a brawl during the film.
There’s a lot of fun cameos in the film, including the legendary Stan Hansen, who pops up in the middle of a big brawl at a town fair, only to realize that the opposing side are his old wrestling buddies. Hansen seems to be having a TON of fun in his few scenes and brought a nice zest to those scenes. DDP has a great cameo in a bar where he gets to play out the wish fulfillment of everyone who was ever asked if pro wrestling was fake. Ron Reis - the WCW YETI himself - also has a fun cameo as one of the townspeople who run amuck of our wrestling friends during a pizza eating contest.
The Unbreakable Bunch is a joyful romp that successfully combines homages to 1950s B-movies with a celebration of the wrestling brotherhood. Its blend of humor, heart, and sheer fun makes it a refreshing addition to the pro wrestling cinema landscape. It would make a hell of a double header with the aforementioned Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies.
For those seeking an escape from the weight of sadness that might be clouding you emotionally as we trudge out of the Election season, this film is a reminder that sometimes, the best way to experience fun is to embrace the absurd, cheer for the underdogs, munch some popcorn and simply enjoy the ride. It’s a throwback film that entertains - and even surprises you by some of the characters that don’t make it out overnight - and was obviously made with a lot of heart and a lot of care. There are times where you feel the film is coming together as it’s happening, but I mean that as a compliment - after all, the best pro wrestling is called in the ring, right?
Let’s hope we get to see more of these types of stories in the future, especially since we get a tease of a future appearance from the king of the cryptids himself - BIGFOOT!
Lord knows we could use more of this type of zany fun and that's what this one was all about - zany fun.
For more details, www.theunbreakablebunchmovie.com/.
You can order the film at Prime Video at this link.
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