Rubber Johnny (2005) User Reviews

Wonderfully bizarre.

[MovieAddict2016 · 7/10 · 12 August 2006]

This short feature was made by creature special effects artist Chris Cunningham as a personal project. Cunningham had previously worked with Aphex Twin and so they contributed to this project - resulting in a mix between narrative and music video, similar to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." The video begins with a close-up night-vision shot of an alien creature named Rubber Johnny. A doctor seems to be talking to him - asking what's wrong, if he wants his mother, etc. Rubber Johnny seems incapable of speaking like a human and can only emit high-pitch frequency noises.

The next scene shows Johnny in a wheelchair, his enormous head leaning backwards. His small pet dog watches as Johnny suddenly comes to live in an array of dazzling special effects shots and "dances" (to some extent) to Aphex Twin.

The music is interrupted twice by Johnny's father opening the door into the basement and muttering unintelligible curses at him.

My first thought after this was over: What a bizarre feature! It actually might disturb some people - it's kind of unsettling and uncomfortable to watch. Also, as Johnny dances he occasionally flies full-speed into see-through glass, leaving remnants of his distorted face on the objects.

Cunningham is quite an original guy - I don't know if it was the drugs doing all the talking or he's simply that far out, but I've never seen anything like this before.

By the way, for those interested, it is freely available to view on YouTube.com, and is also available for purchase on DVD through Cunningham's official website.

what a mind....

[thefuzmixman · 7/10 · 24 August 2005]

I love music and visual synchronization. Some may compare this to cheesy Hollywood movie horror films, but also keep in mind that not every person finds the "shock" video/audio effect cheesy. I love it.

Rubber Johnny is not an amazing piece, but certainly accomplishes it's goal of being a very elaborate 6 minute blitz of style. One almost grows a fear of Johnny in the beginning. Not only is he extremely grotesque, but his vocalizations almost sound inhuman. With his enormous bulbous head leaning over the back of his wheelchair and his insanely disturbing babble fits, Johnny makes a hell of an impression right off the bat. Once the actual music portion of the video begins, the score intertwines with johnny's sick mind and together they mutate into one of the most fast-paced music/video progressions i've ever seen, and quite frankly, it initial impact is hard. Still, the distortion effect wears off eventually and you begin to wonder what else Cunningham will throw at you. About 10 seconds before the end of the video you are hit with some deranged visuals of Johnny, and i think those last seconds redeem the short to be worthy of what it is.

A while coming...

[qusw · 8/10 · 12 July 2005]

Since Aphex Twin (who is a solo artist BTW, Richard D. James) released "Drukqs" in 2001, there has always been the Rubber Johnny video but as a short. Now that Cunningham has completed a 7 minute short it is just a closer look at this completely insane, body twisting freak. And Aphex comes through with minimal and effective sound design. The music is comes from the release "Drukqs" (somewhat modified) but it, as always, is a perfect combination of Cunningham and James. There is a 40 page book of photographs and drawing as well I believe to coincide with the short. It is actually being played cinemas in England and perhaps, at some point, it will play somewhere in USA...

A very well done short film.

[Stonedwithoutdope · 10/10 · 16 January 2006]

Altogether this is an enjoyable little movie but you can really enjoy it if you imagine it as real life footage. Chris Cunningham and his crew make this out as if they are filming actual footage of a deformed teenager and if you know the back story it can strike your brain as fairly disturbing. They do it well.

This shows footage of a severely deformed super flexible teenager living in solitude in his dark basement where his parents keep him due to being ashamed of him. All he has for company is his frightened dog. This will show his reaction to someone trying to get through to him and a little dance number to keep himself occupied in his dull life.

Overall this is a great little enjoyable film and spooky at that. Bravo Chris Cunningham, you rock.

A Mind-f*ck

[Gum1 · 9/10 · 22 June 2005]

Rubber Johhny is the latest effort from British film maker, Chris Cunningham. Cunningham has extensively worked with electro music legends, Aphex Twin, together they have created some of the most disturbing music videos ever, including 'Come to Daddy'.

Rubber Johnny is a disturbing trip into the mind of a isolated, disfigured misfit who is locked in a basement. His only company is a dog.

Using rapid editing and distorted camera work, Cunningham has created a visceral nightmare which manages to shock during it's six minute running time. Cunningham obviously has a lot of confidence when it comes to combining music with vision, and this is Rubber Johhny's genius. The film will undoubtedly leave a sick taste in your mouth, but the running time is disappointing. I was left wanting a lot more.

Please give Chris Cunningham a big budget so he can create a 90 minute nightmare.

Awfully Deep

[moon-safari-2 · 10/10 · 12 October 2005]

Chris Cunningham's works have shaped the music industry. He's probably the best and most influential music video director ever. He did videos for Aphex Twin, Madonna, Bjork, Portishead and many others, but now he is retired from industry. Now he works for himself.

His independence lets him to experiment a lot and to realize himself better. Chris's world is a strange, but interesting place and it can't be censored or cut. It is a thing to be examined. Once you got into it, you become a part of it, you see everything in an absolutely different way. Just try it.

"Rubber Johnny" is a 6-minute experimental short film and a 40 page book. All in one package, both absolutely genius. Some people say that book is too nasty and film is too short, but they are only half-right. Book is nasty, of course, but everything is not that simple in Cunningham's works. To see what's behind those scary pictures, you'll have to look deeper. I'm not gonna spoil you, you've got to find out yourself what's great about it.

But the real treasure is a short movie. It is frightening, disturbing, entertaining and amusing at once. The movie is shot on a simple home camera, but "Johnny" features some stunning visual effects. Believe me, it worth watching. "Rubber Johnny" is the fastest damn thing i've ever seen and the editing is something unspeakable. And, as a rule, it is deeper than you could ever imagine. It's like reading a good book: one must use his imagination to see the author's idea. In 6 minutes Chris puts a story witch could have been a full-length film. He shows a work of a true master: we're gonna be disturbed, entertained and (most important)we're gonna examine the depths of Johnny's character. And everything in 6 minutes! Unimaginable!

"Rubber Johnny" kind of movies may turn out to be a new form of art: 2000's are fast times and fast times require fast art. Not fast-created, but short-length, clever, entertaining and deep-minded. Chris Cunningham does it first (as usual) and he does it better than anyone in this world.

Unique and Trance-Like Film.

[LLAAA4837 · 29 June 2006]

RUBBER JOHNNY is a short film by acclaimed music video director Chris Cunningham. It is a strangely emotional film about a deformed subhuman that does, something. I don't know what he does, it's a little difficult to describe. It could be interpreted as dancing, and indeed, it is pretty much the only thing it could remotely be, but there is something more elaborate at work here. He may be stoned. The film can be easily taken as a music video, but I think that to call it that would be too easy. One could easily dismiss it as Chris Cunningham showing off his prosthetic morphing techniques, but they are far too simple to be shoved off as such. There is a story here, but we are given the bare minimum of what the underlying theme is, which is boredom. Or maybe it's loneliness. What I think is especially unique about this video is the lack of any sort of purpose. It simply tells of an apparent event. There appears to be some kind of theme involving male genitalia, with the title, RUBBER JOHNNY, and the fact that the title is marked on an erect penis. The prosthetics on display here are pretty abstract and disgusting, but in a fascinating and unique way. Chris Cunningham is great because he can take something popular in our culture and completely twist and distort it in a way that allows it to be the same popular thing, but the viewer will have a completely different feeling or opinion about it. Just look at his video for Aphex Twin's WINDOWLICKER. He takes the female body and shows it in a different way that is original and simple so that they remain in the same form the viewer was into before, however, because of the way he altered it the viewer gets repulsed and even very frightened by it now. The music video WINDOWLICKER was, in away, an act of protest and rebellion. As a result, I consider today to be among the most shocking music videos ever made. However, RUBBER JOHNNY is also a protest, but on a deeper level. The paranormal idea is so attractive in our way of life that we have caused culture revolving around aliens and humans to be a funny dream. What if somebody treated the idea in an honest and original way? The creature in this film may very well be human, but he is certainly not somebody that we would ever have any interest of allowing him to adapt to our ways. Chris Cunningham is able to take things a step further by adding a sexual element into the idea of RUBBER JOHNNY. The enlarged penis of the creature is another step in the direction of the fantasies that many people have discussed about having some sort of sexual or bodily interest in otherworldly beings. The film, instead, dares you to try and think about sex while watching this horrifying movie. I think that if Chris Cunningham continues to make daring and creative films like these, people could really look back on his work after the world has continued to grow and alter itself and realize that he had ideas that none of us have ever thought honestly about. Do visual effects really have to be complicated and drawn out to be good? Is the female body really a more beautiful thing that the male body? Are the ideas behind aliens really as fascinating as we've led ourselves to believe? It's these kinds of questions that make films like RUBBER JOHNNY work.

This took you four years, Chris?

[Gollum- · 6/10 · 25 May 2005]

First off, I want to say I'm very much a fan of all Chris' work, and even alright with his creating nightmarish images just to be nightmarish. Rubber Johnny's particularly twisted in a more eerily real way than his others, but it's really just a music video with an intro, not so much a short film. Rubber Johnny ends at the moment I think it's about to take off (maybe 7 or 8 minutes?), and there's not really a narrative strand.

While the visuals, effects, and makeup are truly amazing and grotesque, nothing really happens, even compared to his music videos which usually have some kind of build up. Glad this project's wrapped up, but am ready to see what else Chris has up his sleeves.

So where's your first feature, Chris?

[MightyAlz · 10/10 · 28 April 2006]

Wow. This has to be one of the finest pieces of non-feature film-making I have ever seen. The best way to describe would be: The baby from EraserHead having grown up and become professional dancer.

The opening scene is one of the creepiest things ever put to screen. I could barely even watch. It lessens once Aphex Twin's music kicks in, but then your fear is replaced by wonder at the truly incredible editing techniques and visual effects.

The whole things screams for Chris to do a feature film, a truly twisted and bizarre film in the style of the aforementioned EraserHead.

Also recommended: Windowlicker and Come To Daddy.

Strange...

[insolent_dragon · 7/10 · 9 December 2006]

This is a 7 minute short film by Chris Cunningham, about a shape-shifting, mutant child named Johnny, who is kept in a basement with only his dog and his imagination for company.

It has also been suggested that Johnny is merely a hallucinating drug addict, because at one point in the film you can see him snort a line of white powder.

However, the original concept was for a video of a raver morphing as he danced, which eventually evolved into the concept of a music video/short film about a mutant child keeping himself occupied.

While incredibly disturbing, it's definitely worth a few watches. Once the initial shock of the images wears off, a vastly creative video shows itself through all the creepiness.

Filmed almost entirely in night-vision, the film has a grainy, documentary feel to it, which is why upon first watching it, some people concluded it was actual footage of a mutant.

With original music by Aphex Twin (inserted into the film as a remix done by the director himself) the latter part of the video does more resemble a music video than a documentary, and you'll almost certainly find yourself watching the last 2 or 3 minutes again.

In all, disturbing and unforgettable. Not for the easily scared or sensitive.

Eye Candy, Yes!....... But Mind Candy??

[toxiemite · 4/10 · 4 August 2005]

Rubber Johnny is conceptually brilliant but fails on several levels. The first problem is that is runs for a minuscule 6 minutes.... take away the credits and you're left with a 4 minute film. That in itself would not be a problem if the narrative was better.

With such rich material here, Cunningham really could have stretched this out a lot longer... 30-45 minutes would have been excellent. This would have allowed for us to fully understand Rubby Johnny.... it would then be a feast for the mind as well as a feast for the eyes.

Not to mention that there was a big teaser trailer released to promote this film... was it worth the wait? Not particularly. But is good eye candy.

Seriously Disturbing

[g8jedi · 10/10 · 16 July 2005]

The first time I watched this I was seriously disturbed. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. My girlfriend had to leave the room, because she couldn't watch it. Every time we show it to someone they leave feeling uneasy and weirded out. Chris Cunningham's precision and attention to every terrifying detail make's Rubber Johnny the most memorable thing I have watched in a long time. I became interested in his work after seeing the Bjork Robot Video 'All is full of love'. He also did 'Come to Daddy' for Aphex Twin, 'Frozen' for Madonna and Portishead's "Only You". "All is Full of Love" was nominated for a Grammy and won Best Breakthrough video and Special Effects at the 2000 MTV Video Awards.

need a story to move to features

[cliffskel · 7/10 · 13 November 2006]

Chris Cunningham is a genius of FX and editing when it comes to establishing a tone or touching on a theme. But when it comes to telling a story (as Borat says) "not so much". The story in this slice of a locked away 'elephant man' is not a story as much as is a glimpse into a world abhorrent. The 'rubber' part of johnny is all in his mind, we are to assume seeing as he is a cripple when ever that door opens. Perhaps only the dog can see those 'liberation' thoughts. That's pretty much it. I would love to see Chris do a full length feature using his skills directing a well written story, (like mine). Chris, if you read this, I have a script that is perfect for you. It's got all of your favorite themes, style of humor and outright creepiness that is your signature. You can find me through Motel Films in L.A.

Complete garbage

[Horst_In_Translation · 2/10 · 12 July 2015]

"Rubber Johnny" is a six-minute animated short film by Chris Cunning Ham and Aphex Twin. They worked together on several projects, and none of them are glorious gently-put, but this one here may take the cake for worst. This is listed as horror, but I don't know about that. I would rather describe it as weird. we see some deformed creatures, a dog with (not really) scary eyes and a train. And some more stuff, but it was all so insignificant and forgettable that I don't even remember, although I just watched it. The music was pointless too. Cunningham worked with Madonna in the past, so this is really a massive step down for him here in this 10-year-old short film. And the result would be a step down for basically every filmmaker. Highly not recommended.

Excellent!

[gary_l_wallace · 10/10 · 21 July 2005]

6 minutes of dark and disturbing video... but in an entertaining way.

I was in awe by the end of the short, it has had a mood altering effect to anyone who I have shown it to, an almost shocking quality that you can't help but feel. I am not usually a fan of this genre, but you can't help but realize the genius that went into making it. But you have to also wonder "what kind of person is thinking this stuff up?",

Since watching this I did a little research of Chris Cunningham's work, the guy really knows how to grab your attention and hold it. I really look forward to seeing future works from him.

A definite must see! Rubber Johnny is on the cusp of cult status.

the book is better

[nudone · 29 June 2005]

the hard back book that the DVD arrives inside is worth the price alone. if you want to see genuinely grotesque and yet alluring photo realistic images then this is a good place to start.

i think it's safe to assume that Photoshop or some other high end editing software was used to manipulate the images, but it's also obvious that a great deal of care has gone into the lighting and angles used whilst photographing the model.

the quality of the imagery really is outstanding and i think it fair to say i've never seen anything like it before.

i know it's odd to talk about a book on a film review site but it has to be pointed out that the masterwork here is in the printed form rather than in the moving image.

as for the 'movie' itself, well, it's good but it is little more than a music promo for Aphex Twin. not a bad thing by any standards but understandably a shame when even a 30 minute 'film' with a little more narrative would have been greatly appreciated.

a full length feature film from Chris Cunningham, when it finally arrives, will certainly be a disturbing, spectacular journey if this or any of his other video masterpieces are to go by.

I liked it!

[Jordan_Haelend · 10/10 · 7 January 2007]

I didn't think I'd like this film when I first heard about it-- it sounded altogether too bizarre for me. Then I watched it on the Web and I found that, weird as it is, grotesque as it is, downright horrific as it is, I enjoyed it. Personally, I think it would have made a dynamite feature length film if Mr. Cunningham could have crafted a serviceable script for it.

I was ready for it to be truly frightening, but I was completely disarmed by the beginning of the film, the way Johnny babbles like a baby to the doctor. That actually made me smile. Then we meet Elvis (after the credits, such as they are,) and he's nothing more than a scared, twitchy Chihuahua. Johnny goes into his rave-dancing in his chair and begins to morph. Later, his dad yells at him.

By the time the film ended, I felt nothing but sympathy for Johnny and Elvis, and little but contempt for Johnny's parents. To me, there's a moral here: Johnny changes and yet is perfectly harmless. His parents don't change but are in their own way grotesque.

A unique work of art

[Rectangular_businessman · 9/10 · 30 October 2012]

Pretty much like all the other works directed by Chris Cunningham (The man responsible for music videos like "Come to Daddy", "All is Full of Love", "Windowlicker", among others) this short is something quite fascinating, being visually impressive and very disturbing at the same time.

It starts like a horror movie, but eventually turns out to be a music video (A very twisted and shocking one) Personally, I think it is one of the most original artistic creations from the recent years, having a magnificent atmosphere (Which manages to be way more terrifying that most of the horror film from the recent years) and great visual effects.

The Aphex Twin music is strangely fitting, giving a different mood to the short, with magnificent results.

What could have been just a morbid waste of time becomes something very interesting thanks to the excellent direction by Chris Cunningham, who is able to turn grotesque imagery into brilliant artistic creations.

Disturbing & amusing at once

[bikerpug · 7/10 · 27 July 2005]

This short film has a "night vision" appearance, that is it looks like it was filmed in darkness with a infra-red camera. It starts with a blurry twisted "thing" speaking gibberish in a dark cellar, while a voice attempts to converse with it. Soon the "thing" becomes agitated and must be sedated.

The faceless voice leaves, and a broken florecent light flickers as a small dog walks nerviously looking at the strange being in the wheelchair. Then you get a good look at the twisted creature, a distorted nude humanoid in a wheel chair with a huge bulging head mouthing bizarre sounds. Then it starts to get weird....

Not very good. C- for effort

[Al_Sutton · 5/10 · 21 June 2005]

so warp records makes us wait and wait ...................... and wait ................. .............................

and wait..

for rubber johnny.. and then this is all Cunnigham can come up with?? It's not a 'BAD' music video by any stretch of the imagination.. its far better than nearly all the video's around at the moment, but its so obvious. the teaser trailer and the booklet with the DVD are far more interesting than the video itself, which feels as if the collaboration was just a bit... 'hey wouldn't it be cool if..' then ran out of ideas. very very disappointing. try harder. (and for £15!!!! get real)

Avoid it like the plague

[david_dude · 1/10 · 8 July 2005]

May or May Not Contain Spoiler.. don't think so though!!

I have never posted a comment about any movie here before, but I felt compelled to post about this little flick.

With all the hype surrounding this movie, I was expecting a terrifying thriller but instead I was treated to a 4 minute long laser show with brief breaks in the 'action' to feature a poor special FX job on Johnny spinning in his wheelchair, and a frightened small dog.

Despite the claims of 'shape shifting mutant', I saw nothing of the sort, other than what looked like a blob of latex with teeth pushed against a photocopier.

Worst money I ever spent in my life.

Bizarre

[maxyg18 · 5/10 · 17 April 2006]

This creepy short film has been rumored that it's real footage of a badly deformed human being. It's not; all it is, is just a short homemade horror movie, which I thought didn't make much sense. Yes it was quite disturbing and well made, but what was this movie about? I've been watching this movie quite a few times and I barely got it. The closest description that I can give you is that it's just about some sort of creature or a badly deformed human being who lives in a basement of a house with his dog and an abusive parent or owner. Although it doesn't make much sense, it's worth checking out and can also be seen on various websites.

Bad, is there any other way to put it?

[jer__66 · 1/10 · 25 September 2005]

"Rubber Johnny" begins with you asking yourself "what is going on?", and ends with you asking yourself "what just happened?".

The positive that can be brought out of Rubber Johnny is simply that it is original. Now that being said, it is original in the worst of ways.

A mix of cheap effects (however original), and a very poor foundation make Rubber Johnny a complete bust. One watching this for the first time, would think it was done by a couple of 10 year olds just fooling around and experimenting with a home video camera.

But for the short amount of time it takes to watch it, check it out and see what I mean.

good marketing

[sette7 · 3/10 · 25 June 2005]

we have to wait a long time. several delays with funny stories "why". but finally it's released. everybody want to have the movie. so i give three stars for the marketing. that's it. the movie itself is nothing more than a music video for me. even not a good one. while "come to daddy" is one of my favorite, "rubber johnny" is far from that. no story, only eye candy. but, hey, what do expect from a music video. stop – it's not announced as a music video but as a movie. no go! when i saw the trailer the first time i thought "wow", that will be a crazy movie. now i'm very disappointed. "rubber johnny" starts good and than – no ideas anymore. only fx. dear chris, better not try to do a feature!

Didn't like at all..

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 2/10 · 18 February 2017]

Didn't care for this, the creature was just so insanely grotesque and the way it warped around the screen in the spasmodically chaotic fashion to the electric flashes made me feel nauseous. Uh yeah I really hated it, it turned me off right away with the guy talking to this bizarre bobble-headed abomination which answers back "Blah blah blah!" Before completely wigging out! I thought it was stupid and completely up its own ass smug and obnoxious, there was really nothing to or about it beyond a little shock value, and it certainly wasn't deep in any way shape or form, that is bull, it featured a very impressive creature effect but that's about it as far as I'm concerned. Bad video, sh*tty music, and has any one taken a closer look at what the freaky title picture of this tune is actually composed of over there on the left? Lol that's so f*cking disgusting! Meh, I very much prefer the awesome videos for Windowlicker and Come to Daddy, now that I would call a real work of art - I'm aware that all music videos are art by definition, but I'm talking about the video part of it.. Some really loved it, yay, more power to them..but I surely did not sir! I'd say to abort and burn this annoying crap, in that order. Gotta go wash my eyes and ears out now...