Brandon's Cult Movie Reviews: JOHNNY MNEMONIC 

I WANT ROOM SERVICE!!!

Weird how Keanue is essentially a cyberpunk icon with Johnny Mnominc, The Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077

"I want the club sandwich, I want the cold Mexican beer, I want a Brandon Tenold video at the Imperium Hotel in Tokyo!"

For decades I’ve felt the room service rant deserved more credit. Thank you.

“Although this a 90s Keanu movie, his acting is still kinda ‘whoa…’” 🤣 Glad to see you did this one. Whenever someone asks me to to remember something complicated, I say “Who am I, Johnny Mnemonic?!?” And nobody gets it… so now I feel validated 😁

Honestly, "I want room service!" was the best line in the movie.

I think they covered the reason why you put things in his brain is because whenever he got into an airport they searched him for any illegal electronic device. The memory booster in his brain registered as a dyslexia implant on the airport scanner, so it was legal to transport.

I love this movie so much. Keanu, Dolph, Ice T and Henry Rollins together will never happen again.

I've recently read an interview with the director and Keanu going ham on the mound is a scene added during filming, expressing the frustration they all felt because of the studio fucking up the movie.

I love this wild, imperfect, gross cyberpunk flick. It's like the closest we'll ever get to a Snow Crash movie for the time being.

Of course I remember Sea Quest! The episode in which they find a sunken ship with an air pocket haunted by 2 ghosts and find out the captain had sunken it specifically to imprison a woman who didn't love him so she had no way to escape his advances before dying and that he was after her even as a ghost was dark as s***, I will never forget that.

Even with its flaws, I still consider this movie to be one of the finest examples of cyberpunk genre of the 90s.

I own a copy of Burning Chrome in my house where the short story is featured. Just laying around not being touched. Also I'm just going to appreciate how Keanu is still doing work in Cyberpunk fiction.

Every time I start a new Cyber Punk / Shadow Run TT game I make all my players watch this movie. Also the CGI sequences in this film were done by some of the animators from the group that did the Mind's Eye videos. Nave saw Mind's Eye on TV but I rented them on VHS. They were actually the reason I wanted to go into professional computer animation out of high school.

I'd almost forgotten about the "mono-molecular wire garrote" nicknamed "molly wire" in Gibson's stories. It's one of those concepts that works well in prose, but if depicted on camera as described, it would appear the wielder is just doing weird mime and then items and flesh falling apart. Basically, you wouldn't see the literally "molecule thick" cord. So the movie gave it a funky lightsaber glow for visual appeal. Hey, at least they included the weapon.

What’s this? A hot, new, fresh-from-the-oven review from Brandon Tenold?? And the film being reviewed is Johnny Mnemonic?!! Oh hell YES! Thank you for this fine welcome to the weekend, Brandon. I cannot get enough of your sincere yet snarky views on movies! But between you, Phelous, and Mark of Fanboy Flicks, I seem to have a love for the opinions of Canadian men, lol. This was an awesome video! I really enjoyed looking back on this very 90’s (and I mean that in the most loving way possible) sci-fi flick and hearing your take on the action. Keep on being amazing, Brandon! 🖤

Did not know i needed Keanu going full Cage in my life but that was gloriouse!

I had already read all of Gibson's work up to that point when this came out. I was pumped and I remember that I was really hoping that they would include the dolphin. Imagine my delight. But the best part of this film for me was Reeves's performance on that slag heap. Whenever I think back on this film, it's him screaming "I want room service!" on that heap under the bridge. This was the moment where my estimation of Reeves as an actor jumped up. You really feel his frustration at being forced out of his comfort zone. I don't want to be the saviour of the downtrodden, I just want to get paid. And it's just an awesome, over-the-top moment of sci-fi cheese. I want room service indeed.

Fun fact: This movie was a big deal for *Autodesk* (makers of AutoCAD) as they were using this movie as a huge promotional for their software. You can see their logo above the movies date. This must have been done in Toronto's studio district. It's the only place where you can have full on car chases and high octane fire fights, without disturbing the neighbours. The "minds eye" animations were half the reason why I got into CG animation. They were great!

Yes, I remember The Minds Eye. I was first introduced to their shorts in the late '80s, when I took a media analysis course in middle school and the teacher had us watch them. Then when the Sci-Fi channel first went live, they used to have a clip show to fill in some of the gaps in their early programming, and they used to play clips from the mind's eye. Then I went and saw the lawnmower man, which lifted all of their CGI scenes from The Mind's Eye

I’m impressed. You went the entire review without a Cyberpunk 2077/Johnny Silverhand reference. 🎉

It is always fun watching movies that predict dystopia futures. And scary how close they are. Demolition man was crazy insightful.

The Rise of the Triad music does NOT go unappreciated in this house

After a hard day, this is one of the movies that help me to relax. And my seal of approval for using a Rise of the Triad track for the video, Brandon.

Finally watched this back in August. Dolph, Keanu's breakdown moment, and the laser dolphins made it all worth it.

"The internet is some futuristic Bladerunneresque city that you fly through to navigate it..." Worded excellently, sir! I actually liked this film first time I saw it on VHS back in the day; it wasn't bad at all.

We watched this movie and Strange Days on our discord right before the new Cyber Punk game came out last year. My friend in his 20s mind was blown on how much those old movies inspired some of the content in the game. lol

Absolutely one of my favorite cyberpunk movies that I wish would get a LOVING remake with a tie in to a trilogy of movies based Gibson's novels/stories which would obviously include Neuromancer, seeing as so many of those characters cross between stories in his universe. I am excited to hear about there being a Japanese cut and now must seek it out. I definitely appreciate the Reboot reference, still once of my favorite childhood series. Yes, I REMEMBER SeaQuest! Although I didn't see them on YTV, I did love and have several of the Mind's Eye series VHS.

I remember "Seaquest!" Frank Welker did the voice of Darwin the dolphin, which is why he sounded like Slimer from the Ghostbusters cartoon.

The thing I remember about this movie was when it was released on VHS, the tape box had a cut out window on Reeves' forehead so you could see through the VHS box and see the recording tape in Jonny's head.

It’s been awhile since Brandon reviewed a movie from my childhood. I’ll have to rewatch this movie.

Your weird references are always on point. Reboot and Seaquest? Put that nostalgia straight into my veins

I actually really dug this movie for its aesthetic and ideas, to the point it felt to me like the futuristic "Lanwmower Man" sequel that was promised and then put on an extended development hiatus. Heck, when trailers for "The Matrix" first popped up I almost thought it was a sequel to "Johnny Mnemonic" at first. Learning about Robert Longo's career as an artist back then definitely shined a light on the movie's look and feel for me, which only added to my appreciation for it. Plus, the CG sequences in the virtual world always felt totally inspired by video game programming. On that note, I too remember those quaint Mind's Eye segments if only because I owned the first four collections on VHS as a kid. Don't stress about fewer people remembering "Sea Quest" though. They'll all be made aware once the inevitable reboot starts streaming. Anyway, terrific spotlight on what I always felt was a little cyberpunk gem of a 90's flick, sir. And hell yes, I WANT ROOM SERVICE was and always will be an iconic line in cinema.

All the 90s references you used, I actually remember them. Soon as you said Seaquest, I was like “I remember that!” Then almost immediately I realized, “Christ I’m old.”

Johnny Mnemonic and Strange Days were some of the best Cyberpunk offerings before The Matrix. And remember: They didn't go to the Cyber Chimp because the dolphin had a SQUID (on porpoise)!

i watch these videos right before i sleep after my work at a hospital for graveyard shift. Idk why its so fun yet calming to watch these

Dude! Those CGI sequences on YTV blew my mind as a kid. When the bird crashed through the glass... those animations had a lot of emotion in them. You could tell the people making them were passionate. That combined with Reboot and Beast Wars introduced me to CGI. I went on to study 3D art and work as a 3D modeler. Now a days I'm more of a 2D/3D artist doing concept art and illustration also.

Dolph chewed the scenery in the movie more than his entire Punisher roll and it's one of the best parts of the movie along with Henry's as the most grounded and relatedable to 90's kids high on the fledgling internet subculture

I remember Seaquest; it was basically an underwater Star Trek TNG

Sea Quest and ReBoot references. Really taking me back. You rock, keep it up!

I must say that for a Sci-Fi movie from the mid 90s, the CGI surprisingly manages to hold up here. Especially when you consider the fact that this was around the time CGI (and mostly 3D animated models in general) was still in it's teen phase. Sure, it looks a little bit outdated now, but hey, it could've been worse.

The 'laser garrotte' is basically a monowire, you see Lucy using something similar in Edgerunners. In the Cyberpunk game it's sometimes called a slice-n-dice. You can see a lot of ideas that ended up in the Cyberpunk PnP RPG here, but the idea of using a dolphin's brain to aid computation was actually borrowed by Star Trek TNG. The official maps of the Enterprise-D show an area called Cetacean Ops, which we've now seen on-screen in Lower Decks. I remember the reviews at the time, and the number of reviewers who said things like 'why don't they just send it over the Internet' when the opening crawl explains exactly why the hell you don't do that, irritated me greatly. A lot of the time, when a movie title sets up an obvious insult certain critics will pan it just so they can use the damn thing.

I still watch this movie once a year and I really want another cyberpunk movie that is as good as this with some Robocop, Virtuosity, Strange Days, Judge Dredd, Fifth Element, Gunhed all mixed into a Nightcity cyberpunk extravaganza of a movie.

That’s pretty eerie how close they were at predicting the future

I love the "I want room service!" rant! Yes, it needs to be a meme!

This is by far the absolute ORIGIN of the CyberPunk series complete with the VR headset/Neuromod head implant, his name "Johnny" alone has inspired "Johnny Silverhand" in the game, the tension with China, the Orange monowire in the movie tied with the ACTUAL orange Monowire in the Cyberpunk game and it being in 2021 (aside from it being "2077") with the ACTUAL RELEASE OF CYBERPUNK in that year... yeah this movie is a masterpiece 👌👏🙌✨️💿

Anyone remember William Shatner's TekWar? It was actually made into a decent 90's mini series and had a very William Gibson-esque setting. Not bad for the Shat. Principal Skinner mentioned it on The Simpsons, "Well, the children are going to have to learn about TekWar sooner or later"

Seen this movie in the theater opening weekend. I then went on to see it probably 10 more times when it moved to the dollar theater. And have watched it once every few years since. It’s about time to revisit.

I read somewhere that Lundgren's character concept was a miscommunication when someone suggested a 'cyborg monk assassin'. Guess they meant Zen Shaolin and not Friar Tuck Spanish Inquisition.

I loved this movie as a kid, the VHS box art was the coolest! Tank Girl is still something I watch to this day! Henry Rollins' Black Flag did TV Party, there's lots of CRT televisions (the best ones for retro gaming,) the TV made into a Cross looks a LOT like Marilyn Manson's, and Lundgren was a Terminator Jesus Freak. There are a lot more connections than you think. The sliced human bit was carried on in Cube and Resident Evil. There's more, I just can't remember them all.

For those of you unfamiliar with that Japanese Celebrity, Takeshi Kitano (Aka Beat Takeshi) was mostly known as the quiet yet terrifying Teacher from one of my all-time favorite films Battle Royale. He's also known for being in a number of Gangster/Crime Drama-Related films in his Homeland and is considered to be the Robert DeNiro of Japan. He even made an appearance in the Yakuza 6 videogame as well which seemed like a natural fit.

The 'laser floss' is actually a Monofilament whip and this is the same source universe as Cyberpunk 2077 just much earlier. Saw it in theaters and loved it ever since.

5000 fucking bonus points for using Rise of the Triads, "going down the fast way" in the title opening. Andrew Hulshult made a mighty banging remix of that, too. One of the best old school vgm tracks ever. Also, yeah, I remember Seaquest. I forgot Ted Raimi was on it though

14:54 Looks like Dolph took one look at the script and thought to himself: "Well, when am I ever gonna play a long-haired fanatic cyberpunk priest assassin ever again? I'm gonna have fun with this!" :D

18:43 And again about Keanu's acting. 🤣👍 Keanu Reeves is Awesome. 😎✌ I love the 80's and the 90's.

When I saw this in the theatre, they got the ratio (lens ... I don't know) wrong and so it was stretched too tall. It included the Yakuza getting into the elevator and Johnny looking into the fishbowl at least before they stopped the film and fixed it. This was also yet another movie that banked on their song soundtrack. Which I think must have also influenced the Wachowskis, if you think about it!

What would we do for 90's villains if it wasn't the Yakuza or Russian "mafia"? Or Udo Kier? They should've just filmed the movie at Takeshi's Castle.

The Meltdown On The Mound™ has got to be one of the most sincere moments in cult film history - if not all of cinema. Johnny has been getting misled and manipulated since the beginning of the movie, goons have tried to kill him multiple times, and when he finally gets to a place that supposedly can help him, when he gets to their doorstep they drop a flaming car bomb at him (just for the fun of it.) Who wouldn't at this point yell out, "What the fuck is going on?"

Woah this is a legendary movie staring a breathtaking actor. Sequest DSV was awesome. I Want Room Service!

We need a prequel movie, which explores Dolph Lungrens character. A cyberpunk action fest, where he gets to be the preacher , hired to do some mission

Yep. Mind eye episodes sold on video tape at Suncoast and other stores. They were pretty much cutting edge for 1992 CGI.

My grandfather loved this movie I had the VHS when I was 9 and it was out to rent. We'd always watch it when he'd babysit me.

What I always loved about this movie was the little throw-ins to Gibson's other works. The bartender you pointed out is actually Ratz, the bartender of the Chatsubo, the pub that Case worked out of at the start of Neuromancer. His 'claw' is a cheap Soviet-bloc cybernetic replacement for the hand he lost in the war of that novel when he was captured after losing his hand. There were others too. The Japanese cut, which really is the extended cut since it was still primarily in English over there too contains several more, as well as leaving in the fact that Jones, the cybernetically enhanced dolphin was a heroin addict, deliberately made so by the military to keep him under control and eager to do his mine-sniffing work. I never understood why this was cut in the North American release. Or left out that the name of the bodyguards was "The Magnetic Dog Sisters", easily the coolest name for a bad-guy team of trannies I've ever seen. Not to mention an ideal post-punk band name. I loved this movie from day one and never understood the hate. Okay there were some seriously cringly moments (You have to hack your own brain!) but overall it was great, cheese and all.

I remember those shorts from YTV. My bro and I used to watch YTV all the time as kids. Another awesome vid Brandon.

Really is fascinating when you realize Keanu's been the face of CyperPunk in pop culture from its heyday, all the way up to its falling out with the cringefest that was 2077.

Among my circle, it is completely normal to shout "I WANT ROOM SERVICE!!!!" as a means to express frustration when one cannot shout appropriate terms.

I'm not Canadian, but I grew up in Buffalo, NY which isn't far from Canada at all. In fact, from my front door I can be on any of three bridges to Canada within maybe 20 minutes, so I was able to get some Canadian television stations where I lived. I definitely remember YTV and the crazy CGI. Thanks a lot man. Now that you've mentioned that I'm going to have to not do the homework I should be doing because I have throw myself down a rabbit hole concerning YTV!

"I gotta do more Beat Takeshi movies on this channel" - yes, you absolutely do :)

Ahhh Seaquest, a show that gave everyone in the DeLuise family work

Plague, Civil unrest, neural links - this movie has it all baby

For me, this movie will always be a punchline in an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun. The only movies left at the rental store Harry worked during a blizzard were Johnny Mnemonic, The Making of Johnny Mnemonic, and a porn flick called Fat Frauleins.

I bought "Mind's Eye" animation collections back in the day on VHS tapes. I'd forgotten about that. Your video also spurred me to get the B&W version of Johnny Mnemonic.

So criminally underrated it makes me sick. One of the best cyberpunk movies ever made

First, I love your work, but you left out the best quotable line from this movie "If you're not expected then you're not invited - SO FUCK OFF!" I want that on a door mat someday. Also, yes I remember Sea Quest. And I also had like every one of those minds eyes VHS tapes. Keep up the good work.

Shout out to the ironmouse fans. Sweet retro model he used there.

Man, I remember every single thing you referenced in this review. It's great! I miss the 90's. So much entertainment gold!

I can see where CD Project Red got a lot of their ideas for Cyberpunk 2077, no wonder they got Keanu Reeves to play a Johnny Silverhand.

I saw this in theaters and to this day I randomly scream out "I WANT ROOM SERVICE "

The bartender with the cybernetic hand is another character who has appeared in a few William Gibson stories, although his hand was a lot stronger and he didn't get roughed up in those stories.

Great use of Lee Jackson's Going Down The Fast Way in your opening, you Rock Brandon!

This is definitely one of your best reviews. I laughed out loud several times. For me "Johnny Mnemonic" is a guilty pleasure. I know it's not good, but it's a fun watch. I take it out and give it a rewatch every few years. It has a comfy futuristic feel to it that I find relaxing and nostalgic.

One of my favorite movies of all times. I'm a huge cyberpunk fan and this was a great journey through a cyberpunk setting.

Yes Brandon, you should do more Beat Takeshi movies.

Did not expect "Going Down the Fast Way" in the title card. Color me impressed, Mr. Tenold.

So this is what you get when you combine Cyberpunk 2077 and The Matrix. 7:40 Vic Romano from MXC 9:00 no tongue 9:18 "May I see your invitation please. " "Sure here's my invitation." 9:32 Ice T joke 10:59 Whip it good 14:52 He's become Fabio 15:50 my name is Neo 16:13 so she's a ghost in the machine, oh wait that's Ghost in the Shell 16:55 sledgehammer 18:55 he's gone full on Nick Cage and he quotes by saying "I WANT ROOM SERVICE." Me: "So do you want fries with that." So let's see guy gets data into his head tries to get it out hmm definitely cyberpunk 2077.

I actually know exactly what you're talking about with the Mind's Eye shorts. After being blown away by them at the mall as a little kid with my mom, we bought the VHS compilation, and I'd wager it's still somewhere in my parents' attic.

Not gonna lie, after seeing the edits with the “Room Service” rant, I kinda wanna see Keanu and Nic Cage in a movie together. Lol

9:34 I'm surprised you didn't mention J-Bone's awesome wrist harpoon blade. That thing was awesome.

Dolph and Henry were the two best parts of the movie. Had no idea this was Dolphs last appearance until Expendables. Pretty crazy. They should have made a movie around Dolphs character entirely.

@Brandon Tenold The laser floss is called monowire. They used a similar gimmick in multiple cyberpunk games. It's a monomolecular wire that cuts between the molecules and so is effectively the sarpest thing in the universe... And that's as much gamer geek as I dare let out. Great Channel, Sir!

I remember watching this in the cinema. I enjoyed how 90s high tech the movie was. Aside from Keanu Reeves, my favorite character was Henry Rollins as Spider.

I recall the preview screening in Vancouver that I attended courtesy of my friend, Sci-fi journalist Frank Garcia. Both of us knew William Gibson who was present at the showing. There was a Q&A session with the film's producer, director and unit publicist present and Gibson was to participate, but he had snuck out of the theatre to have a cigarette and then didn't go back inside. We left and met him outside at the back of the venue where he told us he was, well, less than impressed with the final product. As you said, it wasn't his short story properly adapted and he called the picture an embarrassment. We could only sympathize with him and then he told us he was going home. FYI: the Japanese extended cut released several years later on home video, *is* a better movie than the theatrical cut that was released... At least it made sense narratively speaking.

I can't believe this movie predicted 2020 and 2021

Your references in this video are amazing. Loved Reboot, Seaquest and Cybermorph on my Atari Jaguar.

I never comment but just want you to know I love your brilliant writing… excellent stuff

The part at 9:20 makes me think that Keanu (even now) would make a decent Roger Smith if they ever did a live action adaptation of The Big O. All he's missing is a giant mech and a redheaded robot girl.

I have a soft spot for this movie, it being a cheesy cyberpunk film from the '90s and an adaptation of a story by one of my favourite writers. I'm surprised you didn't mention New Rose Hotel, since it came out a few years later and is also an adaptation of a William Gibson story. It's not very good, but it's got Willem Dafoe and Christopher Walken, so that's something.

12:08 Speaking of weird cameos, that’s Rainer Werner Fassbinder regular Barbara Sukowa as the AI lady.

18:28 I did not expect to see Ironmouse on this channel.

That rise of the triad music is even more of a bop than ever