Writer and director Bradford Jackson’s short film Contra is a love letter and spoof of 80s action movies, 8-bit video games, specifically Contra, and hyper masculinity. Even for those born after the 80s, a lot of the jokes should still land. They’re not exactly subtle. This is one over-the-top and entertaining short.
The film opens with two action figures standing in the road, before they’re run over by a jeep that belongs to the grizzled Colonel Blood. He aims to recruit the muscle-bulging Bill for another mission. When we first see Bill, he’s doing pull-ups before an American flag in his garage, flanked by vintage posters of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. The absurdity is clear from the get-go. Bill agrees to help, if only he’s accompanied by his partner, the eye patch-wearing and equally muscular Lance.
Bill and Lance end up in enemy territory after their chopper crashes, but armed with massive guns, they take out the enemies one by one. All of this occurs over an 80s hair metal soundtrack with lyrics about “making commies cower,” “dropping bombs,” and a refrain of “America, locked and loaded.” The concept resembles Team America, the 2004 puppetry film that uses the same sort of humor and also lambasts 80s action movies and heroes.
The short’s aesthetics look really cool. Whatever filters were used make the 12 minutes feel like an old VHS tape with similar fuzziness and a graininess. The film also succeeds at resembling the 8-bit video game scrolls, and the end credits are a direct Contra rip-off. Overall, the film captures the look and feel of the video games from the time period.
Contra is a heck of a lot of fun. You don’t need to be a child of the 80s to appreciate the humor. Bradford Jackson’s film has big guns, larger-than-life heroes, and a soundtrack about delivering democracy through bombs. This is one spoof that works on nearly all levels.
