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Reviews
L: Change the World (2008)
A step down
Living up to the excellence of Shusuke Kaneko's Death Note films was always going to be a daunting task. The makers of this film responded to this challenge by avoiding it.
The film's prominent ties to its predecessors, most notably the inclusion of several characters and events from them, are entirely superficial, and I was left with the distinct impression that Nakata's primary desire was to make a bioterrorism thriller, with the Death Note movies and the character of L serving merely as convenient springboards.
After going to the trouble of hiring several actors to reprise their roles, (Such as Erika Toda as Misa, Asaka Seto as Naomi Misora, and Shunji Fujimura) their characters are criminally underused. This is not just lazy, it is cruel. It's the equivalent of dangling food in front of a starving dog only to pull it away after only letting them lick it. Even the unperceptive viewer can tell these are blatant attempts to fake a connection which is essentially nonexistent.
The sheer magnitude of neglected opportunities to capitalise on the wealth of plot and character established by the Death Note films is staggering. A event as stupendous as Kira's reign of death would have a lasting effect on society; the Death Note films show the beginnings of this, with people divided over whether his actions were right, and many supporting him to a religious degree. Yet in L: Change the WorLd, its almost as if none of it had ever happened. Life goes on as usual, with scarcely a mention of the monumental upheaval the world has just undergone. This also could've provided many interesting possibilities, such as the Kira cult becoming involved in the plot, or characters such as Misa and Ryuk playing new roles and continuing to develop. Apparently, Nakata couldn't care less.
What's more, he can't resist falling back on his roots as a horror director, and is determined to scare the audience with the victims of the virus. Unfortunately, the result is corniness rather than adrenaline. The rest if the time, he's either plodding through the drama on autopilot, or inserting light comedy in a haphazard manner.
The writing isn't much better. The script is brimming with trite clichés, yet is oblivious to this and makes no effort to put a fresh spin on them. It has some admirable aspirations, namely its attempts to explore L's human side, and capture the topical issues of terrorism and the Bird Flu/SARS scares in the same way that its prequels addressed justice and the death penalty, but in execution it fails. Overall, it largely plays like amateur fanfiction, overusing the surface strengths of the originals (namely L's eccentricity) while losing its deeper strengths. Interesting ideas are left to rot on a compost heap of generic characters, messy plotting, and lame attempts to emulate the excesses of the typical Hollywood action movie.
To his immense credit, Kenichi Matsuyama lifts L above this malaise and squeezes a river of blood from the stony script in his typically witty and charismatic performance. Once again, he embodies the character down to his finest mannerisms, and makes like he just crept off the set of The Last Name. True, his English skills are modest, but this is actually believable; I met many Japanese people who spoke in this way during my time in Japan.
Sadly, however, much the use of English throughout the film is reminiscent of the Heisei Godzilla series in its grating inanity. Also, the Japanese performances outside of Matsuyama range from decent, (Fukuda Mayuko as Maki) to downright cheesy. (Most of the villains) Even Erika Toda as Misa had none of the spark Kaneko drew out of her in the prequels during her brief cameo.
Even Death Note veteran Kenji Kawai's score, while certainly not bad, is a far cry from his work on the previous films, though largely because he's mostly forcibly limited to low key background music and the long periods of sluggish silence Nakata so adores. He finally finds a chance to shine towards the end, where he provides two impressive pieces; an epic cue that accompanies L's arrival at the climax, and a melancholy piece that fits the fittingly touching conclusion nicely.
Cinematography is also a step down, losing the smooth, rich clarity of the Death Note movies for a dry and altogether bland visual style.
Thankfully it's not all doom and gloom; there's some good apples among the piles of rotten ones. As mentioned previously, the ending is suitably poignant, though the tears it almost brought to my eyes are due primarily to my love of and familiarity with the character. I also laughed aloud at several of L's displays of quirkiness, and flushed with joy at the rare but delicious moments of Death-Note-style "intellectual pwnage." The opening title sequence is slick and classy, capturing the feel of its predecessors wonderfully.
The FX are strong for a Japanese film, and are actually slightly more advanced than those of the first two films. The destruction of the infected village is vivid and impressive, and the practical effects for virus's symptoms are mostly well done. Ryuk's execution via CGI during his brief appearance is about on par with his previous incarnations.
But you know something's wrong when your counting the good moments rather than the bad ones.
In the end, the film's highlights are like sweet chocolate chips in a bitter and mouldy cookie. It succeeds as fanservice and as cold commercial calculation, but fails as art, entertainment, or storytelling. It's an awful shame, because with the ingredients left by its marvellous predecessors, it could have been truly great.
Kurosufaia (2000)
A solid fantasy thriller with heart and soul
Hot on the heels of what was at the time his greatest film, the dark and beautiful Gamera 3, Kaneko took a breather from the world of kaiju, and directed and co-wrote this adaptation of a popular horror novel. In his own words he wanted to attempt something more focused on human drama.
While it the script does occasionally meander, it is refreshingly free of the self consciousness which taints so many similar films, (such as the X-men movies) and its earnest take on the ethics of revenge is served with a fascinating dash of moral ambiguity. What's more, it has a surprisingly powerful emotional core, and one scene in particular was so unexpectedly touching that it brought tears to my eyes.
The film's greatest strength is its character development. The heroine, Aoki Junko, is one of Kaneko's most compelling characters outside of the Death Note films. The fine details of her everyday life, -such as the precautions she has taken against her own powers- add greatly to her believability, and her development as a person in response to the plot's twists and turns gives the film its backbone. Her hesitant attempts to connect with other people after a life of solitude are very touching, and provide a poignant Yin to the Yang of the brutal action sequences. Actress Akiko Yada's portrayal of Junko is strong and subtle, wonderfully capturing her emotional torment and moral uncertainty. The secondary characters and are also given a nice degree of ambiguity and depth, and are nicely acted to boot. Of these, the standout is Kaori Momoi as Ishizu, a shrewd, cynically jovial and compassionate female detective. These three qualities are a hard act to balance, but Kaori and Kaneko pull it off nicely. What's more, she gets a ton of awesome lines, such as this gem to a male colleague, "Don't look at me like that, you remind me of my dog."
Though the passionate enthusiasm he brought to GMK and the Gamera trilogy is noticeably absent, Kaneko's direction is solid nonetheless. While his pacing could use some tightening, his characteristic uses of crane shots and character mannerisms are effective, and as with his kaiju films, his artistic composition turns what could have been merely serviceable FX shots into beautiful works of art.
Speaking of the special effects, they are very impressive. While a few of the death scenes are slightly cheesy and fake, the pyrotechnics are overall spectacular, and the marriage of digital and practical techniques is daring and competent. It may look slightly dated today, but for a relatively low budget film made in 2000, it's an admirable achievement.
Sadly, the score by Ko Otani is rather weak. It adds little in the way of tension or drama, and is quite distracting at times. Furthermore, it's a serious disappointment given his usually very high standards, and the magnificence of his prior score for G3.
Overall, Crossfire has some flaws, but also enough strong positives to outweigh them. It may not measure up to G3 or the Death Note films, but it's still a well made and entertaining fantasy film with a lot more emotional depth than most of its stable mates.
Death Note - Desu nôto: The Last Name (2006)
An excellent mix of fantasy, horror and thriller
The second half of Shusuke Kaneko's adaption of the popular manga, Death Note: The Last Name is even better than it's prequel, and provides the saga with a dark and powerful conclusion.
Many fans of the manga and anime series have voiced disappointment about the changes made to the story, but for the most part these changes were necessary in adapting such a sprawling story into 4 hours of movie. In fact, many of them, such as the removal of Near and Mello, actually make the story less convoluted and therefore more compelling.
Death Note: The Last Name is an enjoyable and well made movie, with solid direction from Kaneko, a stirring musical score, and a complex and clever script. The actors are decent as well, with Kenichi Mastuyama in particular giving a superb performance as the oddball genius, L. The characters they portray are well developed, and unlike many Hollywood films, are not simply divided into 'heroes' and 'villains.' Instead they are portrayed as complex individuals, each with their own flaws, virtues and motives. The CGI used to render the Death Gods is rather simplistic, but this is understandable given the film's limits in time and budget compared to most Hollywood films.
I highly recommend this film, and if you're a fan of the manga or anime series, I urge you to watch it with an open mind, and remember that it is a different interpretation of the story, not a copy.
Chiisaki yûsha-tachi: Gamera (2005)
Nice visuals, but...
The latest entry in the Gamera series is something of a a let-down, for me at least.
To start on the positive side of things, it boasts some of the best special effects work in any kaiju film to date, surpassing any of the Millennium Godzilla films. (Though in the case of GMK and Tokyo SOS, not by much) Also, Zedus (Jidas) is an awesome monster which is likeably evil, and looks great.
Unfortunately, pretty much everything else is below par. The story is overly simplistic and very child-orientated, the Gamera suit makes the cookie monster look intimidating, and the music is bland and even corny at times.
Problems also arise with the pacing, as the final battle is constantly interrupted by poorly placed scenes of human drama.
The worst part, however, is that for the most part, the final battle isn't that great to begin with, as it largely fails to evoke a strong sense of struggle, mostly because it's very one sided and frequently quite slow.
In the end, Gamera the Brave is a mediocre kaiju film, on par with Godzilla vs Megaguirus or Godzilla 2000. If you're a kaiju enthusiast, you may want to check it out, but if you want to see a great modern kaiju film, watch GMK* instead. (*Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack)
Godzilla (1998)
Absolutely terrible
Yes, I'm a die-hard fan of the Japanese Godzilla movies, but that's not the only reason I hate this film. Like many fans, my biggest problem is that the American 'Godzilla' is that it's nothing but a CGI lizard with NONE of the character, personality, symbolism, or even sheer power that made it's Japanese cousin so indescribably cool.
However, forgetting this, even when I view this film as a run-of-the-mill Hollywood blockbuster, I can honestly say it's among the worst I've ever seen. So what's wrong with it? Where do I start? Annoying, unlikeable characters, (Particularly the downright hateable Audrey, who I got the impression we're supposed to LIKE [!?]) flat, uninspired acting, a unimaginative and ridiculous script, (Yes, I know some of the Japanese films suffer from this too, but they were at least fun to watch) sloppy direction, a stifling lack of originality, and sheer bad taste combine to make this the cinematic equivalent of nails on a blackboard.
Even the super-high-budget special effects aren't too impressive; while the Japanese films used their $11 million budgets to create awesome scenes of pyrotechnic destruction, this film's $120 million budget seems entirely devoted to endless shots of a giant iguana running through city streets. The LACK of satisfying destruction is hugely disappointing; to put things in perspective, imagine what the Japanese filmmakers (Especially Shusuke Kaneko) could do with a budget of $120 million. Wait a moment while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.
Basically, this is a downright terrible movie, and not just from the perspective of disappointed fans. If you want more proof, check out the 'Awards' section for this film; it won Razzie awards for Worst Remake/Sequel, and Worst supporting actress (Maria Pitillo/Audrey) and was nominated for Worst Picture and Worst Director. All I can say is that it should have won the last two.
Aliens (1986)
Best sequel of all time
Almost all sequels fall prey to one of two pitfalls: either they simply rehash the original, or they try to be too different and lose all the things that made the original good. Jim Cameron's Aliens strikes a perfect balance, retaining everything that was cool in Alien (1979) while still taking the film to an entirely new level. (Action as opposed to horror)
This film really does have it all: spine-chilling suspense, pulse-pounding action, beautiful (in a eerie, gooey way) scenery, colourful and memorable characters, an intelligent script, superb direction, believable acting, thrilling music, and special effects that still look AWESOME, even in today's CGI-infested world.
This is one of the only sequels I can think of that actually surpasses the original. But more importantly, its a cinematic masterpiece in its own right, and an almost perfect movie.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
Butchered, but still alive
The Americanization of this film completely takes away the allegorical depth that made the original Gojira so unique. However, it would take more than a disrespectful distributer to ruin Gojira himself, and the film is still watchable, though a pale, pale shadow of the original.
Thankfully, the best part of the film, Godzilla's rampage through Tokyo, has been left untouched. To be honest, I always favour monster action over drama, so the extensive editing to the human story didn't bother me much. In fact, if I may border on being sacrilegious, it improves the sometimes sluggish pace of the original.
Still, seeing a haunting allegory reduced a run-of-the-mill 'monster on the loose,' movie is very sobering.
If you're a G fan, you've probably already seen this film, but if you haven't, I'd recommend you see the original, uncut Gojira first; that's how it was meant to be.
Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991)
Hugely enjoyable in spite of logical flaws
There's a lot to dislike in this film: awful English scripts, more plot holes than plot, and a long wait before Godzilla finally shows up.
Luckily, all of these flaws are made up for by its awesome monster battles, fantastic music, cheesy humor, and sheer entertainment. In the end, the balance is positive, and anyone who can get over their logical disbelief should have a lot of fun with this movie. It reminds us that there's more to movies than dull realism and sophisticated storytelling.
It's no masterpiece, but its definitely one of the Big G's most fun films.
Gojira vs. Desutoroiâ (1995)
Truly moving
This film is one of the most action-packed yet touching Godzilla movies, a combination that makes for one of the best of the series to date. I'll admit I'm slightly biased, since this was the film that began my obsession with Godzilla, but I love this movie. The Big G himself is spectacular; not only does he look awesome, but he's arguably more powerful here than in any other film. What's more, his displays of emotion allow the audience to relate to him more strongly than ever. His death at the end of the film is not only truly haunting, but also brilliant film-making. The monster action is top-notch: brutal, exciting, and striking an almost perfect balance between Showa (Old series) physical fighting and Heisei (80s-90s)beam fighting. There's even spraying blood! What more could you want? The film cycles through these battles at a nice rate as well, never letting the pace slacken, but still giving the audience a breather now and then. To top it all off, Akira Ifukube's music is, as always, superb. Even I have to admit, some of the special effects and plotting are a bit corny, but since when has any real Godzilla fan let that put them off? This film is a treat for any G fan, and an awesome conclusion to the Heisei (1984-1995) series. Even non-G fans should check it out, if they want to know what Godzilla's really about.
Mosura tai Gojira (1964)
By far the most overrated Godzilla film
As a die-hard Godzilla fan, I realize that I'm very much in the minority here -most fans consider this to be one of the best Godzilla films to date- but I personally hate this movie.
Here my reason; for all its underlying themes, innovative special effects and rousing Ifukube score, the monster battles, which in my opinion are the main attraction of the kaiju (giant monster) genre, are highly disappointing. Take the actual duel between Godzilla and Mothra; all that happens is the latter buzzing around like a giant blowfly, then -finally- being toasted by the Big G.
While the film attempts to show Mothra as the 'good guy,' I personally find nothing interesting about an enormous moth, and her annoying tactics made me hate her to the extent that I actually found her demise rather satisfying. The closing battle between Godzilla and the two caterpillars was even worse; I just wanted him to kill the little F*ckers! Since there's only one in the next film, couldn't he have at least killed one!? Like their parent, the Mothra larvae's cowardly, irritating tactics earned them my deepest scorn.
Also, the two miniature girls who accompany Mothra are potentially the most annoying characters in movie history. "Mosuraaaa! Mosuraaa! Mosuraaa!" SHUT UP! Like their monster, I just wanted to see Godzilla kill them. Shusuke Kaneko did a brilliant thing when he cut them out of his 2001 masterpiece GMK. (In which the caterpillar makes a thankfully brief appearance, and Mothra finally has the good grace to lose to the King of the Monsters)
Even Godzilla himself isn't up to scratch here; he's horribly clumsy, and his mouth wobbles unrealistically. As with almost all the Showa (Old series) films, his heat ray is too weak and inefficiently used, and whenever he's attacked, all he does is thrash and scream.
I'm a Godzilla fan, not a Mothra fan; when I watch these films, I root for Godzilla, not his enemies. Therefore, I find this film to be one of the least enjoyable Godzilla films I've seen. Honestly, the vast acclaim it receives from fans mystifies me.