Now, I don't normally go posting negative slander about films I have not enjoyed but every now and then I see a movie so truly god awful that I feel the need to cathartically excrete it from my system by writing about my experience.
Firstly, this movie makes no sense, and we are not talking about mere plot-holes, which can often be forgiven depending on the material. This film does not even make an effort to provide a story at all consistent with logic and universal laws. Granted the film is fairly fantastical and so even this failing could be forgiven, provided that the film was at all good on other grounds, but it is not.
The story itself is stupid & the dialog even worse (granted I was reading subtitles, but come on - how bad can the translation possibly be?) I did not realize before starting to watch the film that it was adapted from anime, but this quickly became obvious in that most (certainly not all) anime is STUPID & CHILDISH - one thing this film manages to epitomize. The central theme of the movie - war is bad, we should stop fighting & try to co-exist - is a simplistic, trite message and what's unbelievable is that the film-makers seem to sincerely think it is deep and impressive. How sad...
The characters are not well drawn at all and in the end, if they all die, who gives a ****?? There is no "emotional resonance" as the blurb on the back of the DVD claims. The only "emotional resonance" I had with this movie was firstly of boredom, then disgust that I paid $5 to rent this piece of ****.
Visually, the movie is not at all satisfying. The use of black & white SERVES NO PURPOSE. The use of different filters & film stock is, contrary to the opinions of other posters, very obvious when you watch the film and does not add anything to a poorly directed effort. And the direction is ATROCIOUS. This guy has no idea how to time his shots or how to use the camera to tell the story. HE IS AN AMATEUR WITH NO TALENT FOR FILM-MAKING.
Finally, if you are reading this, wondering if this is a film you would enjoy, look down, deep inside, to that place where Truth resides and dis-ambulation and confusion dare not enter, and ask yourself one question: Do I have good taste? If the answer is Yes, you need not bother with this anymore, don't see this movie, go see something good, or even something mediocre, even Constantine would be a better use of your time and/or money. On the other hand, if you know that you do not have great taste, if you thought that even the first Matrix movie was any good, if you think that Keanu Reeves is a good actor, if you still watch re-runs of friends occasionally - "because it is a good show" - then go ahead, be my guest, you may even be entertained.
Firstly, this movie makes no sense, and we are not talking about mere plot-holes, which can often be forgiven depending on the material. This film does not even make an effort to provide a story at all consistent with logic and universal laws. Granted the film is fairly fantastical and so even this failing could be forgiven, provided that the film was at all good on other grounds, but it is not.
The story itself is stupid & the dialog even worse (granted I was reading subtitles, but come on - how bad can the translation possibly be?) I did not realize before starting to watch the film that it was adapted from anime, but this quickly became obvious in that most (certainly not all) anime is STUPID & CHILDISH - one thing this film manages to epitomize. The central theme of the movie - war is bad, we should stop fighting & try to co-exist - is a simplistic, trite message and what's unbelievable is that the film-makers seem to sincerely think it is deep and impressive. How sad...
The characters are not well drawn at all and in the end, if they all die, who gives a ****?? There is no "emotional resonance" as the blurb on the back of the DVD claims. The only "emotional resonance" I had with this movie was firstly of boredom, then disgust that I paid $5 to rent this piece of ****.
Visually, the movie is not at all satisfying. The use of black & white SERVES NO PURPOSE. The use of different filters & film stock is, contrary to the opinions of other posters, very obvious when you watch the film and does not add anything to a poorly directed effort. And the direction is ATROCIOUS. This guy has no idea how to time his shots or how to use the camera to tell the story. HE IS AN AMATEUR WITH NO TALENT FOR FILM-MAKING.
Finally, if you are reading this, wondering if this is a film you would enjoy, look down, deep inside, to that place where Truth resides and dis-ambulation and confusion dare not enter, and ask yourself one question: Do I have good taste? If the answer is Yes, you need not bother with this anymore, don't see this movie, go see something good, or even something mediocre, even Constantine would be a better use of your time and/or money. On the other hand, if you know that you do not have great taste, if you thought that even the first Matrix movie was any good, if you think that Keanu Reeves is a good actor, if you still watch re-runs of friends occasionally - "because it is a good show" - then go ahead, be my guest, you may even be entertained.