I have just finished watching Casshern and overall it was a visually stunning feast for the eyes with a beautifully woven fairytale at its heart. Unfortunately the fairytale was somewhat drowned under layer upon layer of heavy handed and mostly unnecessary exposition that ponders on for two long and mind-numbing hours, the result being that I am baffled by the entire experience. On the one hand I loved the movie; the style of the film was exceptional, every aspect of the world the director had created strained with the quality that is lacking in most western films. The cinematography was perfectly executed, the design work was breathtaking and the idea at the core of the narrative was ingenious. On the other hand these qualities cannot make up for the script, which is overly long and excruciatingly convoluted; taking an unnecessarily long and ponderous route to a conclusion that, in the hands of a better writer, could have been much more straightforward without necessarily losing any of the emotional complexity of the narrative or its characters. I would recommend seeing this movie if just to experience the spectacular visual feast that it is, but I can't help thinking that the story could have been treated so much better.
132 Reviews
Beautiful movie, fantastic scenes, average fighting and massive death.
thesociety8 December 2004
This movie grabs you right from the beginning with its audio/visual bombardment that keeps your eyes and ears at maximum capacity. This doesn't last all the way through, there's interspersed moments of artistic pause. Those frozen moment scenes looked like a master's canvas come to motion, if not life. Don't blink.
The plot of the movie revolves around a battle of life and death, with the love story subplot on the main character. As many scripts set in Japan do, they revolve the drama around "honor" and whatever twisted concept the characters have of it. Often "honor" demands that everyone dies. A lot of people die, but the violence is pretty good, more conceptual than graphic, and it delivers its intended impact well. But it eventually gets over the top, and you start wondering if anyone is going to live.
There's more than a few plot-holes, and they are big enough to drive a Honda through. You get the idea they shot reels of film and thought about how to piece it together afterward. People do things for impossible reasons, and unlikely motivations (twisted sense of honor becomes a generic excuse). To their credit, with such a twisted plot piecing together scenes, they don't make the mistake of turning the plot on a dime anywhere, so you won't get lost. You know who the bad guys are (3 different groups!) and who the good guys are (the hero, his immediate family, and all innocents), and you know who it's going to come down to in the end.
To anyone who watches this with subtitles, blame the incoherent reasons behind character's actions on bad subtitle translations.... and it becomes a better than average movie, even good. Turn out the lights and crank the volume. Sci-Fi fans, this is a don't miss.
The plot of the movie revolves around a battle of life and death, with the love story subplot on the main character. As many scripts set in Japan do, they revolve the drama around "honor" and whatever twisted concept the characters have of it. Often "honor" demands that everyone dies. A lot of people die, but the violence is pretty good, more conceptual than graphic, and it delivers its intended impact well. But it eventually gets over the top, and you start wondering if anyone is going to live.
There's more than a few plot-holes, and they are big enough to drive a Honda through. You get the idea they shot reels of film and thought about how to piece it together afterward. People do things for impossible reasons, and unlikely motivations (twisted sense of honor becomes a generic excuse). To their credit, with such a twisted plot piecing together scenes, they don't make the mistake of turning the plot on a dime anywhere, so you won't get lost. You know who the bad guys are (3 different groups!) and who the good guys are (the hero, his immediate family, and all innocents), and you know who it's going to come down to in the end.
To anyone who watches this with subtitles, blame the incoherent reasons behind character's actions on bad subtitle translations.... and it becomes a better than average movie, even good. Turn out the lights and crank the volume. Sci-Fi fans, this is a don't miss.
Beautiful
mike paines31 August 2004
If I hadn't already seen Zhang Yimou's Hero the previous week, I would have had to say that Casshern is one of the most beautiful-looking films I've seen in years (or ever). However, it'll have to suffice with second place. The CGI is highly stylised, with some green-screen shots looking purposefully false, but the real joy is in the production design - very evocative of Metropolis. Visual references are also made to the Nuremburg rallies of the 1930s, the Holocaust, Orwell's 1984 and those retro wind-up robots. A massive twenty-storey building is suspended in the air by hundreds of propellers like some overgrown zeppelin, and there's shots of a train so wide it requires five strips of rail side-by-side to accommodate it. The battle scenes are particularly awesome, and the combat scenes between Casshern and the Neo-Sapiens equally sharp.
However, the story primarily revolves around the drama of two families and there's very little affinity made with the main characters. Perhaps it was because the action scenes were so bombastic, but I found it very difficult to spur my interest in the character-driven moments, and this consequently made the two-and-a-half-hour running time feel a tad too long.
The final closing message, which runs contrary to the adrenalized mid-section of the film, is presented rather clumsily. But in true Japan-fashion, you can't help but be charmed by the sincerity of the whole thing.
However, the story primarily revolves around the drama of two families and there's very little affinity made with the main characters. Perhaps it was because the action scenes were so bombastic, but I found it very difficult to spur my interest in the character-driven moments, and this consequently made the two-and-a-half-hour running time feel a tad too long.
The final closing message, which runs contrary to the adrenalized mid-section of the film, is presented rather clumsily. But in true Japan-fashion, you can't help but be charmed by the sincerity of the whole thing.
Disappointing
Bungle-922 October 2005
My goodness, I really don't know where to start with this film. It looked great in the trailers...
First off I understand what the filmmakers were trying to say - anti-war, anti-playing with genes, anti-lots of things, but unfortunately these intentions are marred by ponderous, drawn out and pretentious dialogue. Fair enough, a lot of Japanese movies (that I've seen) have a bit of this in it (along with those REALLY annoying unfinished sentences), but in this case it was so relentless that I almost cried from boredom.
From the marketing and the tag lines and the trailers I had expected a decent, fresh looking action flick but instead I got a somewhat political film that tried to make a point about human existence, and personally I don't believe that this is the right kind of movie to make this kind of statement. As I say, I get what they're trying to say, but I remain disappointed at the vehicle for it.
Other problems - things intercut and jump about so often that getting confused is far too easy. The music is also relentlessly playing ALL THE WAY through the film (save for a few pauses). Perhaps this might have been OK had it not been so repetitive in style. The film is also far too long. Considerable lack of character - all I remember after watching it are faces, no characters.
Good things - very new look for a start. The CG is used to great effect to construct the environment in this world although it can be a little overbearing at times. Regarding the action, when it gets going it really gets going (although this was far too infrequent for me). The point the movie is trying to make is also quite potent - it's probably better to watch it to get the point rather than me telling you, but it is quite an arduous task.
All in all - overlong, relentlessly pretentiously scripted, absent of character, gratingly scored yet with an interesting point to make and an original aesthetic to show off with all too sporadic action scenes which were, let's face it, what most of us came to the show to see after seeing trailers etc. I spent £7 on the DVD after waiting for ages for the price to come down, and personally I would like that £7 back.
6/10
First off I understand what the filmmakers were trying to say - anti-war, anti-playing with genes, anti-lots of things, but unfortunately these intentions are marred by ponderous, drawn out and pretentious dialogue. Fair enough, a lot of Japanese movies (that I've seen) have a bit of this in it (along with those REALLY annoying unfinished sentences), but in this case it was so relentless that I almost cried from boredom.
From the marketing and the tag lines and the trailers I had expected a decent, fresh looking action flick but instead I got a somewhat political film that tried to make a point about human existence, and personally I don't believe that this is the right kind of movie to make this kind of statement. As I say, I get what they're trying to say, but I remain disappointed at the vehicle for it.
Other problems - things intercut and jump about so often that getting confused is far too easy. The music is also relentlessly playing ALL THE WAY through the film (save for a few pauses). Perhaps this might have been OK had it not been so repetitive in style. The film is also far too long. Considerable lack of character - all I remember after watching it are faces, no characters.
Good things - very new look for a start. The CG is used to great effect to construct the environment in this world although it can be a little overbearing at times. Regarding the action, when it gets going it really gets going (although this was far too infrequent for me). The point the movie is trying to make is also quite potent - it's probably better to watch it to get the point rather than me telling you, but it is quite an arduous task.
All in all - overlong, relentlessly pretentiously scripted, absent of character, gratingly scored yet with an interesting point to make and an original aesthetic to show off with all too sporadic action scenes which were, let's face it, what most of us came to the show to see after seeing trailers etc. I spent £7 on the DVD after waiting for ages for the price to come down, and personally I would like that £7 back.
6/10
The worst script (if it can be called a script) I've seen in my entire life!
nighthiker19 May 2005
I came here to look at the reviews before watching the movie, and was quite eager to see what it was that so many people seemed to be raving about while complaining that the movie had bad ratings.
I couldn't be more disappointed. Granted, the visuals are awesome. The acting is OK. But it would at least help if the movie had any kind of story into it, instead of a psychedelic mind trip from the film maker, with patches of film attached together without any concern for coherence...
This is NOT science fiction. It's only wildly nonsensical fantasy. If all you want is to see some colorful images and things flying around fast, then you might like this. If you don't mind characters appearing out of nothing without any reason or vanishing the same way, you might find it interesting. If you are used to "mexican soap operas" kind of dialogs with lots of apparently profound, but rather shallow philosophical outbursts, you may not need to force yourself to watch it all through out of some morbid curiosity. If you don't mind watching dozens of mere hints of a plot being aborted relentlessly in 140 minutes, you might not be disgusted at the end. But if you have any sort of working central nervous system, I recommend you stay away. I almost fried mine trying to find any sense into this movie.
Be warned.
NH
I couldn't be more disappointed. Granted, the visuals are awesome. The acting is OK. But it would at least help if the movie had any kind of story into it, instead of a psychedelic mind trip from the film maker, with patches of film attached together without any concern for coherence...
This is NOT science fiction. It's only wildly nonsensical fantasy. If all you want is to see some colorful images and things flying around fast, then you might like this. If you don't mind characters appearing out of nothing without any reason or vanishing the same way, you might find it interesting. If you are used to "mexican soap operas" kind of dialogs with lots of apparently profound, but rather shallow philosophical outbursts, you may not need to force yourself to watch it all through out of some morbid curiosity. If you don't mind watching dozens of mere hints of a plot being aborted relentlessly in 140 minutes, you might not be disgusted at the end. But if you have any sort of working central nervous system, I recommend you stay away. I almost fried mine trying to find any sense into this movie.
Be warned.
NH
Powerful stuff
matsutaro1 May 2004
I saw "Casshern" yesterday at a packed theater and I was blown away. I went in looking for a black-and-white head-busting superhero flick, but I got a lot more than I bargained for.
First off, the photography is gorgeous--as director, cinematographer, and editor Kazuaki Kiriya makes excellent use of color and grain in his film. At times it's a fuzzy, glowing dream, while at others it's stark, black-and-white sandpaper on your brain. It's an ingenious device to change the mood of the film instantaneously.
There are hints of any number of films here--Metropolis, Frankenstein, Mononoke Hime, Terminator, Tetsuo--and yet the film definitely stands on its own. By no means a slavish adaption of the original animated series, it does contain a number of nods to elements of the original that fans will surely recognize (I leave it to other viewers to catch these for themselves). I was particularly impressed by the first appearance of Luna, who looks like she stepped out of a painting by Tatsunoko alumnus Yoshitaka Amano in that scene.
The action scenes are backed by a driving rock score which reminded me of "The Crow" for some reason. Hardcore action fans who are hoping for a "Matrix Reloaded" bumper-to-bumper slugfest will be sorely disappointed, though. The fight scenes actually run counter to the message of the film--that, as one character states, "War makes humans inhuman." There is a long tradition in Japanese fiction--and animation, in particular--of the hero becoming what he hates to triumph over his enemy. The perfect example of this is Devilman, who becomes a demon to do battle with other demons. There is also a saying in Japan, "kokoro wo oni ni suru" or "steel your heart with resolve," and "Casshern" proves that some decisions will indeed set us on the road to having the hardened heart of a demon. In the end, most conflicts can never be won--even if you win, you lose, as you have more than likely sown the seeds for the next conflict.
I have no idea how foreign audiences will take to the message in this film, but I could hear a number of people crying in the darkness around me, and the crowd was uncharacteristically silent as they left the theater. As a translator, I hope this gets the treatment it deserves when it gets subtitled--the dialog isn't particularly difficult for those with a moderate knowledge of Japanese, and there are vast stretches of film with no dialog at all, but there are also a number of nuances that might be lost. The omnipresent Chinese and Cyrillic characters of the Asian Federation create an oppressive mood that'll be difficult to convey--the nearest example I can think of is the subliminal messages in John Carpenter's "They Live." Some of the other devices used in the film, such as multiple voices repeating portentous words "You don't know what war's like," might also be difficult to convey with normal subtitling. Nevertheless, I hope to see this film made available to a larger audience soon.
First off, the photography is gorgeous--as director, cinematographer, and editor Kazuaki Kiriya makes excellent use of color and grain in his film. At times it's a fuzzy, glowing dream, while at others it's stark, black-and-white sandpaper on your brain. It's an ingenious device to change the mood of the film instantaneously.
There are hints of any number of films here--Metropolis, Frankenstein, Mononoke Hime, Terminator, Tetsuo--and yet the film definitely stands on its own. By no means a slavish adaption of the original animated series, it does contain a number of nods to elements of the original that fans will surely recognize (I leave it to other viewers to catch these for themselves). I was particularly impressed by the first appearance of Luna, who looks like she stepped out of a painting by Tatsunoko alumnus Yoshitaka Amano in that scene.
The action scenes are backed by a driving rock score which reminded me of "The Crow" for some reason. Hardcore action fans who are hoping for a "Matrix Reloaded" bumper-to-bumper slugfest will be sorely disappointed, though. The fight scenes actually run counter to the message of the film--that, as one character states, "War makes humans inhuman." There is a long tradition in Japanese fiction--and animation, in particular--of the hero becoming what he hates to triumph over his enemy. The perfect example of this is Devilman, who becomes a demon to do battle with other demons. There is also a saying in Japan, "kokoro wo oni ni suru" or "steel your heart with resolve," and "Casshern" proves that some decisions will indeed set us on the road to having the hardened heart of a demon. In the end, most conflicts can never be won--even if you win, you lose, as you have more than likely sown the seeds for the next conflict.
I have no idea how foreign audiences will take to the message in this film, but I could hear a number of people crying in the darkness around me, and the crowd was uncharacteristically silent as they left the theater. As a translator, I hope this gets the treatment it deserves when it gets subtitled--the dialog isn't particularly difficult for those with a moderate knowledge of Japanese, and there are vast stretches of film with no dialog at all, but there are also a number of nuances that might be lost. The omnipresent Chinese and Cyrillic characters of the Asian Federation create an oppressive mood that'll be difficult to convey--the nearest example I can think of is the subliminal messages in John Carpenter's "They Live." Some of the other devices used in the film, such as multiple voices repeating portentous words "You don't know what war's like," might also be difficult to convey with normal subtitling. Nevertheless, I hope to see this film made available to a larger audience soon.
A visual blast, but tedious as hell
phovusle26 November 2013
Lat ANYBODY watch ANY 5 minutes of the movie and they will say "holy sh**t that is amazing". And at least back in 2004 it was mind-blowing what Casshern delivers in visuals and style. The director was a fashion designer or something and by all means: that shows. Casshern is a beauty.
But a beauty that feels like 6 hours and has nothing interesting to say. At some point you just end up being exhausted and bored. And it really is a pity.
We need Dario Argento to make an European cut with 75 Minutes runtime and have a blast with the outcome.
But a beauty that feels like 6 hours and has nothing interesting to say. At some point you just end up being exhausted and bored. And it really is a pity.
We need Dario Argento to make an European cut with 75 Minutes runtime and have a blast with the outcome.
Amazing work of art
moechae11 September 2005
"At last I understand. We hurt others by our very existence. That's just the way we live." I began watching Casshern with absolutely no idea of what to expect. Seeing a preview for it on the internet, I ordered the DVD and waited. Hearing extremely mixed reviews, I was tense. Did I spend my money stupidly? Would this movie just sit on a shelf collecting dust after I watched it? Then it came. I put it in, fiddled for about five minutes getting the subtitles to work in English (the entire DVD menu was written in Japanese), sat back, and was promptly blown away. Casshern was a visual feast for the starving moviegoer. After Star Wars, Matrix Trilogy, and other sci-fi movies that have butchered CGI special effects to the point where they should now be called "normal effects", Casshern utilized the technology brilliantly. Stylistic and visually stunning, the visuals could be compared to other recent Asian imported movies such as Hero or House of Flying Daggers. The comparison ends there, though.
Based off of a 1970's anime, Cashan The Robot Hunter, Casshern is set in a futuristic alternate universe, where after fifty years of stressing warfare, the country called Greater Eastern Federation triumphs over another country called Europa and has gained control of the Eurasian continent. It is a hollow victory, though, as the years of warfare have left the continent devastated with nuclear waste and new diseases have decimated the already exhausted population. Out of this rubble one man, a Dr. Azuma, has proposed a plan using "neo-cells" that are like stem cells on steroids, in order to regenerate humankind. Scoffed at by the government and scientists, Dr. Azuma is forced to receive his funding from a shady branch of the military. During his experiments, Dr. Azuma realizes that his "neo-cell" theory is absolute bull, but unwittingly stumbles upon a well of eternal youth/strength/reanimation. Thusly, he creates a race of mutant beings called Shinzo Ningen, that vow revenge upon the humans after the military slaughter all but four of the creatures.
Casshern was dumbly marketed and labeled as an action-adventure movie, when in fact, the movie has only three real action scenes in it. It instead focuses on the moral issues surrounding warfare. Whether it is ever right to utilize war and destruction, and it brings up many thought-provoking issues such as what is ethically and morally right? How far can one go for love? What does it mean to be part of humanity as a whole, to be alive? That was one of the reasons why Casshern received such low ratings, especially in America. After being raised on Hollywood cookie-cutter plots and car chase scenes, Casshern was an interesting break from the norm. It doesn't dumb down its plot or sugarcoat the issues it deals with, and even leaves many answers up to you to interpret. The movie rarely lets the viewer stop and take a breather, nor wastes time with superficial plot lines. Casshern wants to get its point across in the most dramatic and breath-taking way that is possible, and boy does it deliver.
This is Kazuaki Kiriya's directorial debut, and he certainly brings his unique style to the movie. Having previously been a music video director, you can see the influences of it in sharply contrasting scenes and surrealistic narrative. Casshern understands what it means to be a movie, mainly, a visual art form. That is what it is, a visually stunning piece of art with an intriguing plot line.
Based off of a 1970's anime, Cashan The Robot Hunter, Casshern is set in a futuristic alternate universe, where after fifty years of stressing warfare, the country called Greater Eastern Federation triumphs over another country called Europa and has gained control of the Eurasian continent. It is a hollow victory, though, as the years of warfare have left the continent devastated with nuclear waste and new diseases have decimated the already exhausted population. Out of this rubble one man, a Dr. Azuma, has proposed a plan using "neo-cells" that are like stem cells on steroids, in order to regenerate humankind. Scoffed at by the government and scientists, Dr. Azuma is forced to receive his funding from a shady branch of the military. During his experiments, Dr. Azuma realizes that his "neo-cell" theory is absolute bull, but unwittingly stumbles upon a well of eternal youth/strength/reanimation. Thusly, he creates a race of mutant beings called Shinzo Ningen, that vow revenge upon the humans after the military slaughter all but four of the creatures.
Casshern was dumbly marketed and labeled as an action-adventure movie, when in fact, the movie has only three real action scenes in it. It instead focuses on the moral issues surrounding warfare. Whether it is ever right to utilize war and destruction, and it brings up many thought-provoking issues such as what is ethically and morally right? How far can one go for love? What does it mean to be part of humanity as a whole, to be alive? That was one of the reasons why Casshern received such low ratings, especially in America. After being raised on Hollywood cookie-cutter plots and car chase scenes, Casshern was an interesting break from the norm. It doesn't dumb down its plot or sugarcoat the issues it deals with, and even leaves many answers up to you to interpret. The movie rarely lets the viewer stop and take a breather, nor wastes time with superficial plot lines. Casshern wants to get its point across in the most dramatic and breath-taking way that is possible, and boy does it deliver.
This is Kazuaki Kiriya's directorial debut, and he certainly brings his unique style to the movie. Having previously been a music video director, you can see the influences of it in sharply contrasting scenes and surrealistic narrative. Casshern understands what it means to be a movie, mainly, a visual art form. That is what it is, a visually stunning piece of art with an intriguing plot line.
A visual masterpiece?
dave03278721 December 2005
Casshern sacrifices narrative continuity in favour of aesthetic grandeur. Kazuaki Kiriya made his feature debut with Casshern and had previously devoted his time to music videos, the influence was overbearing. Soundtrack motifs played in crescendo to action sequences throughout the film, intense colour and CGI made the film visually intense but shot to shot and scene to scene continuity suffered. I found it difficult to follow the story often lost in a mess of fragmented shots and incoherent animations. The plot itself was no linear transgression of events, the film resolves instead on a message rather than a resolution. Kiriya places emphasis upon metaphor rather than storytelling which is unusual. Hollywood fans like myself will probably find the film too messy to deal with, Casshern leaves many loose ends which some may find intriguing. Casshern does offer stunning visuals with big budget action sequences and fresh looking CGI. For die hard 'Art film' fans, the film was so enigmatic and metaphorical, fans of narrative cinema like myself may fall asleep!
Really, really bad
scott_white_fan_club2 April 2006
This is possibly one of the worst films ever made; it drags on far past the level of endurance and the story reeks of s***. Watching it feels like watching the second two matrix films, while being anally-rendered. By a big lad named Kenneth. The "philosophy" is flawed and the fighting could have been taken from the cut-scene to a video game. A crap video game. The only good thing about the entire film is that it was my mates copy, and not my own. I thank God every day that I didn't buy this rubbish excuse for a film. I think of it as a blessing. And for his part, it only cost him £7. My advice to anyone who is interested in seeing this film, go outside and play with the buses instead. Overall, it will be a far more rewarding experience than this live-action anime balls.
My eyes are bleeding
Cavalierfliks21 February 2005
Having received my copy of Casshern from CD-wow today,my thoughts were to hang on till the weekend to view this movie!But for some reason,my thoughts were telling me to watch it NOW,Tonight never mind the weekend and my god how right was i to trust them.I cant think of any film in my 20yrs+ of movie watching that has left me stunned and speechless!This is cinematic genius,and master-craft in narrative,visuals,soundtrack&meaning.From the CGI shots a plenty to the rounding up of the meaning using simple camera visuals,i simply cant recommend this film enough,my only gripe is that I know need to see this baby on the biggest screen possible.To all you film fans out there don't sell yourself short,leave everything behind and lose yourself in this film.This is for all you who believe,trust me!!!!
Mediocre premise, great CGI scenic visuals, drawn out plot
ma_ge22 January 2005
The good: Very beautiful scenes.
The bad: The movie was about 40 minutes too long, with repetitive flashbacks, scenes unnecessarily drawn out even after the dialogue and action has ended, a meandering plot (with plenty of plot holes), characters that act inconsistently or unbelievably, a forgettable soundtrack, and one -awesome- action scene/battle roughly around the 15% mark that makes you think the rest of the movie will feature scenes just as great, but it's just one long anti-climax after that point.
It also asks many naive questions about war/mankind/humanity to make a pretense at being remotely philosophical. It doesn't discuss what possible answers there could be to those questions, but it takes a mediocre movie and supposedly makes it 'deep.' Strangely enough, it seems that it's this very aspect of the movie that resonated with females (alongside the great visuals), who uniformly gave this movie high ratings.
This movie is barely a 6, for me.
The bad: The movie was about 40 minutes too long, with repetitive flashbacks, scenes unnecessarily drawn out even after the dialogue and action has ended, a meandering plot (with plenty of plot holes), characters that act inconsistently or unbelievably, a forgettable soundtrack, and one -awesome- action scene/battle roughly around the 15% mark that makes you think the rest of the movie will feature scenes just as great, but it's just one long anti-climax after that point.
It also asks many naive questions about war/mankind/humanity to make a pretense at being remotely philosophical. It doesn't discuss what possible answers there could be to those questions, but it takes a mediocre movie and supposedly makes it 'deep.' Strangely enough, it seems that it's this very aspect of the movie that resonated with females (alongside the great visuals), who uniformly gave this movie high ratings.
This movie is barely a 6, for me.
Stunning Graphics and Visual Concepts, Confused and Too Long Screenplay
claudio_carvalho8 September 2006
In the future, in a polluted post-apocalyptic society called Eurasia after a war against Europe, the planet is devastated by the effect of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The geneticist Dr. Azuma (Akira Terao) develops a technique called "neo-cell", capable of regenerating the body of human beings, sponsored by an evil corporation. His son Tetsuya Azuma (Yusuke Iseya) dies in the war, but after an accident in the laboratory of Dr. Azuma, Tetsuya revives as the powerful warrior Casshern, while a new breed of mutants called "neo-humans" is generated in the plant. The neo-humans decide to annihilate the humans and raise a new world.
The first point to call the attention in "Casshern" is the stunning graphics and the visual concepts of this post-apocalyptic society and the battle scenes, which are simply amazing. The screenplay has an excellent beginning, but in a certain point it becomes confused and difficult to be understood. The running time is also too long, and I confess that I was a little tired in the end of the movie. Maybe those viewers that are familiarized with the character and the story are able to understand this movie in details, but I have the intention to watch it again in a near future to have a better understanding of the plot. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Casshern Reencarnado do Inferno" ("Casshern Reincarnated From Hell")
The first point to call the attention in "Casshern" is the stunning graphics and the visual concepts of this post-apocalyptic society and the battle scenes, which are simply amazing. The screenplay has an excellent beginning, but in a certain point it becomes confused and difficult to be understood. The running time is also too long, and I confess that I was a little tired in the end of the movie. Maybe those viewers that are familiarized with the character and the story are able to understand this movie in details, but I have the intention to watch it again in a near future to have a better understanding of the plot. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Casshern Reencarnado do Inferno" ("Casshern Reincarnated From Hell")
Only for genre fans
oneloveall12 October 2007
Live action incarnation of an old anime film walks the fine line between an inspired, effects-laden action film with philosophical overtones and an underfunded, immature Japanese movie that cannot blend it's cgi as well as it would like. Sadly Casshern falls too heavily into that latter category, making a silly plot even more absurd by focusing too heavily on visual elements that feel cut and pasted. This movie is clearly a larger production then your typical eastern science fiction B-movie though, so fans of these kinds of style will most likely be pleased as punch to partake; everyone else needs to exercise caution.
A great film
Splattii4 January 2005
After reading the comments on IMDb I was second guessing getting the DVD. It was getting average scores, and many complained about the lack of action. I actually went into this film expecting some nice effects and that's about it...
Luckily I was wrong. The story was actually pretty entertaining. There were a couple of minor points I would have liked more information on, but living in North America I'm used to brainless plots because of Hollywood. In the end I thought the story was more than acceptable, and shouldn't cause anyone to pass by this film. It was the best attempt (at least it my eyes) thus far in creating an Anime movie with real actors.
I've been an avid fan of Asian cinema for a little over eight years now. I've seen a lot of good films, and a lot of bad ones. This is one of the good ones, and I hope people take time to view this film.
It's really a shame that crap like Azumi can score a 7.5 or higher on here, and something as beautiful and jaw dropping as this gets a lower score.
Luckily I was wrong. The story was actually pretty entertaining. There were a couple of minor points I would have liked more information on, but living in North America I'm used to brainless plots because of Hollywood. In the end I thought the story was more than acceptable, and shouldn't cause anyone to pass by this film. It was the best attempt (at least it my eyes) thus far in creating an Anime movie with real actors.
I've been an avid fan of Asian cinema for a little over eight years now. I've seen a lot of good films, and a lot of bad ones. This is one of the good ones, and I hope people take time to view this film.
It's really a shame that crap like Azumi can score a 7.5 or higher on here, and something as beautiful and jaw dropping as this gets a lower score.
Gorgeous visuals, adult violence, kiddie-cartoon story
sumire19 May 2004
The Good:
The set decoration. Ooooh yeah. I've seen plenty of manga with this Nazi/Shanghai-deco look, but few live-action movies that have realized it so well. Some nice details, like the cellphone ringing with the sound of an old-fashioned bakelite telephone and the creepy plane with the head of the Supreme Commander.
Use of grainy, tinted, and high-contrast film effects in "ordinary" scenes both sets the mood and helps to disguise cheap computer animation in SFX scenes.
Cool, video-gamey rock music during some of the action sequences.
Hey, now there's something different--a scene where the (helpless) heroine runs, towing the (even more helpless) hero behind her by the hand. She's in heels, no less.
Yes, I'm a sap, but I got misty at the end.
Damned fine-looking casting all around.
The Bad:
Hello, plausibility? Granted, I may have missed a few explanations due to the language barrier (my Japanese is weak when it comes to technical and military talk), and I learned to accept some it as artistic license, but still, I advise you to try not to think about the movie too much while you're watching it.
Despite some surprisingly effective usage (see "The Good"), the CG isn't _always_ believable. The brief cuts to 2-D animation in the marching-robots scene really didn't do anything for me.
The first big fight scene (Casshern vs. Sagurey) was shot and edited in such a way as to be almost incomprehensible. (Other fight scenes were better, though--I particularly liked the Casshern vs. Barashin duel.)
Other Notes:
Lots of violence--was the director making a special effort to distance it from the old kiddie-cartoon version? Includes one very bloody assassination, three impalements, and many, many shootings of innocent civilians.
The village doctor's dog was a nod to the old cartoon series, IIRC.
The set decoration. Ooooh yeah. I've seen plenty of manga with this Nazi/Shanghai-deco look, but few live-action movies that have realized it so well. Some nice details, like the cellphone ringing with the sound of an old-fashioned bakelite telephone and the creepy plane with the head of the Supreme Commander.
Use of grainy, tinted, and high-contrast film effects in "ordinary" scenes both sets the mood and helps to disguise cheap computer animation in SFX scenes.
Cool, video-gamey rock music during some of the action sequences.
Hey, now there's something different--a scene where the (helpless) heroine runs, towing the (even more helpless) hero behind her by the hand. She's in heels, no less.
Yes, I'm a sap, but I got misty at the end.
Damned fine-looking casting all around.
The Bad:
Hello, plausibility? Granted, I may have missed a few explanations due to the language barrier (my Japanese is weak when it comes to technical and military talk), and I learned to accept some it as artistic license, but still, I advise you to try not to think about the movie too much while you're watching it.
Despite some surprisingly effective usage (see "The Good"), the CG isn't _always_ believable. The brief cuts to 2-D animation in the marching-robots scene really didn't do anything for me.
The first big fight scene (Casshern vs. Sagurey) was shot and edited in such a way as to be almost incomprehensible. (Other fight scenes were better, though--I particularly liked the Casshern vs. Barashin duel.)
Other Notes:
Lots of violence--was the director making a special effort to distance it from the old kiddie-cartoon version? Includes one very bloody assassination, three impalements, and many, many shootings of innocent civilians.
The village doctor's dog was a nod to the old cartoon series, IIRC.
Its a joke
Crispin-Bates18 June 2005
This is one for sci-fi lovers of strictly limited intelligence and for serious film fans to miss. You have been warned! Kazuaki Kiriya certainly has good ideas for graphic design and unusual photographic techniques, but this film is hugely over-long, repetitious and massively self-indulgent - which is what happens I guess when the director is also the camera man and script writer. He should have stuck to making 3 minute advertisements, since this is what the 'film' looks like: lots of striking 3-minute sequences strung together with very little attempt at continuity or story-telling. It is like the worst bits of 'Dune' x 100. The script is appalling - when the first reviewer says the film asks 'deep questions' like 'why do we make war', that is indeed exactly what happens! Someone strikes a pose in front of the camera and shouts 'why do we make war, are we not all HUMAN BEINGS?' (a concept that is invoked quite often), there is no answer of course (it is a rhetorical question) then we go back to blurry and never-ending fight sequences. This film is ALL RHETORIC and no depth. Some characters says nothing at all, others spend most of their time shrieking or sobbing, before and after getting shot or cut to pieces (the fate of most of them). Oh, and a lot of women are carried about. Almost every scene begins with someone walking into shot carrying a woman. Have they not got legs for goodness sake? The purpose of course is to heighten the tragic demeanour of the central characters (all men) and to save the trouble of writing any meaningful lines for the women. When I say it is repetitive, I should mention that this extends to a number of sequences in the film actually being repeated, several times, just in case you did not get the heavy, tragic symbolism the first time round. This film also has some of the longest death sequences I have seen for a long time. Although containing elements of originality many filmic ideas are simply ripped off other movies. It is difficult to express what this film is about since the director does not have a clear idea himself. It is a tragedy for the Japanese film industry that movies like this are allowed to be released without someone stepping in and at least demanding severe cuts. I am quite certain the director would never have been given funding for this if he was not married to Japan's most successful and genuinely talented pop singer, Utada Hikaru - although her talent has diminished severely of late since she married this guy and started singing in English. Utada has the great merit of doing all her own song-writing and she sings the closing song of the movie. Next time (if there is one) Kazuaki Kiriya should swallow his pride and get someone else to do the editing and the screenplay.
Fantastic, thoughtful, beautiful film
LuxVesperis7 January 2005
Easily one of the best movies I have ever seen.
I am disappointed and yet not surprised at the low score given to this movie. It's not a typical action flick, as the trailer may lead many to believe. It is about so many things and the weak point is that it takes up so much, it is slightly difficult to follow.
I can't even express all the themes and things that flow through this movie. It takes up questions such as: Why do we fight wars? What is ethical? What would you do for love? What does it mean to be a father, a son, lovers, a citizen of a nation, a national leader, human, alive? Visually the movie is just breathtaking. It's gorgeous. Kiriya is not afraid to do what he feels does justice to the scene. He was the one behind the camera, not a common place for the director, to get the shot exactly the way he wanted it. Quite scenes are thoughtful and even the fight scenes are purely intense. Fantastic.
The movie is based on a 70s anime which is quite different. But it is interesting to note the places where the movie pays homage to the original anime.
The English subtitles are quite good and quite accurate. There are a few parts that I would have translated it differently, but over all, the integrity of the film is totally intact.
I highly recommend this film for true lovers of sci-fi who are looking something that is more than mindless battle scenes.
I am disappointed and yet not surprised at the low score given to this movie. It's not a typical action flick, as the trailer may lead many to believe. It is about so many things and the weak point is that it takes up so much, it is slightly difficult to follow.
I can't even express all the themes and things that flow through this movie. It takes up questions such as: Why do we fight wars? What is ethical? What would you do for love? What does it mean to be a father, a son, lovers, a citizen of a nation, a national leader, human, alive? Visually the movie is just breathtaking. It's gorgeous. Kiriya is not afraid to do what he feels does justice to the scene. He was the one behind the camera, not a common place for the director, to get the shot exactly the way he wanted it. Quite scenes are thoughtful and even the fight scenes are purely intense. Fantastic.
The movie is based on a 70s anime which is quite different. But it is interesting to note the places where the movie pays homage to the original anime.
The English subtitles are quite good and quite accurate. There are a few parts that I would have translated it differently, but over all, the integrity of the film is totally intact.
I highly recommend this film for true lovers of sci-fi who are looking something that is more than mindless battle scenes.
Visually stunning, but tries too hard...
drydahl2 May 2005
...to do it all. There were points to this film that I really enjoyed, but overall, the story just dragged on, and on, and on, and on, and on...you get the picture. As one of my friends that viewed it with me put it, "this film needed a more brutal editor".
It was about 45 minutes longer than it needed to be. Just my opinion.
Apparently now I have to try to meet the "10 line" quota for this thing to publish my comments. Ugh!
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah,
Have I hit 10 lines yet?
Evidentally not.
Writing more filler.
This should do it...
It was about 45 minutes longer than it needed to be. Just my opinion.
Apparently now I have to try to meet the "10 line" quota for this thing to publish my comments. Ugh!
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah,
Have I hit 10 lines yet?
Evidentally not.
Writing more filler.
This should do it...
...casshern delivers mindblowing action and scenes with a great plot!
SuperDoris26 October 2004
Have been waiting for this film since i saw the very promising trailer came out. Just like "sky captain and the world of tomorrow" have all the actors acted infront bluescreens. The difference is that it looks so incredibly much better in "casshern" and the director uses this technology to the fullest.
The music is really great and fits perfectly and all the actors are convincing. The fight scenes are maybe the most mindblowing i have ever witness. Hard to understand how awesome they really are. But this is not a movie with lots of action without a brain. The story is excellent, although sometimes a bit confusing, and very touching.
Together with "oldboy" this is clearly the best film i've seen this year. Just don't expect mindless action, even though it's worth seeing it just for the action. But "casshern" is so much more! 10/10 without hesitation...
The music is really great and fits perfectly and all the actors are convincing. The fight scenes are maybe the most mindblowing i have ever witness. Hard to understand how awesome they really are. But this is not a movie with lots of action without a brain. The story is excellent, although sometimes a bit confusing, and very touching.
Together with "oldboy" this is clearly the best film i've seen this year. Just don't expect mindless action, even though it's worth seeing it just for the action. But "casshern" is so much more! 10/10 without hesitation...
Looks great-but the story is missing
dbborroughs14 November 2004
This is a great looking film. Easily its the best looking of the three computer generated live action films so far released (The others being The Immortel and Sky Captain). However this film is missing a viable script to make you want to look at the visuals.
The plot has something to do with an army of reborn supermen being battled, occasionally, by a reborn soldier who eventually takes the name Casshern. There is more to the plot but considering how little of it actually made sense I figure I'll keep to the basics.
The action sequences, the few that there are, are absolutely mind bogglingly great. They are the reason that movies exist, taking you some where and showing you something that can only be seen with magic. I love them and the reflect perfectly how comics and animation can be done as live action.
But they are few and far between and there is a good deal of great looking sequences that contain a lot of nonsensical chatter or silence. The plot that they are suppose to be driving could have been workable in different hands and at a reasonable length, but this movie runs almost two and a half hours and is sure to induce a coma in anyone but visual artists.
If you want to see great visuals, see this film, if you want to see a great story look elsewhere.
6 out of 10 (purely because of the visuals)
The plot has something to do with an army of reborn supermen being battled, occasionally, by a reborn soldier who eventually takes the name Casshern. There is more to the plot but considering how little of it actually made sense I figure I'll keep to the basics.
The action sequences, the few that there are, are absolutely mind bogglingly great. They are the reason that movies exist, taking you some where and showing you something that can only be seen with magic. I love them and the reflect perfectly how comics and animation can be done as live action.
But they are few and far between and there is a good deal of great looking sequences that contain a lot of nonsensical chatter or silence. The plot that they are suppose to be driving could have been workable in different hands and at a reasonable length, but this movie runs almost two and a half hours and is sure to induce a coma in anyone but visual artists.
If you want to see great visuals, see this film, if you want to see a great story look elsewhere.
6 out of 10 (purely because of the visuals)
Kazuaki Kiriya just made my list...of people to die
du_haxen_hase1 July 2006
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.
speechless (almost)
gunterhausfrau24 August 2005
My wife and I watched this movie last night. I love anime, for the most part, but realize that quite a bit of it is rehashing the same topics. Visuals are important, and I can look past some of the more trivial and view the entertainment. She likes some, but is more "willing" to see these movies than "eager".
Having said that. HOLY COW! this is one of the best movies we have seen. Visuals were stunning, the message real, the topics more than timely, the human story was touching. Even the non-special effect type shots were beautiful. You can tell that the filmmakers were not concerned about dumbing down the story for the audience. I fear for an American release (please quite assuming we are morons).
This was not "good anime" or "good superhero" or "good science fiction". This was a excellent movie and story that was told using all those as medium.
You can see aspects of "Blade Runner", "The Matrix", maybe "2001" even film noir but this movie does it right. Please give it a chance. The first thing we thought of after the viewing is that we want run out and tell everyone we see "see this movie".
See this movie.
Having said that. HOLY COW! this is one of the best movies we have seen. Visuals were stunning, the message real, the topics more than timely, the human story was touching. Even the non-special effect type shots were beautiful. You can tell that the filmmakers were not concerned about dumbing down the story for the audience. I fear for an American release (please quite assuming we are morons).
This was not "good anime" or "good superhero" or "good science fiction". This was a excellent movie and story that was told using all those as medium.
You can see aspects of "Blade Runner", "The Matrix", maybe "2001" even film noir but this movie does it right. Please give it a chance. The first thing we thought of after the viewing is that we want run out and tell everyone we see "see this movie".
See this movie.
I really, REALLY wanted to like this...
robojesus7776 November 2004
I rarely bother to comment on a movie but feel that with this one--I must. I first heard of this film about a month ago on, down loaded the trailer, loved it! Read what people here said, pre-ordered it without thought. I was so excited when it arrived (beautiful packaging) but when I watched it I was saddened...the film is indeed beautiful but the director seemed to be bent on showing us pretty images then telling us a compelling story. I won't go on much longer but I'll jus say this. THIS IS NOT AN ACTION MOVIE. As someone has already pointed out. It has a few (non important or climatic) action scenes but these are brief. Another HUGE problem I thought was the pacing was so tedieously slow... Okay soundtrack. In all I must say that I was hugely disappointed but I can at least admire for what it is. To me it's like watching a beautiful dream that doesn't really go anywhere. But that's okay I guess...The philosphocial questions in the movie didn't bother me like it did some, I just wanted to see some kick-ass action in there. That plus the imagery and the intelligence behind the questions they raise would've made this an epic IMO. Kinda reminds me of a Japanese "Thin red Line"...
I gave it 6 (and that's honestly being very nice) out of 10 stars
I gave it 6 (and that's honestly being very nice) out of 10 stars
Messy, underwhelming Japanese futuristic epic
c-kelsall9 November 2005
Casshern is the story of the betrayal and subsequent uprising of a small but frighteningly powerful group of genetically enhanced humans, the hunted conception of a secret experiment gone horribly wrong. In the post-apocalyptic land they learn to survive, and then begin to plot their revenge against those who wronged them. Casshern arrived under the radar of British cinema distribution (although foreign language films do generally struggle to get a general release in the UK), which I consider to be a good thing. I have often wished that the British cinema industry would learn a thing or two about how to make decent films from Japan, which has produced some of the most incredible and innovative films in the last 15 years. However, Casshern is not one of those films. It strives to be a grandly epic moral fairy tale in a futuristic setting, but what emerges is an overblown, tedious, depressing and messy deflated soufflé of a film. It contains moments that are truly gripping and innovative, but I struggled to get far enough into the film to find them, and these moments are far too few to forgive the acres of tedium that separate them. I wouldn't wish a viewing of Casshern on my worst enemy.
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