Art fans might reasonably expect one of the world's most successful painters to display a distinctive or at least appealing visual sense here, but they will be disappointed by Yasutaka Nagano's pedestrian photography; the film fares even worse in terms of storytelling and pacing.
By second-guessing what audiences want, Murakami falls into the same trap studios do when trying to appease mass tastes, delivering a film that features many of his familiar designs and characters but precious little in the way of personal vision.
30
Village VoiceSimon Abrams
Village VoiceSimon Abrams
Jellyfish Eyes may be blessedly unpretentious, but it's also immediately unmoving and relentlessly boring.
It is poorly shot and afflicted by tedious sound (lots of screaming and saccharine music) and inept special effects. It moves with either incomprehensible abruptness or tedious slowness, especially at supposedly suspenseful moments.