Reviews

This is a parody of shows such as Power Rangers and Sailor Moon. It takes the familiar elements (a team of five people who transform into colorful super-heroes and fight alien invaders) and adds a few twists. None of the humor is over the top, in fact it is fairly low-key. Which I like just fine.

To its credit, I did watch this anime all the way through. Most of Go Nagai's productions have that effect on me. But if you're a fan of anime, keep in mind, not all anime that makes it to this side of the Pacific is good.

There were some half-hearted attempts to bring some sophistication to this story, but personally, I was quickly distracted from those attempts by the gratuitous breast shots and the fountains of blood.

There is also an attempt to build Savage Jack into a anti-hero, which doesn't completely succeeds, and winds up making him more of a thug than anything else.

I was quite surprised to see this movie show up at my local Blockbuster. I'd heard of it before, but I knew it's a relatively unknown movie in North America. Here are my (disorganized) thoughts on it.

I must say that it was a very pleasant surprise for me. I knew this movie was notorious for its use of SFX, but the way they are used for the fight scenes is visually creative, and are very much reminiscent of what one would see in a FINAL FANTASY video game (VII and later). It also brought to mind the mystical warriors of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, which was possibly an inspiration for the filmmakers.

I also enjoyed the soundtrack and the gorgeous sets. Some of the storytelling techniques used were initially jarring, but I quickly got used to them. The dubbing was competent, and did not bother me as much as it usually does. Sonny Chiba's portrayal of 'Lord Conquer' brought a lot to this movie, what a great villain. Qi Shu was lovely!

Thanks to ugo.com, I was able to watch this anime. The first one was quite promising, but this one delivers the good. From the get-go, Devil Man fights hordes of demons, with only a few breaks for character development. There is also a twist at the end, regarding his enemy, which while is slightly cliche'd for an anime, would probably never happen in an American feature.

Definitely worth tracking down. However, beware the level of violence, as well as nudity throughout. They did not bother me in the least, but this isn't for kids.

I slipped into this movie while waiting for Memento. I was already aware of what type of movie I would be seeing, and its particular quirks did not bother me at all.

I am no historian, but I don't think ladies went around dressed like Vogue cover models. Just a hunch that I have. However, the various anachronisms made me chuckle, especially the WWF-style intros. And the rock soundtrack didn't bother me at all, and for the most part some generic (but nice) background music is playing.

Actually, what I found myself enjoying the most was the reunion scene between William and his father. On the other hand, the rivalry between Adhemar and William was not terribly interesting to me. I think it would've been better if the movie didn't scream "villain!" whenever Adhemar showed up. He even had a black horse and black armor!

Did anyone else think that the female blacksmith, whose name I don't recall, was cuter than Jocelyn?

At any rate, this movie kept me entertaining until Memento. By the way, Memento rocks. See it. Now.

A friend of mine had mentioned Kikujiro, and while looking for something to rent, I spotted that movie, and picked it up. I wasn't really sure what to expect, not knowing anything about 'Beat' Takeshi.

I think that what helped me enjoyed the movie was that I recognized what the title character (Kikujiro, played by Takeshi) is all about. He's an idiot, he's rude, and he's not apologetic about it. And it's SO FUNNY... We all know someone like that. And underneath all that, he's really a nice guy. Though you pretty much have to watch the whole movie to understand this.

The movie was structured differently as well. Not in a classic narrative format, but rather, it felt more like "real life." It can be a little bit boring at time, but sticking with it is worth it, IMO.

Wow. When I first saw this movie, I have NEVER heard of it. By reading other people's comments, I am not alone. The only preconception I had was that it would be one of those obscure, goofy, and generally bad "genie" movies.

And then the movie starts, takes your preconceptions, and turns them inside out before ripping them apart. Now that's what I like in a movie!

This has been said before, but it bears repeating. If you are considering to watch this movie, keep in mind that it is almost entirely based on the Highlander TV series. It has nothing to do with the first three Highlander movies.

In fact, I would say the movie plays out like an Highlander TV episode with a big budget, with lots of flashbacks and swordfights. So if you liked the TV series, you'll probably like this movie. If you didn't care for the series, or prefer the original movie, pass this one; you won't miss too much.