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LauraOrganaSolo
Reviews
Rupan Sansei: Nenriki chin sakusen (1974)
Fun for Lupin Fans and Non-Fans Alike
I'm not big on Lupin III. A combination of a plot hooks that don't really appeal to me and low-budget, old school character design has never made it worth the effort or money for me. But my friends like Lupin III and dragged me with them to see this at an anime convention.
I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I laughed a great deal, and not because of its hyper-retro 70s camp but because of its genuinely amusing, tongue-in-cheek silliness.
"Strange Psychokinetic Strategy" is like a fabulous cross-over of Lupin III and the Pink Panther films: physical gags and slap-stick, a frustrated police chief, crazy assassins, adventure, skillful, sexy ladies outwitting everyone else, and the most debonair Lupin ever.
This isn't really universally appealing -- those without a taste for silliness and a tolerance for campiness and cheese, intentional or otherwise, will probably roll their eyes at most of this movie. But if you have ever laughed at something involving Peter Sellers or Mel Brooks, you should give this movie a try.
Silent Hill (2006)
Best Video Game-to-Movie Conversion
I've been a fan of the Silent Hill video games since the first game. When it was announced that a film was to be made, I was disappointed, as movie conversions always leave out important things, make a mess of the story, change stuff, etc. It didn't help when it was revealed to be based on the first game but with the main character being changed from a single dad to a married woman with a husband appearing in the film, as well as the town being abandoned for decades instead of seemingly inhabited but mostly deserted.
By some stroke of genius, this movie managed to alter the story significantly but stay true to so much of the series.
Specific locations were faithfully reproduced down to minor architectural details (the gas station, the bowling alley) and many sequences were identical to the game (crying in the bathroom), right down to the camera angles (the nightmarish sequence right before Harry/Rose wakes up in the diner/bowling alley). Most of the monsters from the game are recreated in frightful detail (especially the nurses, a Silent Hill staple, and "Pyramid Head," a fan-favorite from Silent Hill 2).
Something that I've always DREAMED of seeing in a movie made from a video game was done: almost all of the music was from the video games. In a lot of games, the music isn't all that important but Akira Yamaoka's soundtracks for the Silent Hill series has always been incredibly eerie, moody, and unsettling.
Much of the climax felt too over-the-top and excessive to me and was the culmination of how much the movie had veered from the original story. I should have seen it and its truckloads of gore coming but I find it easy to let slide considering the filmmakers' faithfulness to so much else.
In short, the filmmakers did a fantastic job of paying close attention the Silent Hill games and comics and recreated it wonderfully but also in a way that can still be enjoyed by the average horror film-goer (this is useful since the games have multiple endings, most of which are a little cerebral and confusing).
Definitely worth seeing in the theaters.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Far Better Than Expected
As an avid [read: obsessed] fan of the Final Fantasy games, I had originally hoped for all the usual Final Fantasy trimmings: spiritual and magical elements, intriguing plot and characters, and of course all the traditional inside jokes. However when I first heard that not only would the Final Fantasy movie be almost entirely Americanized but set on Earth, I was highly disappointed (although less when I found out it would be written and directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, writer/creator of the Final Fantasy series of plot-driven RPGs, or role-playing games and anime (Japanese animation) movies). I went into the theatre with low expectations but after the first twenty minutes, I knew Square had succeeded in creating a masterpiece befitting of the Final Fantasy name.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is not to be confused with your average, run-of-the-mill SciFi flick with evil alien invaders, big guns, cheap sugary-sweet romance, and military oafs. Yes, there are some wily military people, and scary alien "invaders," and a tasteful amount of romance involved but the Final Fantasy movie truly revolves around spirituality, taking risks, and overcoming the odds. Yes, the creepy aliens are rather "rawr-kill-smash-eat" in the beginning but the story unfolds to reveal Sakaguchi-sama's traditionally fascinating twisty-turny plots.
Oh yeah. The visuals. Where to start? Mind-numbingly incredible. It's extremely easy those aren't real people walking around. There are some astonishingly beautiful sequences that are wonderfully remniscient of several of the more recent games, especially the disgustingly successful Final Fantasy VII, which sold six million copies world-wide (not to mention the villain's resemblance to Seifer, one of the villains of Final Fantasy VIII, and Ben Affleck).
I admit that some of the dialogue was slightly cheesy but definitely fun. I really can't think of any horribly BAD things about it save for one major flaw: no Nobuo Uematsu, the genius behind the haunting scores of the Final Fantasy reknown(as well as some of Square's other successful games), as well as the lack of the traditional Final Fantasy closing theme. It was like a Star Wars movie without its brassy opening. But then again, those are things that only the crazy fans of theseries would notice so general movie-goers probably wouldn't care.
In the end, I am thoroughly pleased with Square's gamble at making a film. I was afraid they were slapping the Final Fantasy title on it only for monetary reasons but my fears were easily assuaged.
If you liked the movie, I HIGHLY reccomend you try Final Fantasy VII (which I felt it most closely reflected) for the PlayStation and PC or any of the other games. For those of you that don't know, they have nothing to do with shooting people and/or blowing stuff up; the plots in the Final Fantasy games put a good deal, if not a majority of current films to shame.
Thank you for your time (if you're still reading) and I apologize for my lengthy review.