Looking for some action
February 17, 2006 7:19 PM
[MovieNameFilter] A couple of years ago, I remember seeing a trailer for a movie of oriental origin -- I think it was korean, but I'm not sure -- that was a CGI/live-action giant robot movie, with a swordsman all in white doing a serious job of kicking ass (and potentially taking names, but it was all in a language foreign to me, so I'm not too sure).
Does anyone A) know what the name of this film is, B) know where I can find it, and C) know if it was translated into english, or at least subtitled?
Yep, I think you're thinking of Casshern, a japanese movie based on an old anime character. The trailer was visually exquisite, and got me and my roommates really pumped up. It took a while to find, but we finally located a copy at a non-chain video rental place.
I also have to agree with Hogshead; don't watch it. You'll kick yourself. The movie doesn't really have a plot and moves at a snail-like pace. It is pretty dark (both literally and figuratively) and didn't make a lot of sense.
The version I saw was subtitled in English. If you want some action, just watch the trailer over and over again. It's definitely more exciting than the movie.
posted by ding3r at 7:49 PM on February 17, 2006
I also have to agree with Hogshead; don't watch it. You'll kick yourself. The movie doesn't really have a plot and moves at a snail-like pace. It is pretty dark (both literally and figuratively) and didn't make a lot of sense.
The version I saw was subtitled in English. If you want some action, just watch the trailer over and over again. It's definitely more exciting than the movie.
posted by ding3r at 7:49 PM on February 17, 2006
I loved it, in a "I'd totally chop it up and project it on a wall at a party" sort of way.
posted by Eamon at 8:46 PM on February 17, 2006
posted by Eamon at 8:46 PM on February 17, 2006
Everyone above gets it right; there are a bunch of great-looking scenes and fantastic effects that are cool for absorbing in small pieces, but overall it's a slow-moving, barely comprehensible mess of a film with a couple of money shots that almost, but not quite, make it worth the time. My roommate and I ended up watching it at 1.5x, slowing down only for the fight scenes. The one towards the end with the robots, though, is pretty damn amazing. Especially when you go frame by frame. More here, in what I'd call a somewhat-too-positive review:
Casshern is actually based on a relatively unknown 1970s anime TV show of the same name, given a shiny new CGI gloss and serious tone, meant to appeal to the 30 somethings who grew up watching it. In spite of its attempted seriousness, however, the plot is silly even by anime standards...
But even as the plot lurches towards its inevitable apocalyptic end, it's really not the point. The reason to see Casshern is not the rather lame story, but the lush, astonishing visuals. Casshern looks like a 1930s Soviet propaganda poster come to life, with robots. It's a golden twilight and deep red tinted fusion of retro fascist, goth and steampunk aesthetics that looks refreshingly original in a sea of green and black toned Matrix rip-offs...
Don't expect very much and you might find yourself liking it in spite of its many flaws.
posted by mediareport at 9:00 PM on February 17, 2006
Casshern is actually based on a relatively unknown 1970s anime TV show of the same name, given a shiny new CGI gloss and serious tone, meant to appeal to the 30 somethings who grew up watching it. In spite of its attempted seriousness, however, the plot is silly even by anime standards...
But even as the plot lurches towards its inevitable apocalyptic end, it's really not the point. The reason to see Casshern is not the rather lame story, but the lush, astonishing visuals. Casshern looks like a 1930s Soviet propaganda poster come to life, with robots. It's a golden twilight and deep red tinted fusion of retro fascist, goth and steampunk aesthetics that looks refreshingly original in a sea of green and black toned Matrix rip-offs...
Don't expect very much and you might find yourself liking it in spite of its many flaws.
posted by mediareport at 9:00 PM on February 17, 2006
Thanks, guys.
That's the one, alright. Who knows... maybe I can rent it some night when I'm really bored. At least I'll know what to rent.
posted by ChrisR at 7:25 AM on February 18, 2006
That's the one, alright. Who knows... maybe I can rent it some night when I'm really bored. At least I'll know what to rent.
posted by ChrisR at 7:25 AM on February 18, 2006
After watching the trailer, I'm fired up despite the bad reviews. What should I watch instead that looks as good?
posted by owen at 11:14 AM on February 19, 2006
posted by owen at 11:14 AM on February 19, 2006
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If you're not dissuaded, I got my subtitled copy from DDDHouse in Hong Kong, but it got a DVD release in the UK and there's a dubbed US release as well.
posted by Hogshead at 7:29 PM on February 17, 2006