Doragon heddo

I really liked this movie. It is a "catastrophe" movie, even though it has nothing to do with the typical western idea of such a happening. It does not indulge in the process of reversing the trauma, it rather centers it's plot on surviving the drama. The characters are not typical western heroes, willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the collective. They are merely humans trying to survive in a world suddenly so different and hostile. It covers the bonds between the survivors, the human will to live, and the human will to just let go. An excellent movie, with some forms of dialogue typical for Japanese movies, and fond of human relations. It has great effects, but it's not a Hoolywood blockbuster movie with stupid plot. The disaster is just described, some ideas are given, but there is not detailed description of what happened. And there is no turning back.

This movie is what you come up with if you take Armaggedon and you mix it with Die Hard. You remove Bruce Willis and make the main character die even harder, but not save anyone. You add a little Lord of the Flies and make it Japanese. Voila!

This is a movie that could have been a little shorter. It felt really long at its two hours, however it was surprisingly good. It's a disaster movie where people act disastrously, as the calamity that occurred is affecting the human brain as well.

The effects were nice, the emotions in the movie were rather violent for my taste, and I blamed it on Japanese cinema, but it was the magnetic field's fault (or was it? :) ). The script was well done and I thought the actors played well.

It's worth a watch, it may surprise you. It was very close to an 8, but the accent put too strongly on human insanity and the length dropped it to 7.

What is really disappointing about this movie is that the art direction is so fantastic, it makes the inane acting so upsetting to watch. Seriously, 3/4 of this movie focuses on the main character stumbling around, falling down, and then waddling around on the ground like an invalid. None of the characters act at all rational, and yet they are all surrounded by amazing sets and brilliantly realized visions of the apocalypse. If only the director could have things move faster, or have people stop falling over. I thought to myself, "if I took a drink every time someone falls down to the ground, I'd be dead." It might make a fun time at a party of with some friends, but if you're looking to enjoy a good movie, I would skip out on this tumbling mess.

I had some reservations before borrowing this movie from the local library. I wasn't sure whether to expect a low-budget dragon movie or something with really bad set design. I couldn't have been more off. This movie may have some of the most spectacular sets I've ever seen. No details or expense was spared in creating the visually stunning and surreal backdrop. The plot has a nice forward momentum full of action and trepidation. But definitely go for the subtitles instead of the English overdub. Nothing can ruin a movie more than an awful dubbing in that ridiculous English voice with the accent. You have to hand it to the Japanese - they are much better at making these kinds of movies than Hollywood seems to be.

There have been great Japanese disaster films like Submersion of Japan, and dreadful ones like Earthquake 7.9. This film falls between the best and worst in the good range.

A teenage boy wakes up on a train. He remembers traveling with his class somewhere when something happened, something terrible of which he is one of the few survivors. The first 40 minutes are set in a collapsed train tunnel where the survivors try to come to terms with their situation, both in the tunnel and in their heads. Its an odd way to start a film, but it works since it allows things to be set up and expectations to be dismantled.

After the 40 minutes the movie moves outside as the survivors struggle to travel across what is now a truly alien earth. What happened is not clear at least at first, but it was big and powerful and not over.

For the most part this film works in spades. Visually this film has set the bar to new end of the world films, and I can only imagine what a live action version of the manga and anime classic Akira would look like in the hands of these film makers. The acting is mostly fine with several eerie performances by several of the supporting cast. I also love the fact that this film is dealing with more than just destruction. There are ideas being battered about, as with the strange pair of kids who's father has removed that part of their brain that allows them to fear. Its trippy and creepy at the same time.

Unfortunately the film also has two serious, but not fatal problems. The first the film occasionally moves into cliché a couple of times, as in the crazed soldiers who hook up with our heroes. Why do we need this insanity, even if the film attempts to explain it? The other problem is the pacing is uneven. Sometimes sequences seem to go on a bit too long, while others are too speedy. It grated on this viewer and it felt longer than two hours. As I said its not fatal, but it is annoying because the film as a whole deserves better.

I liked this, especially its sense of the new world. 7 out of 10. See it if you get the chance.