X

When you find yourself skipping through large segments of a film just to arrive at something vaguely interesting, you know it doesn't have the longevity you want it to. X is decidedly niche which I believe to be a positive, but in its attempts to constrict a manga series down into the constraints of a mere ninety minutes, you know you're not going to create the desired effect, and you're more than likely going to end up with an equivalent to Evangelion Death&Rebirth without the extra something which makes you not skip forward large chunks.

I will state (and prepare for the negative backlash) that I have not seen, but would very much like to, the accompanying mangas and series, because there is something about X that lurks in the background amidst all the faults that is desperately trying to get out, and desperately trying to impress itself upon you as the viewer, but just doesn't quite make it. But is that enough? Given that the directors new of these time constraints, could they not have created a film which did not cater to those like myself that hadn't known anything about it, and just plunged you straight into the world? Too much time in X is wasted on idle dialogue which is disguised as plot development but is as tedious as reading an instruction manual on how to work your DVD player. Yes the explanation of the dragons (I will come to this shortly) is necessary but in the films opening five minutes two characters wage an all out mystical battle and eventually both fall. Now during this sequence they have unnecessary banter, I know this can be common place in manga but if you wish to produce a slick opening, trying to set these characters up as long time enemies who we should feel a connection for (because many reviewers have claimed theirs to be an epic rivalry) only to have them killed two seconds later is madness. There is no logic behind it. This leads me to think that perhaps this was a film specifically designed for those which have a great knowledge over the "X" saga, but I would have thought the directors would wish to be inclusive rather than exclusive (I refrained from using the inane 'X' pun).

There are positives however, one being the creepy Gothic animation which apart from being utterly unique in my experience lends itself to a creation of a sinister and severely dark overtone inevitably benefiting the film.The notion of the opposing forces of "good" and "different good" (I hesitate from saying 'evil') using the connotations of dragons, i.e. the good are the dragons of heaven who wish the world to continue seeing as it was "He" from Heaven that put them there versus the dragons of the earth who wish Mother Earth to regain her rule, is clever and again is unique. The means by which the dragons of heaven defend the planet through the usage of "shields" and the construct in which they work is also an absorbing premise as these sequences provide the high points but, unfortunately, it's not enough.

The trouble with films like X is the content they must squeeze into a shorter time span, it therefore is inevitable that chances are it will not succeed at being able to tell its story fully (try compressing Broken Saints into 90 minutes), and here is the issue. I'm privy to that the directors wanted to create this film regardless, but they needed to make a choice, either completely forgo the notion of trying to be exclusive and create a film entirely for fans of the saga disregarding all outsiders thereby pleasing the contingency of fans that have done the hard work, or the alternative. The second choice is that the directors must create a film which explains everything to everyone and be completely inclusive, they must lay the construct of their world bare on the table and let people try and come to comprehend their universe; and unfortunately they did a little of both, to no great success. I wanted this film to give me more, and if I now want it to I have to put in the hard work which after having viewed the film I don't particularly want to do, and to do it this way around isn't as much fun either. No puns about missing the mark, X not being where the treasure is or 'wordplay' about the film being Xtremely disappointing, it's simply a shame.

This movie was great!....there was a lot of action and suspense! The animation was the best that I've seen....even though it was "saving the world" again the way it was set up was the bomb! there were many charcters....the fight between each rival (i.e. Kamui & Fuuma) was just amazing....the fight scenes were very bloody, but thats a good thing because in X when someone gets hurt you can already see blood. Not like in some other anime movies there is no blood anywhere....The way the characters interacted with each other really showed the reason why they were destined to fight one another.

If you like action, suspense, and "special powers"; X is the movie for you.....For those of you who didn't read the manga and just saw the movie and said that you didn't understand it....well thats your problem....I say read the manga first, then see the movie. Then you people can say what you want......I read the manga first!!! ^_^

Everything about this movie is great;the animation blends perfectly with the CG effects (unlike some American cartoons),the soundtrack is one of the best I ever heard and acting is top-notch.

This movie isn't complete without a couple of flaws however. The depressing and disappointing ending will only make you say "That's it?". This is due to the fact that the manga series is unfinished and still far from completion (the manga is said to be 22 books long and so far only 11 of them has been published as of this writing,with vol.12 coming soon).

Another flaw is that certain points of the storyline aren't explained in the movie,only in the manga,and most of the characters lacks development. You barely get to know a supporting character before they die.

It is still a good film,but I recommend you to read the Manga before watching the film (which is available in English through Viz Communications) in order to have a general understanding of the story.

As a fan of the long running manga (I'm at Volume 11 of the Japanese release) I did not enjoy this movie. Sure, the animation is beautiful, at times you can see the insane detail that the animators pushed into each cel, and the dark "cold" colors if you will, fit the mood perfectly. The art was beautiful, but a movie is nothing without characters and a developed plot. In the manga, much of the backstory is revealed through Kamui's aunt and small sidestories at the end of each graphic novel, but neither Kamui's aunt nor the sidestories were even hinted at. As for the nonexistent characterization, just as you think you're beginning to understand one of the characters, they die. In the manga, most of the action doesn't even begin until the 8th volume, but everything before it builds up the plot and the characters, slowly but surely. However, the movie is almost nonstop violence, leading to the godawfully anticlimactic ending. Thank God that the folks behind X (CLAMP) are going to release an OVA and TV series to follow the manga, which is still yet to be finished.

I'm not an anime fan myself, but these movie is a HUGE exception. The landscapes look extremely natural, the characters have personality and the sound track is solemn. But what took my breath away were the fight scenes, that no matter how violent and bloody they were, they didn't fall into the shameful gore category. Actually, they looked strangely beautiful, metaphoric and aesthetical. I loved the detail of the sakura leaves rain and how Kamui couldn't ever catch them. If you're into anime, this is a must see. If you're more into human films, like me, this is a must see for you too.