FilmMining101

Reviewed by Filmmining101:

British horror enjoyed a renaissance in early 2000s away from the gory and telegraphic schematics of its American counterpart. "28 Days Later" took the (pun intended) dying genre of flesh eating corpses and gave it a remarkably creative spin. The infected with the Rage virus - a saliva and blood borne monstrosity that transforms people into red-eyed yelling lunatics after they spill their guts on the floor, were faster, meaner and relentless. This highly effective genre entry was followed up by a less effective sequel; if "28 Days Later" was "Alien" (1979), then "28 Weeks Later" (2007) was its "Aliens" (1986): bigger, nastier but not necessarily scarier.

Its open ending was left unexplored until the same creative team decided to revisit the Rage virus' lifecycle 28 years later. Months it seems, were not available for the inevitable consequent title. The marketing campaign had been phenomenal. In an era of promotional saturation, the trailer captivated audiences with its "Boots" (1903) poem recited by American actor Taylor Holmes in 1915 complementing the creepy and visceral visuals in a post-apocalyptic Britain.

Perhaps the most recent cinematic fluke of the last 10 years, "28 Years Later" suffers from an overabundance of ideas, seismic tonal shifts, editing inconsistencies, plot holes and baffling character decisions. Boyle and Garland introduce several elements which are let down by an underwhelming execution causing viewer's heads to explore. The original perfected its setup due to the virus' purpose (which is to spread as opposed to feast upon fellow humans). The threequel though elects to disregard its predecessors' finale raising eyebrows as to how the rest of the world would continue to move on while Britain has been left alone (an obvious metaphor for Brexit).

Split into two halves, the first starts strong bringing an interesting coming-of-age aspect to a post-apocalyptic landscape which will resonate with many. The plot is character driven bringing forward an emotional quality that seems promising through the eyes of Spike, a 12-year-old who has spend his whole life in a remote and infection-free island. It's the second half that undoes all the goodwill established before pointlessly trying to convince us to ignore several gaping plot holes and convenience settings for tone-changing melodrama and an abrupt and underwhelming conclusion. There are talks of patrol boats from other nations yet no one would take a boat and bugger off. It's not you can hide such an infection (i.e., it takes its time for someone to turn). Such lingering questions betray the film's intention to lure new audience members into this desolate world and expanding zombie mythology.

While most flicks of this type avoided this issue by having the infected transform into various types from the get go, in "28 Years Later", we are supposed to believe that zombies evolved too. These new infected, however, lack their ferocity and viciousness - a unique characteristic for this cinematic monster, and watching naked, dirty people running around under epileptic fits is a cause for laughter. This type of primevil, cave like individuals never get the examination they deserve which the movie claims to provide becoming generic chasers instead who appear and are defeated when the plot demands it. As for the much stronger zombie types (i.e., Alphas), they even make less sense in their Jason Vorhees silent presentation.

So is is all bad? The cast and performances are good - Alfie Williams is the MVP here , the locations make a compelling case for UK's underrated beauty and the cinematography gives the eerie sense of the lurking infected. But the freeze frame kills, the intercut with British epic cinema(!), the lack of suspense and primal horror, a train sequence that will leave you scratching your head and massive tonal shifts, make it hard to care. Until "The Bone Temple" (2026) then.

Reviewed by Filmmining101:

"Kyoto Inferno" is exactly what the title of this highly ambitious sequel stands for. Split into two parts, the sequel to "Rurouni Kenshin: Origins" was a bold gamble that saw the split of Himura's adventures with a fiery new antagonist into two parts: "Kyoto Inferno" and "The Legend Ends". Bypassing the rather anemic promotional materials, the first part is low on emotion and high on the action front delivering thunderous skirmishes in plenty of arenas giving out videogame vibes and put expertly together by a team willing to surpass the first film in every aspect.

While "Origins" gave us hints about Himura's past and his connection to political violence, "Kyoto Inferno" goes a step further showcasing us the new Japanese government. Yet despite all the sacrifice involved for its establishment, it is still no different than the Shogunate projecting a more publicly appealing side along with strong Western influences. Ohtomo subtly directs jabs towards this new era but he does not detract from those who still linger to the ghosts of the past in the form of a visually exciting (and multi-layered) villain (an unrecognizable Tatsuya Fujiwara, the protagonist of Kinju Fukasaku's "Battle Royale" (2000)) who threatens to upset the balance of power through militaristic and suicidal means. From his fiery introduction that resembles Renaissance and Baroque depictions of hell under a superb dramatic theme to his passionate speeches about betrayal and trust, Shishio is a force to be reckoned with at least intellectually in this chapter, sure to make top ten villain lists in the years to come.

As such the weight of physical antagonization falls to his minions and goons who make fascinating entrances and are integral parts of extremely elaborate fight sequences that outmatch anything you've seen before. Kenshin's one-on-one with Sojiro Seta is a marvel of choreography - the actors doing their own moves in real time - while the culminating almost 20 minute nonstop climax in - you guessed it - Kyoto brings several players together to kick ass. Ohtomo does not waste a single opportunity making appropriate use of his bigger budget and using his cinematography to great effect capturing ravaged villages and mansions in awesome production design.

Takeru Satoh - the now face of Kenshin - finds additional aspects of his character bringing an honest vulnerability to his relatable superhuman assassin who still refuses to break his oath and kill people even if the circumstances really call for the use of violence to terminate events which can shape the history of the Japanese nation. Therefore, Satoh remains the heart in this massive action period drama demonstrating hard work ethic by doing impossible physical feats while maintaining a troubled stoicism that John Wick would envy amidst the myriads of action sequences.

Like before, "Kyoto Inferno" expands the cast tremendously and although there is sharp characterization, key personnel such as Sojiro Seta, Misao Makimachi, and Nenji Kashiwaki do not get enough to do, reduced to glorified cameos which is a typical trait of Japanese ensemble films. It is a shame then like all part 1 flicks, proceedings come to a sudden halt just when your blood begins to pump, desiring to witness the inevitable confrontation of Kenshin's pacifism with Shishio's nihilism. Thus, we will wait for "The Legend Ends" and remain hopeful it will provide satisfactory answers to the upcoming battle royale that has been set up here.

Reviewed by Filmmining101:

Adapting manga properties just like videogames has always been tricky leading to downright embarrassing results. The overwhelming majority of manga related outputs have been plagued by production issues with mainly the low budget restraining the filmmakers' capability of bringing forward a presentation worthy of the big screen. Efforts like "Blood: The Last Vampire" (2009) and the recent (and lame) translation of "Attack on Titan" (2015) are two examples of how not to do an adaptation while for the English-speaking ones (e.g., "Dragonball Evolution" (2009)) should be left dead and buried.

Yet in 2012, something happened. A creative team was united to honor Himura Battosai, skillfully capturing his unique fighting style and sensibilities under due to director-writer Keishi Ohtomo's ability to captivate both fans and newcomers. Although his first attempt features many characters with limited depth, it remains admirable, earning fans' admiration by downplaying the melodramatic aspects Japanese cinema is known for (e.g., excessive screaming, crying, and begging).

It helps that Rurouni Kenshin's arc is related to the concept of redemption and not to overcome a form of villainy; the script might have copious amounts of action, yet it never surrenders itself in over-indulging bloodbath. Himura's newly founded pacifism has plenty of organic room to breath and like Batman, his aversion to killing is tested plenty of times. It's an interesting take on a flawed hero who caused harm (a surprise twist) to ensure Japan's future in the modern age.

Appropriately shot in real locations amidst forests, temples and more, "Rurouni Kenshin" is a standalone movie avoiding typical sequel-baititis which the 2010s action decade has us used to. Assisted by a memory lingering kickass main theme and the gorgeous orchestrations of Naoki Satoh that invoke all sorts of emotions - from thrilling and playful to tragic, "Origins" punches above its weight due to its practical insistence. The well-made sets and costumes look like natural extensions of Japan's Meiji era elevated by Takuro Ishizaka's crisp cinematography.

And then there is the action. While the 2010s did not have much innovation going for them excluding George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015), Gareth Evans' "The Raid" and "John Wick" (2014), "Origins" establishes a brand new way for swordfighting and it is a shame that many people still have not discovered what a gem this film truly is. Action director Kenji Tanigaki created a new vicious style for Kenshin, one which aims to incapacitate multiple opponents without resulting in the use of deadly force. Thus, the several fights and stuntwork between heroes and villains are a joy to witness, shot in extreme precision and sensational acrobatic(!) speed that puts contemporary genre entries into shame. Kenshin moves like a hybrid of Batman, Musashi Miyamoto and a parkour athlete.

Takeru Satoh became visually synonymous with the superhuman assassin portraying his hero in a sublime and stoic interpretation shying away from unnecessary bravado and pointless machoism. Even in more challenging scenes (like Kenshin's flashbacks) his stare can be described by thousands of words, a testament to his versatility. Satoh's performance (both physical and emotional) is a career high and should be commented creating a new action icon that is deprived from political correctness and banal characterizations of black and white morality. The rest of the cast are good split directly into two groups: action and support. Although cinephiles might feel this distinct separation a bit gimmicky forced to go not beyond their line delivery, it is still nonetheless easy to remember who is who in a 2.5 hour film.

There are some minor hiccups such as the lengthy running time and the antagonistic roles. From a banal opium trader who feels like he walked from another set to a deranged serial killer, both have hardly any depth embodied with the typical stereotypes that Japanese society imposes upon these individuals. Still, they do not detract from the overall story and action aesthetics; in fact they enhance them. Their almost caricaturesque take propels Satoh's lead into the stratosphere of the audience's consciousness lending this manga adaptation much needed gravitas shielding it from ridicule.