Parasyte: Part 1

I haven't read the manga this is based on, but I HAVE seen the anime of it which was one of my favourites in the past few years and while the plot in this movie adaptation is very sped up, it is extremely well done! The story is cohesive enough even though plot points had to be edited and the special effects are superb considering what they COULD have been... beat the socks off San Andreas which was nothing BUT one long CGI sequence. Hollywood, take note... sometimes less IS more.

I can understand people who are new or haven't been exposed to the story possibly having a tough time 'getting it', but there really is enough to hang a story on... even with a giant chunk missing here and there. As for the detractors going on about how the original has been butchered, give it a rest would ya?? The anime clocked in at somewhere near 9 hours in it's entirety and yes, it was condensed from the manga, but what the heck do you need to be satisfied with a movie adaptation? Five to six full length movies? a few 3 hour movies?? get real here... there's an old saying that goes 'A movies length should be no longer than the average viewer's bladder capacity'. Get off your fandom, 'purist' snotty attitudes and accept it for what it is... a wholly ORIGINAL and satisfying experience that Hollywood could do FAR worse to emulate!

Apparently, this story was a comic and an "anime", so I'm surprised fan-boys aren't out baying for the director's blood after he "destroyed/ruined/raped" their favourite cartoon with a live-action version. Which is usually the case.

For those like myself, who had no idea of Parasyte's roots, it's easy to sit back and enjoy a film that's very off-kilter, and unmistakably Japanese.

So, what's it all about?

One night, some ugly crawling creatures float down from... outer space? I don't know, it's never mentioned nor does it ever need to be, but these creatures eat a person's brain and take over the body, with the head then going Resident Evil-style psychotic to feed on other humans.

One boy falls asleep listening to music and the parasite somehow enters his hand instead, taking over just that part of his body, thus leaving him relatively intact. As the other infested bodies go about wreaking havoc, our teen with the alien hand soon finds himself up against them, and so the adventure beings.

Aimed at teenagers, the gore level and dark undertones are surprising, but add a great deal of depth to what is ultimately a boy strolling around with a talking, morphing, glove puppet. Overall though, the characters deliver, the stakes escalate and it ends just itching for a sequel, which I'm led to believe has already been completed.

If you can get past the first half an hour with the cute alien hand talking and curiously studying the world, you'll most likely go on to really get into this and will enjoy it a great deal for your effort; if you can't stand the idea of watching CGI monster fights against a puppet and find the whole concept too ridiculous to bear, then there's not much point even putting it on to begin with.

Personally, I'd definitely recommend this film.

Okay first things first...

This is an adaptation of a single season anime. The Anime is great. BUT The movie Parasyte (Part 1 and Part 2) is also great.

Don't do what I did. "Oh the series is supposed to be better, I'll watch that first."

The Series is great but the movie holds it's own, especially how they develop the effects. The series takes the plot into intricate detail and kind of wreaks the movie.

I wish I now saw the movie first and then waited a few months and watched the series second.

Because the movies (Part 1 and Part 2) as a whole are great.

I'm personally an anime watcher of Parasyte, so I obviously don't know about the greatness of the manga, just a disclaimer. I personally found the gore of this movie to be extremely unsettling, it's not even censored like the anime and they even try hard to feed you as much gore as possible, making the series 80% darker than it is presented in the anime. As an anime watcher, I felt uncomfortable by the way they shifted the scenes around and certain changes, but I guess it is necessary to do so to fit as much as they can into the movie. My friend who has yet to dive into this series found the story plot good, so I guess it can pass as a smooth story plot for a movie. Finally, I must really praise the CGI and sound effects used, simply spectacular. In my opinion, I would recommend watching the anime series as there is more time for slower and steadier character development, especially for Shinichi, the main character, that we can appreciate, and the gore factor is not above the roof; but just watch it and experience it for yourself. :)

I loved Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga and I loved the anime just as much, so after hearing about a Parasyte live action, I got curious and decided to see if it would turn out bad or good. I wasn't disappointed, the story did progress a bit fast for my tastes but not to fast to make me dislike it. The creators really didn't hold back on gore in this movie, everything was clear and visible, from insides to cut open heads.

The CGI wasn't bad either. the way the heads morphed into the blades and eyes looked pretty realistic. I was happy that quite a few original characters were kept in this movie, but I wished it did follow the manga a little more, but it did keep some important points. Overall, it wasn't a bad adaptation, they cut the movie off at a really good part that makes you want a sequel in which I'll be looking forward to.