ikari1

I watched the whole series show in a couple weeks. And it was a thrilling ride. A remarkable story, very reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

In the beginning you feel it is another Japanese kaiju action anime, but you quickly realize it is so much more than that.

It's beautifully animated, has great character development and deals with human nature. Mind you it is not a child friendly one, it deals with war and death and the meaning of it all, which is a lot for even a teenager to consume.

Each episode makes you want to watch the next one, and the next one and then the next... It is simply that good.

No season disappoints, no episode disappoints. It is truly a perfect 10!

I've seen many anime over the years, and I can honestly say this is hands down the best adult one I have ever seen.

Something must have happened with the writers and the producers of this series and this last episode in particular.

The editing and the script feel like the creators where undecided on how they would film this. They were tired and gave up.

The last season started somewhat ok, turned better, the previous episodes had some long-missed adrenaline, and then this... I can see what the writers tried to do, show that Red was going to do things in a "Frank Sinatra - My Way" style.

The episode is very low budget, Dembe has a few lines, Red is just there as a decor and the rest of the team are walking around the set aimlessly.

Red was a well written and well-acted character that some of us have been following for 10 years, there were so many mysteries behind him that could have been answered in this last episode, but sadly they were not.

Not only that, but recent story branches were completely abandoned, like what happened with his love interest? Or what about that famous bull he wanted to return to Spain? Was he ill, terminal maybe?

There are no surprises, or reflections, or any future, or any goodbyes whatsoever, no it seems the writers wanted to leave all that to our imagination and interpretation, but the way this was filmed is so bad and horrible, that feels like they left tons of filmed scenes in the bin, and they only left us with half an hour footage of people walking around.

This is an ending as bland as a coed's first try at cooking.

I am a middle-aged male cinephile. I've seen my share of movies. This one made my fingers itch to write a review, halfway into the film. I managed to see the whole of it and oh boy I am pissed off! And let me tell you why.

There are some things that bother me but I will gladly give them a pass, like:

• The script is a deliberate mess, it is supposed to be, fine I get it!

• The style is like Kung Fu Hustle, with a hidden "serious" meaning. Sometimes silly, sometimes rude, sometimes even offensive to the eyes, mixed with some "forced" drama to make an impact, give a touch of superficial reasoning to the story. Sure, I can live with that.

But seven freaking Oscars?

• Editing, yes very well deserved!

• Costumes? Sure, whatever, why not?

• Music score? I don't know, the script is so out whack, that it needs a "specific" kind of music. So maybe this is it. They awarded the musicians an Oscar for their effor to watch this movie again and again and try to make music...
• Directing? Why? Was it because of bringing that weird idea of theirs to life, and for some well placed dolly shots? But if that is the case, then why didn't the Wachowskis win an Oscar for the Matrix and they had to settle for a mere Saturn Award? Why didn't Tarantino win one for Kill Bill? He had to be satisfied with a Golden Schmoes award for Trippiest Movie of the Year.

• Screenplay? Are we giving Awards to absurdity? Was the academy that impressed? The idea is, some call it "original", I call it "wacky", it is certainly "surreal", but "Oscar worthy"? I am at loss for words.

• Best motion picture! You gotta be kidding me! But I guess this is a given, since it got so many oscars from the other categories. It had the top "High Score" of the night, so they gave it the MVP Award. LOL!

And now for the cherry on top!

• Acting! What can you say about actors in a slapstick silly movie? They are fine I guess... But again are they Oscar worthy? No way!

Three Oscars for acting! For Best Female Lead, and both supporting actor and actress? Seriously? It makes no sense! I mean the script is so ridiculous that almost anyone could recite the lines and do the gestures and the funny faces. And even when the cast has a chance to connect with the audience, the script being so over the top surreal, deprives them of this opportunity and get lost again.

Please, the Oscars have become a joke. I have nothing against the actors, but did they deserve Oscars? No! Why? Because using the Academy's current logic Jamie Lee Curtis could have gotten an award for Halloween, Ke Huy Quan for Goonies, and Michelle Yeoh for Crouching Tiger, or even James Bond for all I care, it would make so much more sense than winning for their work in this production. Stephanie Hsu who was also nominated for best female support role, was the only one that brought some consistant acting skills to this movie.

Seasons change, trends come and go, the world changes, but for this movie to be considered the best Hollywood has to offer right now, that is simply ludacrous and it tells you a lot about the state of the Arts in general.

Promoting this movie as the best of the best, it shows you how much Hollywood care about quality, which is not at all! It only cares about things like being "inclusive" and "open minded", and that's another reason why people don't watch movies in the theaters anymore. Why would a family of 3 paying tickets for this movie... They would feel ripped off, of their money and their time they could have spent elsewhere having actual fun, I do.

Concluding, I don't know how to rate this. A 5 out of 10 is the best I can do, just because the movie is supposed to be weird and it suceeds in that.