Amazon.com: Kiriya Kazuaki's spectacular Casshern is an impressive marriage of live action drama and animated effects that, taken together, look like something both very old and very new in cinema. A wild, science fiction tale with an echo or two of Bladerunner, Casshern is set in a dystopian future following a 50-year-long war between Europe and Asia. The latter wins, calling the resulting Eurasia the "Eastern Federation," but the high-tech weapons used in the battle have affected the whole of mankind through widespread devastation and illness. A geneticist whose son, Tetsuya (Yusuke Iseya), has gone off to fight terrorists, promises the military his work on "neo cells" will result in the cultivation of spare human parts for the wounded and afflicted. But two unexpected results occur: a small band of superhuman mutants rise up out of the scientist's chemical muck, and Tetsuya--killed in battle--is brought back to life with his own superpowers. While the mutants rise up against the human race, Tetsuya, now known as "Casshern," takes them on against a fascinating psychological backdrop with Oedipal overtones. The film's look of hyperreal, pop culture pastiche (in which action often evokes the look of 1930s movie serials blended with a whirl of dreamy, free-associating images) is reaching for the same thing as Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. But it is much grander in its effort. --Tom Keogh
Description: After 50 years of bitter warfare in the late 21st century, a new crisis looms. A threat to the future and the overall existence of mankind. But, there is hope a savior will emerge… Casshern. Casshern is an action-packed, sci-fi thriller that blends Japanamation and manga-inspired live action to create a new hybrid form of filmmaking that is both visually stunning and thought provoking.
Beautiful, Epic, Ambitious. . . and Flawed Art house Sci-Fi Casshern is a tough movie to review. It's a big movie. A VERY big movie. To start, let's get into some of the tech specs on the DVD itself.
There's several versions out there floating around. The US 'Never Before Seen' Version is not good. It's 20 minutes shorter than the original and has some serious issues with the subtitles not even appearing on the screen, let alone being accurate when they do. It's listed as Uncut or The Director's Cut in some places. But it is neither. I'm not sure if the subtitle issue has subsequently been fixed. But it is a known problem, even appearing in the Wiki article.
The best region 1 version I've found is the Thai version. It has a great picture transfer, true surround, accurate and well-paced English subtitles, and lots of extras. Now, for the movie itself. . .
The first thing you'll notice is that Casshern is a lot of fun to look at-as long as CGI doesn't bother you. The environments are well-designed and the CGI look is much better than I would have expected on a budget much smaller than what US films get to play with. As well as CGI environments, there are portions of the film that are animated as well as stop-motion, or claymation, animation. But let me offer a warning: Those that have seen the trailer or are expecting a full-on action movie will be sorely disappointed.
The 'mano a mano' fight sequences are few and far between, and when they do pop up they aren't mind-blowing, wire-fu fests a la 'The Matrix'. They are actually slowly paced and play out more like something you'd see at a stage play. Most of the action is of the CGI variety, and the final battle is truly epic. But much of the film revolves around the morality tale on the nature of existence and other such philosophical tenets. The main characters struggle to find their place in the world and strive to make their relationships with those around them work.
The story takes place after a great war in a Japan that resembles a kind of neo-fascist, Final Fantasy-esque, overly industrialized society. Science is God, but politics stand in the way of progress. As is the tendency with asian films, plot details aren't spoon-fed to the audience. Character relationships and motivations often-times have to be ascertained by observing, even if it does tend to get a little frustrating at times.
While the story can get a bit stretched at times, it is enjoyable-and ultimately beautiful. The visuals are quite a treat. My biggest complaint is that it feels if the director may have bitten off more than he could chew. Sometimes it feels like the movie got away from him or that he tried to go a little bigger than budgets or technical constraints would allow.
That aside, this is definitely sci-fi art, not sci-fi action. Those looking for some live-action anime that is more story and character driven should enjoy this flick. Same goes for those that like their sci-fi not wrapped in fast-food tie-ins or toy sales. But if it's the next "Matrix" you're looking for (even if some reviewer says it's better than both Matrix sequels combined) you'd be better off skipping this one.
Suprisingly good This film is great, despite its obvious B movie appearance. The subtitles are difficult to read, white lettering on bright shots. But I doubt the script is important, it conveys it all through the amazing cinematography and cool fight sequences.
Boring I had high hopes for this movie. I thought that if i was patient while watching it, that the action would get better. Well sorta. When the main character gets his powers the fight scenes lasted only a few short, bad edited minutes. It has so much potential because it is has nice visuals and plot build up. But it never pans out. Rent don't buy. You'll be pissed if u do buy.
NOT THE DIRECTOR'S CUT! Despite what the distributor's say, don't be fooled. This is NOT the director's cut of Casshern, it's a sanitized version with twenty-four minutes cut out of the film. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!
A blend of the old and new combined to create a brilliant visual/character MASTERPIECE! Now I wouldn't call this movie "Better than both Matrix sequels as the blurb suggests however I would say it's just as awesome! This has got to be one of the most original scifi epics I have ever seen! I love the killer special effects met with an 1930's look and the action is nothing to miss either! Unlike that total waste of time "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" this movie does it proud! I also liked that it had a sort of social/political commentary going for it! And also I felt that the main character Tetsya/Casshern was quite relatable! All I can say is if you loved Blade Runner,Immortal, or the Matrix trilogy as much as I did you'll certainly love Casshern!
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