Gantz

Director - Shinsuke Sato (Gantz: Perfect Answer)
Starring - Kanunari Ninomiya (Letters From Iwo Jima), Ken'ichi Matsuyama (Death Note), and Yuriko Yoshitaka (Gantz: Perfect Answer)
Release Date - 2011
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "The only way to resurrect is to kill" and "Vanquish or die...again"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     After watching Mutant Girls Squad on Netflix, I started looking for other horror and sci-fi films from Japan.  I came across this sci-fi/horror mash-up while searching for movies on amazon.com.  I didn't order it then but while out at FYE I found it used for $7 instead of the $17 amazon.com was asking of it.  I picked it up and came home to do some research on it.  I found out that it was a manga before being adapted into an anime and a live action film series.  I hate mangas and animes but I'm all for live action films.

    The film opens with two guys, that some what know each other, try to help a drunk off the train tracks.  He had fallen down in his drunken stupor.  They succeed at getting him off the tracks but they are not that lucky.  The two close their eyes before the train hit them and when they open them they are in a room with other people.  There is also a giant black orb in the room named Gantz.  The black orb opens revealing cases containing a special suit and guns inside.  Also in the orb is a bald man wearing an oxygen mask and he seems to be unconscious.  The orb then gives orders to eliminate an alien menace known as Onion Head.  The group is then transported to an alley.  Everyone is confused by whats going on and can not seem to grasp their orders.  There is one that seems to understand and tells them that they are on a reality television show and the object of the show is to shoot a small green haired creature that is eating an onion.  The first one that does shoot him gets $150,000.  The creature spots them and flees for his life while a few of the members give chase.  They corner him in a garage and shoot him with the guns provided by Gantz.  This group just screwed up because the creature they just killed was actually Onion Head's kid.  He shows up and kills the group that killed his offspring while the rest watch in horror.  He then attacks the remaining group members before he is killed by the one that told them it was a reality tv show.  After the real Onion Head is terminated the remainder of the group is teleport back to the room with Gantz.  It is now revealed that the member that killed the alien has been doing this for some time now and used the now deceased members as a decoy so he could kill it.  After each kill Gantz awards each member points based on their performance and once that member reaches 100 they can get their life back or resurrect a member that has died.  They also realize that the suits that were provided before the mission enhance their agility and strength.  After the points are awarded the members are sent back to their homes and it is as if hadn't happened.  One of the two friends, Kei, returned to the scene where the two aliens were terminated the night before and runs into one of the girls that survived.  The area is now roped off with caution tape and they realize that everything did in fact happen.  They go on living their day to day life until Gantz calls on them again.  This time the remaining member of the group are met with some new members.  They are then sent to exterminate an alien that loves music.  This alien is actually a small alien in a robot exoskeleton.  He kills most of the new members, as well as, the one that had been there the longest.  After they kill the alien they are sent back to Gantz where points are distributed.  Once again they are sent back to their homes, however, Kei takes his suit and starts training so he can properly terminate the aliens and quickly gather his 100 points.  Once Gantz has another mission for them they are sent to a huge building surrounded by giant statues of various Asian gods.  This time the aliens are actually in the statues and the group are pitted against them.  The statues kill everyone except Kei.  Kei kills all the statues and vows to use his points to resurrect his friend.

     This is another great Asian film that I was lucky enough to view.  That list is extremely small,but  regardless I have not been let down.  Like I mentioned before, I have never read the manga or watched the anime and I have no plan to but this film is extremely entertaining.  The acting is decent but like I have mentioned in a previous review, it is extremely difficult to judge something like that when the movie is dubbed.  The story is very original and I really enjoyed it.  It added a superhero twist to a horror/sci-fi flick which are two things I thoroughly enjoy.  There are two other movies following this that I would love to see.  The scenery is dark and brooding which added a gothic atmosphere to the entire film and it worked very well with the alien story line.  The effects are a great mixture of CGI and practical effects and that only strengthens my argument that a great mixture of the two will always make better films that those that use strictly CGI.  There was a few things I did not like about the movie.  Both have to do with the pacing of the film and editing.  The first thing is the scenes involving the teens talking.  The dialogue is extremely bland and drag out forever and for the most part it is pointless for the story line.  The second thing is the action sequences.  Some are perfect while others drag out as well.  They could have summed it up quickly in a few of the fight scenes instead of dragging it out.  By making it so long the movie loses the zest you get from watching all the action that the viewer becomes numb to it and the "aww" factor is gone.  Overall, this movie should definitely be watched.  If you're ever out and have the chance you need to pick it up.