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Casshern - 3.5/4
Futuristic Japanese Frankenstein with an apocalyptic steam punk aesthetic, some high speed manga-style action sequences and an unforgettable combination of near-blinding imagery rushing past in every frame. It's a grim and dark account of an absurdly short sighted approach to the extension of human life which results in an unexpected and unlikely disaster, ultimately revealing a disgraceful series of covered-up corruptions in the state. There are several things that happen in this film which could have completely derailed it had they not been taken so incredibly seriously. This is as straight as it comes and I have to say I think this is where Snowpiercer went badly wrong. This has the same sort of feel as Snowpiercer, a superior visual style and the honest commitment to deadpan that a cast needs to convey the movie universe as a reality.
I was completely immersed, especially since it took me about five hours to watch. I rewatched any scene which I felt was too action packed to take in both the dialogue and the action so I put in the time for this film and I can't say I regret it at all.
It's a story of coping with death at it's heart and it deals with the fantastical aspects brilliantly as it juxtaposes the serious drama in a more romantic light compared to the plummeting tone of the main arc of the story. In fact there was a moment in this film which was a culmination of a genius technique used numerous times in the duration which involving splitting or following the imagery that you think you see along with what is actually happening. That's not a great way to say it but it's ethereal and hearteningly beautiful in a much needed moment of honest philosophical purity that completely blew me away. I think it represented two separate plains of existence and it added real gravitas to the already weighty vibe.
I'm going to get some more Japanese and South Korean films. I have been slacking off lately.
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