prolonged vapid mess with an explosive finale
At this point, I've seen a couple of Takashi Miike's films, so I wouldn't class this at his Gorleston or most messed up, but I understand if teenagers dying isn't your thing, then don't bother watching (although it should be fairly obvious that this is what is going to happen, plus it's no more 'out there' than your standard slasher).The runtime is atrociously long, so much of this film feels like filler that is a painful slog just to get to the last explosive 40 minutes. Sadly, it's hard to enjoy even the 3rd act, as all the side characters that have been shown thus far have already been removed from the story, thus there is no real tension or investment for us as a viewer. the plot is all over the place for seemingly no reason, and is interspersed with random flashbacks that are jarring, to say the least.
In terms of acting, the character Hasumi has to carry this one on his back, and while I think he does a good job, it doesn't save the film. Hideaki Ito is able to the toe line between crazy and overly comedic fairly well, despite the random English he has to work with. Sadly, no one else really makes any kind of impression on the viewer, and generally aren't around for long anyways, so it doesn't really matter.
My favourites? Honestly the soundtrack isn't too bad, and the few standout songs our characters listen to are pretty fun and catchy. There are some great shots throughout, and the 3rd act is bursting with colour, which leads it to being a great visual treat. Maybe if I'd consumed the media this film is based off of, I would've enjoyed it more, but as a standalone? I wouldn't say it's worth your patience.
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Pros:
- Panic-inducing scenes of hopeless carnage that is truly disturbing and upsetting
Cons:
- The presentation is so poorly assembled that it makes the point of the movie feel like it is praising the heinous actions
- Awful character development that fails at creating an interesting protagonist with clear motives and reason for his actions
- Due to the serious nature of the subject matter and the contrasting apathy/silliness presented by the main character, the movie just comes off as cruel and edgy
Final thoughts:
Save yourself the time and watch something better like Confessions. There is actually a point to that movie!
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