Customer Reviews

Casshern (DVD)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"Casshern" is a long, live-action Japanese special effects ("tokusatsu") film with some spectacular CGI. It's also a difficult film because it's based on 20th century history - World War II and its atrocities - set into layers of visual metaphor that can bewilder an American viewer. It's set in the near future, as an endless war between Europe and Asia has nearly wound down, with Asia victorious in a world polluted beyond redemption by industrial waste, military destruction, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and political corruption without parallel. Mutations and disease are out of control, though the seemingly saintly Dr. Azuma is trying to discover a cure, based on cells cultured from a primitive ethnic group that might serve to rejuvenate and heal people's physical wounds. Dr. Azuma's wife, a classically beautiful Japanese woman, is going blind, and Dr. Azuma is hoping to find a cure for her when he is recruited by the military to work for them. At the same time, his son joins the Imperial Army to prove to himself that he is not a coward, and abandons his fiancée for war.

The long story that builds from these complex and contradictory motivations leads through disasters and destruction involving all Asia and Europe. Historical depth is developed in prolonged steampunk images and anachronisms (Imperial Army officers use samurai swords; aircraft are sculpted to carry the Leader's face on the forward fuselage; robots make war against dirty and tired foot soldiers). Dr. Azuma is culturing human body parts - legs, arms - in old fashioned vats, but by an unexplained error, these body pieces come together and coalesce into a new, synthetic species, the Neoroids, who escape amidst carnage and machine gun fire. Dr. Azuma's son is killed at the front and returned for a hero's burial, but Dr. Azuma brings him to the rejuvenation vat and the son is reborn as Casshern, the potentially immortal savior of the world.

I mention these details because they are so misleading. For Americans familiar with the tropes of films like Star Wars, it's old hat or so jumbled that it makes no sense. But that's not what "Casshern" is about. From the outset, the viewer must understand - and I suspect that Japanese viewers understand it from the very first scene - that there are no good guys in this movie: none at all. None of the plot details, stunningly recreated in CGI, signals any victory: "Casshern" is an imagined *documentary* of the collapse of the world, the corrupt and chaotic death of all ideals in mud, filth, criminal stupidity, greed, and war. The body parts, including a vat filled with eyeballs being stirred by an old woman, have been removed from corpses killed by the Army to feed the need for rejuvenated soldiers. The son himself is one such killer, and his rebirth as Casshern signals not the birth of a hero, but the immortal and karmic continuation of his own inescapable crimes. The Neoroids' escape signals not their rebirth in purity, but revenge and hatred, and they become killers as evil as the humans who killed them in the first place and who now hunt them.

So beware of this film: it is not a geek-out festival of disconnected but spectacular CGI images, but instead is a deeply layered morality play about evil and the inescapable retaliation that evil generates. It is very Japanese indeed, and anyone expecting "Star Wars," with its black-and-white morality of Good Guys versus the Evil Empire, will be bewildered and upset. "Casshern" is hard to forget, especially the ending. Just don't think that it's mindless entertainment or eye candy. It isn't. Highly recommended.

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.

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.

An Epic Masterpiece. Full of comic-book color and wonderfully vivid fight scenes. This movie screams originality and even has the feel of Final Fanstasy seven. The only thing that may slow your feelings down is the fact that this movie is rather long. But, at the end, it's really worth watching.

I kid you not. And I wasn't even a huge fan of the action scenes (which seems to be the reason most people enjoyed it). Nah, I was more interested n the story and theme... very Shakespeare... very astonishing.

Oh, and, the cinematography... incredible. Nothing tops the cinematography to this film.

well, i had this long dissertation about humanism and war, the powerfull imagery and melodic and sinster dialoge, but Timothy Perper beat me to it with his 7/22 post entitled Spectacular, complex, and not American.

Get Amon Tobin's 'Chaos theory.' Put the subtitles on, start the movie. push play on the stereo when the studio logo comes on the screen. It makes the movie way better. Of course, the movie is longer than the album, so passed that, I don't know what to tell you. I frankly didn't enjoy the movie with it's soundtrack. It sounded canned and stock. The movie is eye candy, brain dope, over-the-top action, but the sound track is kinda crappy. Check out the art direction.

A "live action" anime, with lush (no other way to describe it) CGI and a number of Japanese cinema tropes that can make its subtext a bit harder to penetrate for non-Japanese viewers.
Having said that, I did not find it particularly bewildering or difficult to enjoy.

It is a grim story, ultimately, with complex characters. This does not mean there is no action sequences to enjoy - they are there! But the underlying themes of redemption, war's atrocities and the frailties of humanity are the real meat of the film.
Grim, but beautiful in the way life often is. Bittersweet, but still worthwhile.

Lots of things go on in this story, so if it is eye candy you are after, there are better choices. But, if you want some deep themes told in the literary language of another culture AND sword fights and battling robots, this is for you.

Highly recommended. Watch it twice and THINK. You'll be glad you did.

A sequel to the Anime cartoon series "Casshan"(spelled correctly, not sure how the name got switched up when the movie came out), this movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic era where disease threatens the very existence of humanity. High ranking officials in the military look to a hopeless geneticist for a cure, not for the people but for the sake of their own depleting lives. The geneticist's son joins a meaningless war while a dying mother struggles for her life. While the geneticist's new cure seems lost, a supernatural phenomenon strikes his lab turning his research into a new threat. The world's only hope is a war-torn son who inherits the power derived from his father's newly developed research.

***Great storyline and huge fight scenes. If you want to follow the deep story of humanity struggling to survive in a world where the selfishness of others creates an endless cycle of hate and destruction, this is the movie for you. If you want to see a "Rogue Power Ranger on Steriods" take on super human beings, and fight armies of robots in CGI fights full of effects and explosions with lots of pretty colors, while listening to Rock Metal...then this is also the movie for you*** Have fun!

Spoiler Alert: The anime is kind of old, sort of like a speed racer type cartoon. It does explain some random stuff, like the robot factory that appears out of nowhere, or who the skeleton on the throne in the robot factory is. There is also a story about casshan in the movie that refers to the casshan in the anime.

P.S. Just a personal note, but if you listen to the movie in the original japanese language, they say Casshan not Casshern. Still don't know how it got changed up, or why.

If you're looking for the original theatrical release of Casshern, THIS is the one to buy. The original theatrical release was never officially released abroad in DVD form, considered "too long" by the studios, apparently.

Currently there is a "director's cut" of the film available on Amazon and at US retailers that is different from this version as well. I have not seen that one. Sufficed to say, it removes about fifteen minutes of footage.

As for the film itself, it's one of my favorites. I think it may be too symbolic and not literal enough for many American viewers, but if you come into it expecting a story laden with intense visuals, a symbolic story and a few cool action scenes, you will not be disappointed.

I find the biggest complaint from others I know who've seen this film is "it's confusing". One needs to realize going in that a lot of what happens in the film is not literally happening. It's often symbolism for messages the director is trying to convey to you. When a giant stone lightning bolt hits the research facility, it isn't literally a giant stone lightning bolt that came out of the sky--it's a symbol. If you can get past that and just take in the film for what it is, I think you'll enjoy it.

I've owned this film (this particular version) for many years now, and whenever people want to see it, they're often surprised with the depth of the symbolism in it while simultaneously being greatly impressed with the visuals.

This movie borrows so many styles of so many famous directors, I completely lost track. The only thing that
held my attention was that I never had a clue which part of the kitchen sink I was going to get next. As a whole
it is interesting, but even the great CG effects sometimes left me asking why? Sometimes they're thrown in
with no connection to the "story" and I think I am being generous saying that. There isn't a plot that makes
sense let alone one you might remember 24 hours later. The only reason I don't feel ripped off is that I got
the dvd cheap! Okay movie to watch if you're on LSD maybe. If you watch movies or anime sober, pass this
one up.