Customer Reviews

Moon Child

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm already a fan of Gackt's music, and so when I learned of Moon Child I wasn't expecting much more than for Gackt and HYDE to be eye candy (the same thing I thought of the Bujingai game). However, I was wrong.

First, don't listen to what the DVD cover describes. There's not much in the way of romance, period. Gackt and HYDE show more interest in each other at some points than in the female love interest. In fact, depending on your point of view, one could say that it's lacking on both sides of the spectrum.

There's lots of gunplay, but contrary to other reviews I've read, it's not exactly excessive. I did at one point think "jeez, do they ever run out of ammo?", but if you don't think too much about it, you won't have that problem. Some of the action scenes were very nicely executed and are even humourous.

As for the actual acting - HYDE could be a natural actor. The role he plays as the vampire Kei is extremely believable. You can empathize/sympathize with his inner turmoil. Gackt is also believable (not as much so..) as Sho. Sho's a complex character in the sense that his emotions fluctuate so quickly. One moment he's laughing, and the next he's very indignant.

If you're a fan of Gackt, HYDE or both, I highly recommend this. If you're a fan of neither, I still recommend it. You may be surprised to find yourself leaving the movie as a fan.

I think that "Moon Child" is a very unique moive in many ways. It is not an ordinary vampire movie where the theme is more or less on the lust for the flesh. Yet, it is neither an action gun firing movie where the hero defeats vallain. In fact, many themes coexist in "Moon Child" - the struggle between love and hate, friendship and rivalry; the pain of growing up and growing apart; the choice of eternal life and unexpected death upon all human beings; and so many more.

I think that I should state here that I often review movies based on the feelings they gave me rather than the technical things such as plot and character development. Because, after all, we watch movies to search for feelings that are hard to find in reality, not to criticize how the story is written. "Moon Child" gave me a very different and somewhat melancholy feeling which doesn't usually exist in the happy Amiercan moives.

I didn't know too much about the cast before I watched the movie, except for Lee Hom Wong who took the role of Ah-Sun. I didn't know anything about Hyde and Gackt, which I think made me less biased in judging the movie. It wasn't until afterwards that I found out that Hyde and Gackt were actually professional singers in Japan. By the way, I think Hyde looks way much better than Gackt who often looks more like a woman than man.

Nonetheless, I think Hyde and Gackt's actings were great. Lee Hom Wong, on the other hand, wasn't as good as the rest of the cast, especially when he was speaking his lines in Chinese. I don't know if it was because the most of the cast were Japanese, or something else, but Lee Hom Wong seemed to have a lot of difficulty in fluently spitting out his lines in Chinese. There always seemed to be a little awkwardness in his accent and tone, which made his acting weird.

I strongly recommend this movie. It's worth watching.

It really helps if you're already a fan of these two guys. Both are muscians and fantastic ones at that. However some of their behavior and appearances (especially Gackt's) can be a little confusing to those not aware of their personalities. It's not neccessary to be a fan of theirs to enjoy this excellent movie, but it certainly helps.

The story is essentailly about friendship, betrayal, and redemption. It focuses on a group of orphans who've grown up together in the fictional country of Maleppa, an industrial inner-city wasteland made up of immigrants and the conflicts that arise from their co-habitation. Gackt and Hyde give surprisingly great perfomances as Sho and Kei. Surprising because it's easy to consider this a commercial exploitation of the musicians in order to cash in on their popularity. Of course, I don't speak Japanese so I couldn't really comment on their line delivery, however I belived the tears and the screams. The characters show great emotional pain and joy so that's what I'll judge the actors on.

First off, pay attention to the synopsis and ignore the product description, it's the same one that's on the back of the dvd and it's completely misleading and the reason this movie was such a surprise for me.

Note that, one, I am a Hyde fan but I'm going to be unbiased here because I'm also a fan of movies, a lot of foreign film too. This movie has pop stars playing main characters, a strange combination of genres (vampire, gangster, sci-fi), and it's directed by an adult film director. I mention this because, if this movie was released anywhere else, I would never watch it in a million years unless I happened to catch it late at night on a movie channel. But I still wanted to see Hyde in action, so I watched it with low expectations. I came out essentially a different person for about an hour or so afterwoods. The movie was that shocking.
I'll first give you my opinion relative to other movies released. Bad news first, the plot is for the most part rushed and has no sense of developement or time progression, ie. you get jerked around a lot and it's a little hard to follow. Some relationships are way too emphasized while others are way too understated. There was so much potential to develop the characters that ended up wasted in order to move the movie along to some other artifical milestone. I believe this was because the director, or the producer was too concerned with getting more Hyde/Gackt scenes in for more fan gratification. With that being said, if they learned their lessons this could make a great TV series. So many elements of the story left me wanting more.
The good news, and the reason this movie gets 5 stars is because of all it's potential and what we actually saw. Surprisingly, with all the "out-there" elements added into the story, in comes across more like a fable than somebody's imagination run wild. Sho is played by Gackt, an orphan living in the streets of a immigrant town, being a petty thief along with his brother Shinji and his friend Toshi. While still a boy he comes across Kei, played by Hyde, who we see earlier in the beginning of the movie lost his fellow vampire friend and I assumed mentor, some years earlier. Kei has become worn, lonely and weak, but after meeting Sho, ends up saving his life from a gangster and feeding off said gangster. Even though Sho realizes what he is, he befriends Kei. The movie continues as Sho and his friends grow older and Kei remains the same. Because Sho is an orphan, Kei has acted as both a friend and mentor to Sho.
The thing that sets this movie apart is the characters. Their situations, no matter how cliche, bring about genuine feelings and in turn genuine acting. One by one, we see changes in Sho's life, happy events, action, excitement and yes, tragedy, and soon Sho becomes just as tortured as the cursed Kei.
There are a lot of underlying themes in this movie that have to be seen, they're not as apparent as they could be. The vampire aspect works in that here we have a young man, wreckless and wanting, with a mentor and friend that has seen and known everything Sho will ever in his lifetime because of his immortality. Hyde makes a great performance as a vampire that wishes to be normal, that's trying to live his life this way, with a new friend, but can he?
By the end of the movie I'll admit I was crying, a lot actually, but I also cry over every movie, book, show, commercial what have you, so I don't know if that says much heh.
Either way, if you watch this movie, watch it with an open mind, no expectations. There are a lot of crazy aspects to the storyline, but they can be overshadowed by the characters and their emotions.
Maybe you'll see what I mean by it possibly making a good tv series. =)

ps. If you think I gave this a crappy review, know that I'm a HUGE fan of Hyde and L'Arc~en~Ciel, there were certain parts I enjoyed solely because of him, but a movie is a movie, no matter who's playing who.

pps. Stop with the whole yaoi Hyde/Gackt crap. He met him when he was a kid for dog's sake, bunch of sickos. And plenty of male pop stars in Japan wear make-up without being gay. There's not much correlation there.

Incredibly, this was actually what got me into JRock! I'd always loved Japanese music, but I mostly stayed on the JPop and anime soundtrack side. I actually went into this disliking Gackt very much (the details of the Illuminati PV will do that to you) and knowing nothing of Hyde. After seeing Moon Child, I definitely decided that I needed to know more about Gackt and Hyde.

The movie is set in the future in the slummy city of Mallepa, but doesn't actually have many futuristic details (I was so relieved at this). Hyde plays Kei, an angsty vampire and Sho (Gackt) is his orphaned street-rat human friend. It starts out fairly happy with hyper shooting scenes with classic (but nonetheless funny) humor and the given Matrix fast/slow motion effect. The two meet up with Wang Leehom on his mission to get revenge for his sister. Kei and Sho both end up falling for the sister, which equals trouble, but luckily not too much (phew). The first half or so of the movie is happy fun but later it ends up getting pretty angsty. Any Hyde or Gackt fans will probably end up having a good cry at this movie.

Of course, with two of the biggest rock stars in Japan in the same movie, there has to be a song. And Orenji no Taiyou (Orange Sun), a duet between Hyde and Gackt, does not disappoint. The over 9 minute song is beautiful and Hyde and Gackt's voices blend so perfectly that at times it's hard to tell the difference between the two. Of course, it's already hard enough since they both have huge ranges in their voices. The genre of the duet (romance) will make Gackt/Hyde yaoi fans drool.

This movie has more than its share of doubters, what with the two main characters being completely newbie actors and Jrockers and the director having a pretty questionable background. But it turned out beyond expectations. It reminded me of Interview with a Vampire (also an awesome movie) but for some reason I liked Moon Child more. It gets a little melodramatic at times, but that's a given with Gackt playing such a big part in the movie and in the making of it. Hyde, on the other hand, captures his character's subtle nuances so much better than one would expect from a total amateur. His little monologues are beautiful and I'd have to say, as Lestat, he kicks Tom Cruise's (...). He's a vampire that you feel sorry for, because he has a conscience and you find yourself relating to his pain. It was really a wonderful acting job by my favorite jrocker. Besides, Hyde's a heck of a lot cuter than Tom Cruise! XD

Definitely recommend this for any fan of Hyde of Gackt. And if you're not into JRock or even if you don't even like Gackt or Hyde, well, watch it anyway; it'll go a long way in convincing you otherwise. If you don't judge a movie simply on its casting list, the plot is good enough to keep you interested to say the least. It's not Oscar material, but totally worth owning and repeated watching. Especially if you have a stubborn friend who refuses to see the light of JRock...it'll win them over. ^_^;

Moon Child is a movie that not only features Gackt as the leading role (Sho) but it was also written by the mega artist. You really don't need to know anytihng about Gackt's stance on the movie to understand the powerful sense behind it, but it does help. As most fans know, Gackt entertains the illusion that he is 640+ vampire born in London. The theme of this movie, although I have not seen it mentioned in previous reviews, is a vampire movie.

The plot isn't your average vampire plot. There aren't any flowerings of the vampire life. It clearly protrays the vampire life as being leecherous and unbearable. There is even a very harsh look at this when we see Kei (HYDE) on a fast, refusing to feed off of the lifes of the corupted business men. Of course, this scene also sprouts the famous "OMG! HYDE kissed Gackt!" squeal. ( The kiss is not a lip kiss, it's a mere comfortaing peck on the top of his head... silly H's. )

The story follows a group of orphans who live in the country of Maleppa, a melting pot for business, immigrants, and drugs. It could be seen as a ganster movie, but not to the extent other people have said. As it would be for anyone, life is hard for orphans, and they have to make ends meat, somehow.

The story unfolds beautifully, however, I don't think Gackt should take on acting as a serious career. There are many tear jerking scenes in this movie that had me balling so much that I had to pause the movie because I couldn't see the T.V. through my tears. Gackt builds a personal bond between the viewers and the characters so that when anything drastic happens, the viewer can actually feel the pain, happiness, and other emotions that just flow from the screen.

Although this movie has been expressed as a dud, low quality entertainment, and so much more, it still holds as my favourite movie. Many viewers pick it up because Gackt is on the front cover, and then watch it for his sake alone, but don't let Gackt blind you from the story. If you actually watch the movie for what it is and not who is in it, I think you'll find a movie that will stay on your favourites list for a long time.

I'll have to admit that I didn't think that this movie was going to be very good. It was recomended to me by a friend. A little bit of over acting in the beging I think but concidering that these are musicians, they did a pretty good job at getting you reeled into the story. Like many, I thought it was just them "cashing in on their popularity." Most movies musucians make don't turn out too well. I'd hate to give away the plot or anything, but I would definetly recomend seeing it wether your a fan of Hyde and Gackt or not.

Wow, what can I say?

Camui Gackt secretly wants to star in porno.

Come on, a film about a vampire and his gangster buddies? The movie was good, for all that it could have been. Overall, this movie was more like a photoshoot than a story. All major characters were played by attractive actors, with flashy hairstyles and tight fitting pants. The cinematography can be artful: Hyde poses metaphorically against bars so that he looks imprisoned, etc. The abundancy of erotic imagery invites some questioning about what's necessary and what's filler. Numerous shots entertain Gackt's crotch, or a disheveled Hyde. Which, ya know, I'm not complaining, but it verged on silly.

Despite projecting all the curb appeal of a successful action-drama, Moonchild is too weak in its plotline. It takes on varies elements of other popular movies of its genre without explaining them - humans dodge bullets a la The Matrix but without sufficient background on how they got this skill (or power, really). Most distressingly, there's several significant leaps in the timeline that are never filled in. Significant life choices and character developments often occur offscreen.

Often times, I felt cut off from the characters. Several philosophical questions surface which the audience member cannot fully identify with. How many humans, for example, can sympathize with a vampire's agony of never aging?

On the flip side, we might envy that immortal youth. Gackt appears particularly vulnerable in one scene when Hyde (the vamp) agonizes over his age. I suppose the implication was that Gackt thought that Hyde would abandon him, because of the age differences, but I also wondered if they were hinting at another fear. For these beautiful actors, looks are everything. The fear of losing beauty to age, and thus eradicating the core of one's fanbase, status, and income, seems to me a real terror.

Instead of exploring the human angle of the question, the movie drones about the vampire's plight. We are left to assume that being a bloodsucker is somehow worse than being a gangster, even though the gangsters in the movie kill with reckless abandon, and usually for money. A vampire, on the other hand, especially one with a conscience, could choose his/her victims. He/she could be an angel of mercy, relieving ill people near death, or an agent of justice, going after murderers.

Hyde was a surprisingly good actor; I believed in his pathos - although, I wasn't totally sure what was bothering him all of the time, but I believed he was suffering. Gackt, not so much. He struts across the screen with a believable arrogance, style, and rampant sexuality, but he failed on some key dramatic moments. For instance: he never becomes upset, he just is upset. He screams and screams and generally irritates. Amazingly, when he plays for quieter roles, such as a shy lover, he comes out all right.

The actress playing Yi-chen outplayed most other actors, often without the aid of script, or sounds, just using body language and facial expression. It's a shame that her character's brother, played by Wang Leehorn, does not get the same treatment, especially since his character undergoes some of the most significant (offscreen!) character development.

Not a bad soundtrack, dangit. Could have been expanded (the main theme is played repetitively and is painfully short), and perhaps a full recording of the song that Gackt and Hyde wrote might have been played at the ending. The audience does get a sample of their vocal talents, but its brevity agonizes.

What upsets me most is the lack of characterization and general aloofness of the authors. Assuming that we psychically know all the nuances of the story, they expect us to mourn for characters that we barely know ourselves - and the fact that more people continue dying in every scene hardly helps this. The movie has many charming, and downright attractive, elements, but it fails overall because the acting and storyline never come together.

I had wanted a copy of this movie from the first time learning about it being released. When I finally had the chance to get it, I did so. The cinematography and special effects alone, were stunning and did remind me of The Matrix, a little.

Gackt-sama and Hyde-sama were excellent in this and played their respective parts very well. Absolute movie naturals. Being a fan of both really bears no weight on my review, although it doesn't hurt. Knowing the real-life friendship that they have, it came across in "Moonchild" supremely well. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes and enjoys not only these two talented individuals, but also sci-fi/horror type movies. You won't be at all disappointed.

You know, I'm an actor, so I know what is good acting and what isn't. This was about average for singers, in fact maybe even over average. I mean, it wasn't terribly horrible and it was watchable. For fans of Gackt or Hyde; they'll love it, others: not so much.
But don't totally bomb this movie because it's not all that bad. It's ripped off of other movies (somewhat Matrix like), yes, but not completely. There is individualism for this movie and I think it will stay in the books for a while.
So if you are a fan of Gackt or Hyde I strongly recommend it, but if you're a hardcore critic I strongly recommend that you don't because you're not going to find an Academy Award for this.
I personally enjoy this movie a lot, it's fun to see some of my favorite artists act and do some different stuff sometimes.