Product Details

• Actors: Hiroshi Mikami, Riona Hazuki, Tomoko Nakajima, Ayako Omura, Goro Inagaki
• Directors: Masayuki Ochiai
• Format: Color, DVD, Live, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Section 23
• DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JXXX
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,292 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Parasite Eve" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting medical/sci-fi drama, August 9, 2003

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parasite Eve [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Toshiaki Nagashima's opening lecture on mitochondria sets the premise of the movie. Basically, within a cell, mitochondria has its own DNA, and is critical in creating energy. Nagashima further states that mitochondria entered man as a parasite but became vital to humans and lived symbiotically. Nagashima's studies involve growing healthy mitochondria, insert them in cells diseased by cirrhosis or diabetes, and curing said cells. He is assisted in this by Sawako Asakura, a lab assistant working on her dissertation, on lab rats, and both are encouraged upon discovering that the livers of some rats have improved.

However, the question arises, do mitochondria have an agenda of their own, despite the fact that they don't have enough DNA to be independent? And as a grade-schooler asks Asakura after she tells his class there are many helpful organisms inside the body, "Won't they try to control us when we get big?"

The day of Nagashima's lecture also happens to be his first-year anniversary. However, he never gets to celebrate it. His timid and loving wife Kiyomi becomes involved in an accident that renders her brain-dead. He is totally shattered, insisting that she is still alive.

Enter Dr. Yoshizawa, a surgeon who is desperately seeking a kidney donor to help a 12-year old girl, Mariko. Her body rejected the previous donor's kidney, but this time, Kiyomi's data is assessed, with positive compatibility results.

Toshiaki finally agrees, on the condition that Yoshizawa gives him Kiyomi's liver. Yoshizawa is perplexed by this agreement, but eager to succeed with Mariko, agrees.

The mystery begins when Mariko's new kidney begins acting strangely and she becomes alarmed by ominous liquid-like sounds burbling. And at first, Toshiaki's culturing his dead wife's cells seem like the act of someone who has snapped, but the further the film progresses, we see how much Kiyomi meant to Toshiaki. Unfortunately, things take a weird turn when Toshiaki examines one of Kiyomi's cell cultures.

Hiroshi Mikami does great as a typical research scientist, forgetful and absent-minded at times, and the haunted look on his face in reaction to his wife's death, and his obsession in keeping her alive, is some pretty good acting. Riona Hazuki projects a fragile and gentle beauty as Kiyomi, especially in the scenes before her death and in the flashbacks we see when Toshiaki first meets her and is smitten.

The title Parasite Eve has to due with Nagashima's lecture that we all get mitochondria from our mothers, and one can see "the mother of us all, the 'Eve' of mythology." Biology majors and students interested in biology may be interested in this not bad medical/sci-fi drama, which is leisurely-paced during the first half, but becomes more uptempo during the more suspenseful second half.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie, August 27, 2001

By 

"csaling17" (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parasite Eve (DVD)

I highly recommend this movie. This movie is not anime, but with real Japanese actors/actresses. The movie is subtitled. (If you don't like subtitles this might not be a movie for you.) This movie is great for the fans of the video game even though it doesn't follow the storyline of the game at all! The story is mostly independant from the game. The only negative I see with this DVD is that there is no English voice track, but it still great!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definately a good buy., September 23, 2002

By 

Jacob Miller (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parasite Eve (DVD)

For one, those who are expecting a movie based on the game, stop now. Unless you payed close attention to the game, you will hate this movie. The movie is based off the novel, not the game.
I'm not going to spoil the movie for anyone, however the story is very good, and you will not be left wanting. My only gripe with the story is the ending, which is a tad bit perplexing. The CGI is well done, and not over-used. And the story is one of the saddest, most tear-grabbing, heart-filled movie I have ever seen. You fall in love with the main character and his wife, you feel their pain, and come to understand their actions.
This movie is a defiante buy for anyone who really loved the game, novel, or is a lover of sci-fi/horror movies, especially with a love sub-plot.
And that's that.