Casshern (2004)

67% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(19,402 ratings)

A genetic discovery that could prove mankind's saving grace is instead used to create the very beings who threaten their existence in director Kazuaki Kirya's visionary sci-fi epic. The time is the late 21st Century; fifty years of war between Europa and the Eastern Federation have left the planet… More A genetic discovery that could prove mankind's saving grace is instead used to create the very beings who threaten their existence in director Kazuaki Kirya's visionary sci-fi epic. The time is the late 21st Century; fifty years of war between Europa and the Eastern Federation have left the planet devastated and the human race completely dispirited. In the aftermath of the Eastern Federation "victory," a new federation known as Eurasia is born. But the planet has been ravaged beyond the point of repair by nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and a half-century of warfare has taken a devastating toll on all mankind. At first, it appears that salvation is imminent when a highly respected geneticist named Azuma announces the discovery of a so-called "neo cell" that can rejuvenate the human body without risk of rejection. Mankind's last hope threatens to become its ultimate downfall, however, when nature and science combine to create a menace that could very well extinguish the human race forever. Now, as the human race prepares to make its last stand against the ultimate enemy, a powerful warrior will emerge to fight for mankind and provide hope for future generations. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 16 min.
Directed By: Kazuaki Kiriya
Written By: Kazuaki Kiriya, Dai Sato, Shotaro Suga
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: May 15, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Oct 16, 2007
Studio: Go Fish Pictures

Critic Reviews

Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Surprisingly bittersweet and contemplative, and hence registers more strongly than a mere sensory spectacle.
Jean-François Vandeuren, Panorama
Une expérience technique enlevante beaucoup plus qu'un film à part entière.
Ryan Cracknell, Movie Views
Like the similarly stylized Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and, to a certain extent, 300, Casshern is more about visuals than story. It's a CG playground where cartoon and live action collide.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
The DVD is presented in its eye-popping original widescreen format.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
Its pessimistic view of the future is as old hat as the superhero premise, but the way it looks most certainly is not. Style over substance? Certainly. But what style!
Anton Bitel, Movie Gazette
Overlong, heavy-handed and thoroughly humourless it may be, but it is also a spectacularly stylised mutation of the way we look at the world of war.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
The semiotic noise of this juiced-up virtual exhibit doesn't exactly ask to be discerned.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

John M

Nice effects.
xGary X

A medical researcher inadvertently creates a race of humanoids who faced with extermination by the military promptly rebel and declare war on mankind in a flashy live action anime that's frankly all over the place. The plot, such as it is, is erratic and occasionally… More
A medical researcher inadvertently creates a race of humanoids who faced with extermination by the military promptly rebel and declare war on mankind in a flashy live action anime that's frankly all over the place. The plot, such as it is, is erratic and occasionally incomprehensible and during the extended periods when there was no dialogue at all it felt like an interminably long music video. And then when the characters started spouting long winded and pretentious nonsense about the nature of war, I wished they'd kept their mouths shut. But like most Anime based stories the confused and confusing story is salvaged by the glorious visuals which are a stunning hotch potch of manga, Jeunet-esque steam punk and even expressionist imagery presented as a combination of live action and animation that is very reminiscent of Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow. And I also have to say I really like the closing scene that has a genuinely sincere and heart warming message. Unfortunately it's not enough to make up for the tediously long-winded and pretentious guff that makes up the dialogue and considering the surprising lack of action, it's waaaaaay too long. Flashy but dull.
Lee ?

Futuristic sci-fi epic from Japan. Quite disappointed to be honest. Has some style and visual flair, but there wasn't enough action and things just got too over-dramatic and sentimental. It's so CGI drenched that the film could pass as animation, it was like watching a… More
Futuristic sci-fi epic from Japan. Quite disappointed to be honest. Has some style and visual flair, but there wasn't enough action and things just got too over-dramatic and sentimental. It's so CGI drenched that the film could pass as animation, it was like watching a computer game. But it has some cool moments to enjoy, they're just too few and far between.
EightThirty .

13/11/2010 (DVD) I loved the way this movie looks and I was amazed with the fighting sequences. I never saw the anime that this was adapted from but I might check it out now because it was difficult to understand and weirdly strange, perhaps the anime may help me… More
13/11/2010 (DVD) I loved the way this movie looks and I was amazed with the fighting sequences. I never saw the anime that this was adapted from but I might check it out now because it was difficult to understand and weirdly strange, perhaps the anime may help me understand it a little better. My interest was slow but gradual, slow though... very slow. I was about to sleep but then it starts taking off, however I was still lost and didn't quite get what was happening, but it looked amazing and this could do well in 3D. I think checking out the anime first before viewing this may enhance your experience because it is quite a hard one to follow, but the fights are cool though.
Wahida K

Reincarnated with an invincible body to fight an iron devil.
Ken S

Memo to the director. Maybe spend some time on the script BEFORE locking yourself in the art department. Very pretty and very hollow. ....this advice is also applicable to Tim Burton.
Kylie B

Very stylistically beautiful in a cyberpunk manga way. Every shot is a work of art, scenes have strict colour schemes that put Hero to shame. The score is also rather magnificent. In terms of the plot, it is either philosophically profound or pointless pretentious waffle. Take your… More
Very stylistically beautiful in a cyberpunk manga way. Every shot is a work of art, scenes have strict colour schemes that put Hero to shame. The score is also rather magnificent. In terms of the plot, it is either philosophically profound or pointless pretentious waffle. Take your pick.
Justin Y

Casshern is Kazuaki Kiriya's debut film as a director, producer, and writer. Let me say that this is one h*** of a start.This film is based off an anime and there is no question that there will be a cult following. There is a strong science fiction… More
Casshern is Kazuaki Kiriya's debut film as a director, producer, and writer. Let me say that this is one h*** of a start.This film is based off an anime and there is no question that there will be a cult following. There is a strong science fiction story to drive this film, but it drives it just a bit too far. The 2 hour 20 minute run time actually feels like 2 hours and 20 minutes because the pace is fairly slow with only a moderate amount of action.Director Kiriya is not afraid to take huge steps with the visual aspect for this picture. If you take the looks of Sin City, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and a little bit of Ultraviolet, you get Casshern. It does sound overwhelming and at times it is. Certain portions look wonderful, while others are visually excessive. In the end, the benefits outweigh the negatives and it helps make the connection to the anime more meaningful, although there are other ways to accomplish this.The action sequences are all about CG and effects. Sometimes, this doesn't work out so well, but they turn out pretty good in this film. Throughout the film there is an orchestrated soundtrack in the background, but the rock music kicks in when the hits start coming. The sound effects also pick up during these too few segments.The acting is pretty good. A lot of the characters seem a little bland, but that is more the result of the film style rather than bad acting.Casshern isn't a perfect film, but once you realize it is the director's first big budget one, you will come to appreciate it a little more.
A.D. V

Wild visual orgy of SFX, cinematography and set design. Dreamwork's hack job on the editing however is unforgivable removing nearly 30 minutes of footage which causes alot of confusion in places, especially the ending. The hunt for an import version is currently under way.
Steve K

Omega level eye candy, with a wicked slick stew of plot rip offs that just seem to work well together.
Tsubaki S

Casshern is certainly quite ambitious in it's goals, trying to be both a sci/fi-action fest and at the same time a sorts of anti-war and philosophical statement about human race. Problem is.... the film doesn't know how to handle said heavy topics in any possible way. From… More
Casshern is certainly quite ambitious in it's goals, trying to be both a sci/fi-action fest and at the same time a sorts of anti-war and philosophical statement about human race. Problem is.... the film doesn't know how to handle said heavy topics in any possible way. From the pseudo-facist background of the futuristic city to some of the statements made by several characters it all feels too simplistic and one-dimensional. Like if it was coming from some 15 year old fanboy fan-fic. The film tries really hard to look like a live-action manga, but even there it doesn't quite hit the mark. There's plenty of eye candy indeed, but some of the action sequences seems to look choped and not as fluid as they could be. To sum all that, the whole thing stretchs longer than it should, and the final segment, choke-full of pseudo-philosophica one dimensional speeches. War is hell? damn, i would never have imagine. Humans shouldn't play games with nature? jebus!! my jaw just dropped. There might be good intentions here, but not enough skill to convey said intentions into a proper film. Or even the cult flick that it could have been. Sorry fanboys, but a pretty-to-look mess is still a mess, no matter how much simplistic simbolism you want to inject it.
Marcus W

Visually this film is astounding, and a sumptous banquet for the eyes somewhere between 300 and The Matrix. And although the plot strands are not individually original (Frankenstein is blatant), together they weave brilliantly. Although it could do with trimming about 20 minutes off,… More
Visually this film is astounding, and a sumptous banquet for the eyes somewhere between 300 and The Matrix. And although the plot strands are not individually original (Frankenstein is blatant), together they weave brilliantly. Although it could do with trimming about 20 minutes off, any discerning film-lover should see this. Definitely worth watching!
Marion R

I had to watch this movie in two parts, because it was so long. It felt very long and lengthy, the director took his time in every scene. It had a good idea, but the execution was poor.