September 2, 2009
I'm sorry...I have to defend this movie. Many of the guys responsible for this flick also were responsible for
the "Godzilla" franchise, but here they're dealing with something quite
different. If you go into this movie expecting a pure horror flick, you
will be disappointed....( read more) If you go into this film expecting an
enlightening fantasy flick in the vein of "Excalibur", you will be
disappointed. If you go into this film expecting a stark, moving
historical drama about Tokyo's development during the 1920's, you will
be disappointed. This film is not focused purely on the chills, thrills
or educational message...rather it's a combination of all three.
Yes--this is simultaneously a horror, fantasy and historical film all
at once. No shock since it's based on an extremely long and complicated
novel released only in Japan known (surprisingly enough) as "Teito
Monogatari" ("Tale of the Imperial Capital") by Hiroshi Aramata. The
original novel is basically a huge retelling of the history of
Edo/Tokyo from the turn of the century all the way up to the next
millennium. But it's unique in that it's an done from a fictional
occultist perspective--from the perspective of mystics and
spiritualists who have devoted their lives to trying to protect the
city from a supernatural evil. So it's a combination of political and
magical intrigue. The original novel is composed of 12 volumes (each
around 250--500 pages in length), with the 11th and 12th volumes
actually a retelling of the events covered by the 5th and 10th volumes.
There is an even an unofficial 13th volume which is actually considered
a side story (and was also made into a movie). Is that it? No. There
are also prequel, spin-off and "series analysis" books (all written by
the same author), and just recently there was another huge retelling in
the form of "Shin Teito Monogatari" ("New Tale of the Capital"). So
yeah...this series has its roots in Japanese literature far more than
it does in films. In general, I would say fans of dark fantasy would be
closest to home, but even they would easily be put off the extensive
history present in the story.
The movie is very ambitious in that it actually attempts to adapt the
first four novels of the series (each book around 250 pages) to the
screen in only a 2.5 hour time span! Not even one of the multiple "Lord
of the Rings" adaptations have never tried that kind of compression
before!! So if the story feels like it's moving along too fast, if the
characters don't have enough time to develop; it's because there's WAY
too much story to cover. A slightly slower retelling of the same story
can be found in the anime remake known here in the US as "Doomed
Megalopolis". Unfortunately that adaptation makes many of the same
mistakes by giving too much time to visual excess, such as sexual and
violent imagery, and not enough time to the story and characters.
Many contemporary stars of Japanese cinema got their start in this
movie. The movie itself was a box office hit in Japan when in it was
released. Some magazines even went so far as to call it the "best
Japanese science fiction production of all time" (wow...). Why is it so
reviled over here? Simple..it's too complicated, too compressed, and
the culture is too foreign. The movie is aimed at people who have
already read the books, and since the books have never been translated
here in the US, we're all kind of screwed. It took me a long time and a
lot of outside help simply to get a grasp of the story.
Still I would recommend that fans of Tokusatsu cinema and even fans of
high fantasy watch it. Yes, it is complicated. It is also a visually
beautiful and poetic film which goes to great lengths to illustrate
Tokyo as it was during the 1920's. A lot of money was spent on this
film, and that's no more apparent than in the authentic sets and
recreations of the city during that time period. The cinematography is
also beautiful, using lots of light and perspective tricks to pass
along the illusion of viewing some romanticized view of the past (this
is where I can most closely compare the film to "Excalibur"). Despite
being a live-action film, some shots look like they were pulled right
out of a Japanese painting or diorama set. The plot is filled with
cultural nuances and fantastic magical intrigue; epic sorceror battles
staged over a 15+ year chronicle. If the books were translated, I bet
some fantasy fans would dig into this stuff.
As for the horror aspect of the film...much of that is obviously
borrowed from the atmosphere and content of the old Hammer horror
classics (especially their "Dracula" films) as well as some influence
from "The Exorcist". Kyusaku Shimada, the actor who plays the main
villain, became famous overnight due to his performance here. Imagine
Christopher Lee's "Dracula" with a monstrous chin and an even more
dark, corpse-like complexion and you will get something akin to his
portrayal of the villain in this movie. Fans of the "Street Fighter"
video game series will be quick to point out his similarity to the
character of the "M. Bison", and they will be correct to trust their
instincts. Kyusaku Shimada's portrayal of Kato had a major influence on
M. BIson conceptually and design-wise, and in many ways he fulfills the
ambition of being the definitive screen representation of the demonic
military officer that M. Bison has always wanted to be (MOVE OVER, Raul
Julia...).
Okay, I've said enough. This is not a perfect film by any means--it's
way too complicated and too compressed. The characters will not have
much identity unless you consider their historical origins (many of
them are based on real famous people who lived during that time
period). On the other hand, if you want something different...if you're
sick of those mindless anime and "Godzilla" flicks and want something
that challenges you with an overabundance of Japanese history and
spiritual culture, then by all means give this film a try. Until the
novels get translated, this is the closest thing we'll have to enjoying
a huge Japanese fantasy epic whose scope dwarfs even Tolkien's works.
Share This Review
