As the Gods Will

Welp, its no "Squid Game".

If you're a fan of movies with last-man-standing-survival-game-fight-to-the-death themes then you may be curious about "As the Gods Will". If you have ever seen a Takashi Miike movie before, then you kind of know what to expect already... lots of over-the-top creepiness and blood. I have mixed feelings about most of his movies because they tend to be more concept-driven than plot-driven. I like horror movies with great plots and that's what makes "As the Gods Will" so different from other movies that I like in this genre, This being brought up as the alleged inspiration for "Squid Game" is what made me decide to finally watch this and unfortunately the first scene/game is where the similarities begin and end. Sure, children's games are a big part of this movie but these games are very Japan-centric and are more visually creative than strategy-based.

There is a smart hero and a smart villain, but many of the other characters are just gore fodder, which is disappointing. The CGI is also very cartoony, so It's not as scary as it could be either. It's also school-based so it definitely feels more like "Battle Royale" and "Hunger Games" influenced, with the same teen crush and sociopath classmate tropes. Fukushi Sota is a great hero as Takahata Shun. He plays the emo empath role well and certainly looks the part. Kamiki Ryunosuke is also great as Amaya Takeru, although his character is much more one-dimensional, he was my favorite performance. Yamazaki Hirona is a great co-star as Akimoto Ichika but sadly due to gender stereotypes, she gets reduced to a typical female love interest role instead of coming into her own as a hero herself. That's another disappointing thing about many of Takashi Miike's films. There's also an angsty teen character that I just felt was added for no reason, and with explanation. Clearly, the writer judges apathetic teens but fails to create compelling characters, which gives the story "OK Boomer" energy.

Would I watch this again? No. It's interesting for a first watch but I didn't like it enough to want to watch it again. I did like some of the final twists, and themes about not taking daily life for granted, but in the end, it was more weird than entertaining.

Overall, the characters were too simplistic for me to really care and the concepts seemed to be grander than the story. If you are a bigger fan of Takashi Miike and haven't seen this one yet, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. If accusations that Squid Game plagiarized this story made you want to watch this then you most likely will be disappointed. If you're expecting a deep life changing message at the end just don't even bother to watch at all. This has a Crazy Manga vibe more than a Horror Thriller vibe. The gore is actually lighter than I expected from this director, which I personally appreciated. The Bizarre parts are probably better appreciated if you don't take things too seriously, but I really wished the story was less basic. The games are the best part and the earlier games are the better ones. Luckily this movie begins holding nothing back so you can tell early on whether or not it will be worth your time, or too much for you. I don't regret watching it at all, but I can't say I'm a fan. There are too many versions of this kind of story that do it better in my opinion, even if it's not as shocking to watch, I would rather have a well-crafted plot than a jump scare or a visual cringe.

Confession: I watched this right after watching "Squid Game" for the 5th time, so yes, I am biased.

I also think "Ichi the Killer" and "Audition" are overrated. "One Missed Call" is more my speed.

One thing I do know is that I will never look at a Daruma Head, Maneki Neko, or Nesting Dolls the same way again! lol

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Definiton of Failed Potential

Before anyone gets upset at my review please understand that this review is coming from a place of no bias. I haven't watched anything from this director before, I have not read the manga, and I have no attachment to any of the actors. Full disclosure I have an attachment to 2 actors in this movie but they played (borderline) nameless characters that die within the first 10 minutes of them first appearing on screen. That being said, this movie is just wasted potential. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but it could've been so much better if it WASN'T a movie. It's already hard in nature to make a written piece of media, into a visual form of entertainment, but to try to cram it all into one 2-hour long movie...wild. I'm a very sensitive person who cries easily at movies...not once did I cry in this movie. Not a single thing affected me deeply because I wasn't given enough to time to form attachments to that character. I wish I could've gotten to see these characters get fleshed out more. The entire movie was just running from one game to another. There should've been gaps in-between for us to learn more about each character. This would've made the deaths in this movie a lot more impactful. But then again, there's only so much they can do with such little time. That's why a show adaptation would've been a much better decision for movie.

In conclusion, it was an enjoyable movie but it's hard to form attachments due to how rushed the movie is in moving from point A to point B.

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i wanted a season 2

first i want to mention that its gore indeed like not light at all ,or at least thats how i felt,this felt more gore than shows like alice in borderland or squid game to me, maybe because of the amount of blood everywhere i had to cover my eyes few times (and because disturbing deaths)
i liked watching the games too they looked fun, but the ending hints at another part and thats why i wanted more
whats nice is that i started this one with light expectations, maybe because it was made in 2014 (as its old) but i ended up surprised i find it good
so:
-interesting and entertaining plot
-liked the survival games
-good looking characters
-unpredictable events
- fast paced, suspence story , it doesnt feel like they are wasting time on not important things
if you can handle and watch gore then i highly recommend

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Interesting entertainment

I don't know what it is with Japanese people but they seem to really like death games and I'm all here for it. As the Gods Will, will definitely keep you entertained throughout the whole movie with twisted "fun" games. My eyes were glued to screen and one scene had me visibly cringing into myself. The characters weren't as developed as I wished but you're here for the gore and wackiness not character depth. The acting wasn't bad, I was able to feel some of the character's horrible pain so I guess that's good. I'd want to rewatch this with friends just to see their reactions. I didn't really pay attention to the music so I don't think there's anything to be said there. Check it out for fun and even better with a group of friends!~

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Directed by Japanese director, Takashi Miike who is known for its rather violent and bizarre films often uncensored films; this is the first of his works that I've actually watched (and I think it won't be the last).

Truth be told I did watch this because of Fukushi Sota, although it has an interesting and intriguing story. Japanese films are known for either its love stories, action and horror. Well, As the Gods Will being based on a manga, surprisingly is quite refreshing. Although the initial concept of teenagers fighting against each other for survival isn't new (Battle Royale/The Hunger Games), the idea of using children's games as a mean for the plot to take place is interesting and ironic at the same time.

While the movie has its fair share of gripping scenes, sometimes so violent that I had to avert my eyes, it's still one of the those films that have its typical tropes. Exhibit A: that one sadistic student that everyone should be wary of. Some cheesy out-of-nowhere lined romance (I get the purpose but really though...) and the fact that there wasn't much background to begin with left the story hanging, though it makes everything open-ended. I did love how it also took some risks...that surprised me.

As for the characters...they lack depth. I know it's a survival movie and we don't have time for that but in order to root for someone or at least feel a connection with the people who are fighting to live, we must at least get to know them. Fukushi Sota is such an eye-candy but his acting is still so mediocre. I did think that the actor who played the sadistic student was better. The CGI was okay...wasn't top-notch but wasn't too bad as well.

All in all, I think it's still an entertaining watch.

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1, 2, 3 Kagome

Alors que je m’étais juré de ne plus chroniquer un battle royale après Samurai Standing, de peur de tous les trouver fades, me voilà pourtant à critiquer l’un des fondateurs du genre « jeux d’enfants/massacres sanglants ».
Si certains pensent encore à Squid Game, c’est peut-être parce qu’il aura fallu attendre presque dix ans pour pouvoir enfin profiter de As the Gods Will de Takashi Miike sur un écran européen. Bien sûr, les plus chanceux avaient pu le découvrir dès 2014 dans plusieurs festivals, notamment spécialisés dans le cinéma d’horreur. Mais le curseur de ce qui est « supportable » pour un public occidental s’étant largement déplacé avec Squid Game il y a déjà cinq ans, on peut enfin rendre hommage à ce précurseur d’un genre déjà galvaudé par les mangas en 2014, en le visionnant aujourd’hui sur Prime Video.

En réalité, les fans de manga connaissaient déjà bien la série achevée en 2017, connue en France sous le bien nommé "Jeux d'enfants". Et après Mirai Nikki, Doubt et bien sûr Battle Royale, ce n’est pas en 2014 que le fan allait être scotché par un énième jeu de massacre entre lycéens. Heureusement, dans le film en tout cas, Takashi Miike va droit à l’essentiel. Dès les premières images, les têtes explosent, le sang gicle, avec des effets spéciaux encore non pollués par l’IA. C’est cru, c’est violent, c'est dérangeant...

La seule justification de ce jeu de massacre, c’est que le héros, incarné par sa muse, Sôta Fukushi, s’ennuie dans sa vie de lycéen. Pas d’enfance misérable, pas de harcèlement scolaire qui pourrait évoquer une vengeance méritée envers ses camarades. Non : il s’ennuie. Et ce premier Daruma Game l’amuse presque tant il le sort de sa torpeur. Ce jeu de type « 1, 2, 3 soleil » frappe directement l’esprit du fan d'une certaine série coréenne, et évidemment les similitudes ne cesseront de parasiter, ou d’alimenter, le plaisir sadique que l’on peut trouver à suivre les mésaventures de ces lycéens, sans aucune justification morale.

Mais si, comme moi, vous avez été frustré il y a 5 ans par le succès de Squid Game au détriment des anciens et nombreux survival games japonais, As the Gods Will disponible partout est une revanche jouissive. Les jeux traditionnels sont bien là, sanguinaires et non dénués d’humour noir. Les effets visuels sont bluffants, notamment avec les poupées Kokeshi ou le Manekineko, et l’on se plaît à entendre des références populaires comme le kagome kagome ou le shiritori.

Mais tout n’est pas parfait. Si les costumes et les décors oscillent entre un collège tout droit sorti des années 80 et Le Monde de Narnia, donnant un côté kitsch clairement assumé, voire revendiqué comme un hommage, c’est surtout la vacuité du scénario qui pose problème. D’accord, le film se veut un brûlot dénonçant la violence gratuite de la société, notamment chez les jeunes, la santé mentale, tout ça… mais clairement, les scènes en dehors de l’arène scolaire sont d’un non-sens et d’une inutilité pathétique.

Le problème vient surtout du fait que, dix ans après, la suite, c’est-à-dire l’adaptation des autres tomes, n’est toujours pas en chantier. Ce premier opus reste donc orphelin des explications nécessaires à cette introduction et à la venue d'autres personnages.
Nul doute que si le film était sorti initialement à l’international via Netflix, dans la lignée de Squid Game, le succès aurait été au rendez-vous et une suite aurait sans doute répondu à toutes les questions laissées en suspens. Les personnages secondaires introduits resteront donc un mystère, même s’ils sont ultra clichés, renforçant encore l’hommage au cinéma de genre : l’hikikomori qui se découvre super-héros, l’attaque extraterrestre, ou encore le vieil homme sans-abri, déchu mais sans doute surpuissant.
Bien sûr, il faudra lire le manga pour aller plus loin… mais après la folie meurtrière de Takashi Miike, il risque de me paraitre bien pâle.
Tout comme un certain Squid Game.

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