Reviews

Cute 15 min film

Overall: short & sweet. Able to watch on GagaOOLala for free https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3498/delivery-boy-2019 and also officially on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL6MbI2dHzw

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- fun jokes/lines such as, I'll bring the glue to put together your broken heart
- the symmetry of Eric wearing the jacket at the end that Chun Ho wore at the beginning
- loved the song he danced to towards the beginning
- his friend Jasper is amazing and that last shot is hilarious

Room For Improvement
- it would have been fun if Eric actually spoke the language and heard what the Chun Ho said when the bag of oranges fell (and we find that out later on)
- some improbable moments/lines

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Weak script. Actors who tried their best, but couldn't save a bad script.

I didn't watch the prequel as I've heard that it's amazing and most people who saw the sequel were severely disappointed. I decided to go in with fresh eyes. No idea what happened in the first one other than the ML likes to be physically put in his place? After watching this, the huge glaring problem in this entire film is the plot. We're going to get to the actors later, but the plot...oh my...I mean, there was essentially no plot? Or at least one that wasn't completely fleshed out anyway. It's like they brainstormed the story's skeleton, the bare minimum, and kinda left it at that. The script doesn't flesh out any of the characters and we only find out little bits of their personality along the way. Almost like if they're acting and suddenly a crew member held out a cue card that read "dance machine", a few mins later "act like a puppy", 30 mins later "get mad about your wife who's trying to protect you." I felt like the plot was throwing them every which way and I couldn't exactly get a sense of who they actually were by the end, just 2D versions of them.

Before I talk about the ML and FL, I'm prefacing this with: I like both actors! I have nothing against them, I just have something against the script. They both tried their best, but ultimately couldn't save a bad script.
I was a little uncomfortable in certain parts because of Cha Taehyun - an actor in his 40s who acts like a lovesick teenage boy...which I guess some people could become if they're in love (no judgement). Don't get me wrong, he's a good actor but maybe it's because of his character that puts me off.
Victoria was quite good. Yeah, she might've exaggerated a scene or two, but most Korean idol dramas are so maybe it's because of the training she received? The only inconsistent thing was that she was portrayed as this strong-won't-take-any-bullshit wife throughout and she suddenly became a whining teenage girl when her husband flipped his shit at her. That gave me a whiplash. Again, maybe some people do become like that in those situations (no judgement).

As some people have pointed out, the comedy does feel forced at parts, although some are quite funny. Lots of random moments. Literally. For example, when Cha Taehyun is heading out for his business trip and Victoria randomly appears outside the door in a cheerleader uniform (with pom poms) cheering him on. Full on dance. Seemingly out of nowhere. What, exactly, was the purpose of that?

All in all, I think that the actors all did well within their roles, but the plot screwed them over. There weren't really any smooth transitions from one scene to another, just jumping here and there, so it felt like things were occurring suddenly. There didn't seem to be any substance to the plot. It just felt like a result of some executives deciding to capitalize on an already successful film. It seemed like it was all about the money and not the quality. So... the rewatch value is low on this one.

That being said, I will watch the prequel to see what the hype is all about.

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A family centered story

Overall: this centers on Artemisia, a woman with a queer son, a daughter studying/living abroad who then returns with a surprise and a bigoted, penny-pinching mother

Content Warnings: the grandma is very bigoted but it is not shown in a positive way

What I Liked
- the m/m had an actual realistic conversation about thoughts on planning a trip together and whether or not to come out
- the kiddo is super cute
- showing challenges and working through them (Artemisia)
- the mom hanging up that underwear to dry was hilarious

Room For Improvement
- the boyfriend coming over unannounced felt like an ambush and was forcing the son to do something he wasn't yet ready for
- the ending feels a bit abrupt or too open ended, though you can infer what is happening with the son and his boyfriend and I liked the tai chi (I think that's what it is)

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Enjoyable movie about living organ donation

Overall: an enjoyable movie that tackles a realistic and not frequently told story of organ donation. It switches between two characters (the female doctor & the male wedding planner), with the two characters interacting with one another several times. It is apparently based on a true story.

Content Warnings: homophobia combined with a slap, graphic side character death

What I Liked
- a unique story, I don't think I've ever seen something about living organ donation
- I enjoyed both characters' plots
- happy to see a strong, professional female character with a caring and supportive fiance
- I really liked the wedding planner's mom and her questions: since when did you have this boyfriend, how come I didn't know, for how long, where does he work, what does he look like, how come you didn't bring him home for me to see?

Room For Improvement
- the m/m relationship was very lowkey, I didn't need NSFW but just a tad more to show that they are in a relationship
- I was surprised that the doctor never talked about concerns about pregnancy after a living organ donation. In my super brief research, it looks like there is a slightly elevated risk/there is a need to wait to become pregnant after donating. I would expect a doctor who wants to have children to think/discuss this.
- not really thrilled with the "solution" from the one story, seems kind of shady/grisly, though I'm sure this does happen

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Solid 80s' mystery

If you're a "Shōwa person" like me (and that could mean either that you were born in the Shōwa era, or that you feel a particular affinity to it - or both, as is my case, LOL), there's a high chance you too will like this "Kekkon Annai Mystery".
Right from the first minutes of it, thanks to the music, the clothes, and most of all to that dark computer screen with the bright green text (which all help bring us older viewers back to the '80s quicker than Doc Brown's DeLorean would ^_^), you get that unmistakeable "end of Shōwa" flavor, and that's already half of the movie's charm.
The rest is done by the exquisite directing (I guess the director had studied proficiently the Italian Golden Age Thriller Masters, like Lucio Fulci and the first Dario Argento - and indeed, the first scene reminds a bit the beginning of "Profondo Rosso", while several others will make the more knowledgeable among you reminisce about movies like "Sette Note in Nero"...and why not, some takes were done in the style of Hitchcock's classics too!), by the score, the editing, and by the general, intriguing atmosphere. The cast did well, with a particular praise to Nagayama Aiko who really stole the show here!
The fact that, being only 90' long, the movie felt a bit rushed, and that the mystery's solution imho felt a bit bland, prevented me from giving this a "perfect 10". It's still a solid "9" for this lovely "oldie but goldie" though! ^___-

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If you want a romantic movie this is not it

After reading the plot I thought it was very weird and interesting. Because it is a movie and not a whole drama, I thought I should give it a try. I read the comments, so I was a little prepared.
First of all, it was a little weird and awkward movie indeed. I mean, a stranger comes to your grandma's house and claims to be her student, but he also has a key from the house and you take him in although he is just a stanger to you? Many things could go wrong starting this way. Fortunately, they didn't. He wasn't a pervert or murderer.
Also, right from the start, he stayed in a different part of the house which was good and safer for the female lead, but he was behaving like the man of the house. They ate together the food she cooked, he gave her his laundry and he asked her to do things for him like a husband would do. He also stated many times that he would marry her, without her permission or acceptance. I don't find it very romantic...
Their relationship was nonexistant from the start to almost the end. Emotions were not expressed through words from the start to almost the end. If you have imagination you could guess that some actions in the second half of the movie were because of affection or love or just care. For the most part they were not even talking to each other.
This was such a quiet movie, filled with silence, which didn't help me understand what was happening. If I use my imagination I can understand that this was a quiet love, but I think it was almost mute. They didn't properly show affection to each other. The age gap between them was huge, but I wouldn't mind it so much if I saw the romance between them. It was like he came to the house and became possesive. Suddenly he wants to marry her and the viewer doesn't know how or why.In the end the care or romance between them starts to show a little.
I would say that this movie is about a love story from the past, when love was not expressed very much. It was a very introverted love. I still am not sure about female lead's feelings. I felt that she was just lonely and disappointed from love, but although she waited for male lead to come back at the end, I am not sure if it was because of her love for him or because she was left alone.
I don't think the movie is bad, but I definitely think that I don't like so slow and silent romantic movies that barely have any romantic gestures and by the end of it I am not sure if I saw a romantic movie. I don't like the very romantic, cheesy and unrealistic ones either but this was not even enough.

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Slow paced but I feel like the story is rushed.

Sorry this is my first review and I'm not good in constructing words on how I feel.

It was quite slow at the beginning but then started to pace up a bit. For some it might be boring but for me I think it is just a slow paced movie and it's not a boring one because the story was revealed bit by bit. I almost gave up at first but then it gets interesting as you know more.

It's beautiful and sad at the same time. I would say it's beautiful, slow paced but I'm not fully satisfied watching this. The movie is almost two hours long but I feel like either the story about Hye-Jin and Hyun-Soo was too short and too fast or just missing some elements. Overall, it's a good movie.

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Kakegurui Masho!!

Kakegurui Masho!!

Everyone's favourite female gambler, Jabami Yumeko is back to entertainment us! This time, she will be facing off against the enigmatic Makuro Shikigami (somehow his name sounds like shinigami. Not sure if this was an intended pun).

We will also finally get to see the Student Council president, Kirari Momobami in action!

Story wise, it's pretty straightforward. Acting wise, the casts are just as good as usual. It's one of those fun live-action films which combines short moments of seriousness and plenty of sillyness. If you like to watch a cute and serious Hamabe Minami in the same movie, this is one for you.

Hamabe Minami = Jabami Yumeko. I just can't imagine anyone else playing her role. Of course, let's not forget Aoi Morikawa, Mahiro Takasugi and Ikeda Elaiza are really good in their roles too.

If you are a fan of Kakegurui, it's a must-watch. Definitely one of the best live-action adaptation of a manga.

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A Flawed Gothic Kaiju Gem

Let me make this very clear, This is not a particularly good movie.

The writing has tons of great ideas behind it, but never really wants to fully dedicate to them. I mean a Kaiju movie tackling themes of xenophobia and religion sounds amazing, but the execution is sloppy, rushed, confusing and inconsistently handled. The characters suffer because of the poorly handled story and it results in me not fully feeling the persecution of the Half French/Half Thai protagonist Leena all that well. The acting is hit or miss, with some turning in awesome performances and others turning in shit tier performances. The worst case is with the actor playing Tim who is god fucking awful. Finally, the CG effects are pretty bad, but they do have a charm to them and the movements are well done.

So why do I love this movie then?

It's because of what kind of Kaiju movie it is.

This is not some terrible Asylum movie with no passion or soul, This is a crap Kaiju movie with a style that helps it become entertaining. That being a mix between gothic and 2000's cheese. In a way, this is a similar to Spawn with the style of combining gothic imagery with the cheese of the decade it came out in. While the writing, acting and effects are better in Spawn, both handle that mix perfectly. From the green smoke to the dark and damp caves to the somewhat tragic nature of Garuda to the way the shots are done, this is the only truly gothic Kaiju movie that I have encountered and I love it for that. The beautiful cinematography really helps with everything here and elevates the movie from wasted potential to a deeply flawed gothic Kaiju gem.

I also adore the design and character of the Garuda. Garuda's design has this humanoid yet creature like appearance to it with the bird head, giant wings, large claws and talons, and semi-hunch . At certain points in the movie, it has this dark angelic vibe to it, which I love. I also love how mysterious and tragic it is. Gaurda is the last of his kind and is alone here. The only thing it connects to is the fossil that surrounds Leena's neck. Garuda also shows a very human like intelligence, which helps it stand out from other kaiju. Yet it is also a very bloodthirsty creature as it rampages across Bangkok and will kill anything that threatens it. Garuda is one of the most unique Kaiju that I have encountered in terms of Kaiju media and I love it.

As mentioned before, this a very very very very VERY flawed movie to the point where I would normally that it is bad. However, from the amount of fun here I had to the wonderful gothic tone to the amazing creature to the beautiful cinematography, Garuda manages to be a rather high tier Guilty Pleasure.

Maybe if it were more polished in terms of writing, acting and effects, I would be more confident in saying that this is a gothic Kaiju masterpiece, but I also like it as it is. It's too much of a unique movie to just simply disregard and I am happy to finally have given this a watch after a long time of trying to find a copy with english subs.

If you are willing to look past its many problems and are huge fan of gothic and/or Kaiju movies, than this is certainly one to watch if you can find a good copy with subs.

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A Wonderful Character study of a Broken Teen

Students and teens having mental breakdowns have been the source of conversation for a while now. Bullying has also been around forever and persists to this very day. Bullying can be found online and in real life. The effects of bullying are extremely negative and especially for a long period of time, often leads the person being bullied to be in a bad mental state. Sometimes their life at home also does not help matters either. As such, this topic has been covered numerous times in movies, shows, fiction and public service announcements (PSAs). Some of the representations are good, some of them are bad, and some of them are in between.

In 2011, A Japanese horror movie called Gommenasai was realeased. This title translates to I am Sorry and was re-titled in the United States as Ring of Curse. It was based on a popular cell phone novel by the same name which was written by Yuka Hidaka. The movie has received little attention, which is a shame. It is a disgrace because it is a brilliant movie about how bullying, bad parenting, and the negative influence of online sites not only affected one of the main characters, Kurohane, but affects others in real life as well, and does so through the lens of Asian Horror.

The story of Ring of Curse is about Yuka Hidaka (played by Airi Suzuki), a member of her high school’s writing club who attends school with a gifted and smart misfit named Hinoko Kurohane (played by Miyabi Natsuyaki). Kurohane is constantly bullied for her strange and odd appearance and mainly so by Shiori Sonoda (played by Momoko Tsugunaga) and her friends. One day, Sonoda tells Kurohane that she has been chosen to write the script for the school play and Kurohane accepts the offer. However, Sonoda’s friends and teachers from the school are dying by suffocation after they read the many drafts that Kurohane creates. Yuka tries to figure out what is going on with Kurohane. We then learn about the poor life Kurohane has lived through, and how that, along with the bullying she has received everywhere, results in her wanting to spread a curse that uses a combination of evil words that kills those who read it.

Ring of Curse contains a lot of the themes in common with other Asian horror movies. The main theme of Asian horror is feminism, which leads into the subjects of bullying, bad parenting, and negative effects of online sites. Most of the villains, ghosts, and even protagonists in these movies are women who have been oppressed in some way. This was well explained in the book, Faces of Horror, Dances of Death when actor and political lecturer named Ritu Vij is quoted as saying that, “in the domains of horror and science fiction, female monsters are routinely (and, I would argue, overwhelmingly) deployed to elaborate the myriad insecurities that have marked contemporary Japanese life” (Dumas 91). If you examine movies in this genre such as Ringu, Ju-On, Shutter, Dead Friend, Death Blog, Audition, Phone, One Missed Call, The Eye, Carved, Coming Soon, and all 9 Tomie movies, you will see a pattern of the main villain, ghost, or even the protagonist being mistreated by either men or women, or society as a whole judging them for whatever reason.

These characters’ suffering from the outside world can include, but not be limited to the following reasons. They could have supernatural powers like with Sadako in Ringu (1998) who was persecuted for her telepathic powers. They can be socially awkward like Hitomi in Death Blog (2014) who was addicted to the internet and is more attracted to cartoons than real people as the result of being socially awkward. They may not fit within beauty standards like Su-In in The Ghost (2004) who was bullied for her weird appearance. Some have weird and unusual hobbies like Jiney in Ab-Normal Beauty (2004) who was obsessed with the macabre. Many have been victims of crimes committed by toxic men and women, like with Ingchan in Coming Soon (2008). In the movie, the director made rude and overly harsh demands for a more convincing performance from her. Even when she had a fatal accident and died on set, the director failed to notice, and did not care, until it was too late. One final reason for the characters’ suffering is being treated poorly by a society enforcing toxic masculinity like with Asami in Audition (1999) who was mistreated by men who viewed her as nothing more than an object or trophy. There are some exceptions to this rule. The Tomie movies focus on an evil girl who manipulates any man around her to worship and do her bidding. However, that still fits because it highlights the damaging effects of the male gaze and how it affects other women. Otherwise, villains and even protagonists tend to follow this trend in Asian Horror.

In Ring of Curse, Kurahane is ostracized because of her weird powers, being socially awkward, and not fitting within society's beauty standards. In the movie, society is shown to judge Kurohane for not looking like a normal person and putting her down at every turn possible. This includes students mocking her appearance due to her looking rather ghostly, having long hair which is not in regulation, and acting rather unusually silent and distant. They also put her in embarrassing situations to her family treating her very poorly. In retaliation, Kurohane creates a curse that she intends to spread in as many ways as possible such as writing on paper and text. The use of themes about feminism from other Asian Horror all ties into the bullying, bad parenting, and negative online influence that turns Kurohane into who she becomes.

The first theme that is covered in Ring of Curse is bullying. In the movie, Kurohane is constantly bullied by Sonoda and her clique. It is made clear throughout the movie that Sonoda is targeting Kurohane not just because she looks different. The movie shows visually that Sonoda is also targeting Kurohane because of jealousy. You see this when Sonoda is angry that Kurohane got a higher test score than her. Kurohane is also bullied by her sister constantly, which is one of the reasons she goes over the edge and tries to curse people.

In the article, “Comparing Face-to-Face Bullying and Cyberbullying,” Dirk Baier states that, “A substantial body of research supports that victims of bullies suffer from internalizing problems, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem” (Baier 1). This is very much the case with Kurohane as all this harassment and bullying has helped build her depression and extreme low self-esteem. As such, she is seen alone, sitting at her desk as she either continues to write, study, or just sits there staring off into space. The only time people bother to go up to her are mostly to bully her. The only exception is Yuka, who is the only one to treat her with any amount of actual respect and kindness. She asks if Kurohane will join the writing club. However, due to Kurohane’s nilishism, and built-up hatred towards everyone, she rejects the offer because she thinks Yuka is only asking her for selfish purposes.

As with many cases of bullying, it has a clear effect on Kurohane not only socially but mentally. Going back to the article, “Comparing Face-to-Face Bullying and Cyberbullying,” the author mentions how “ Hase et al. (2015) cross-sectional study, which consisted of 1225 adolescents, found that both face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying were associated with poorer mental health” (Baier 2). As stated in the article, bullying, whether it is online or in real life, can wear a person down and the effects of it are severe. It can result in the person being more of an outcast, developing many anti-social skills, and not being able to talk to others. It also results in the person developing a rather negative view of people. This is shown in Kurohane who has been bullied so much throughout her, that she views people as worthless creatures that all need to suffer. Even when people want to genuinely help her, she turns them down since she has been scorned, mistreated, and made fun of by everyone in her life.The one that seems to do the most bullying to Kurohane is her sister, Kana. Her bullying towards Kurohane is extremely excessive and non-stop. This bullying combined with the bullying she receives at school from Sonoda’s clique, helps you realize that Kurohane is in constant agony. She is bullied wherever she is and does not have the willpower to stand up for herself. In her mind, the only power she has is by killing those who read the curse ridden texts she writes. This is an all-too-common trait in bullying victims. The ability to stand up for themselves has been stripped away from them by their peers and even those close to them. It is a horrifying outcome for sure and is why those who are bullied need help.

The second theme covered in Ring of Curse is bad parenting. Often in movies, bad parenting is shown to be more violent in nature. The issue is touched upon in a more real-world context in Lead Bromfield’s article titled “Violence, Abuse and Neglect.” In this article, Bromfield states that “violence, abuse and neglect are prevalent within our community, and families with multiple and complex problems'' (Bromfield 5). However, in this movie, the bad parenting displayed here does not fit that type at all. Instead of abuse and violence being the bad parenting style that is shown in this movie, the bad parenting is straight up abandonment.

The bad parenting starts after Kurohane is being bullied when she was a young child. She writes up a threatening message to the bully and the bully freaks out and chokes. Kurohane’s mother is told about this and completely abandons her. She rarely talks to her or even interacts with her throughout her entire life. Kurohane does try to win her mother’s love back but she just ignores it. She and her husband instead give all the attention, love, and care to her sister. They also let Kana continuously harass Kurohane without ever interfering once. This makes Kurohane even more spiteful and broken as a result. Even when Kurohane is revealed to have cancer, her mother shows no real signs of sympathy or care.
In her eyes, Kurohane is an immoral monster who can never be redeemed. The biggest sign that both her mother and father have no love for Kurohane is shown when they both go to attend her funeral. We are told by Yuka, via narration, that Kurohane’s parents shared the same sentiment that the students have. They seemed to be relieved by her death and do not really even care.

The worst part is that the solution to all this could be so easy. Instead of completely abandoning Kurohane and cutting any attachment with her, Kurohane’s mother should have tried to help her. She should have had her go to therapy, try to be more caring, and give her the support she very much needs. Instead, her mother loses hope the instant she messes up one time, which leaves Kurohane with no one but herself to deal with the real world around her. They also focus all of their time on her sister, Kana and give her all the love and support instead of being equal and help both of their children out. This also leads to Kana bullying Kurohane constantly whenever the two interact or are near each other.

The bad parenting style presented in this movie is a rather unique take and look at the subject. While the more violent and up-front abusive parenting is a problem, being ignorant of your child, and leaving them to their own devices is no better. This is seen in real life when parents leave their child to endlessly play on their iPad or do not bother raising them. Parenting is one of the most important things for a child when they grow up and without it, they will be afflicted with stunted growth. Ring of Curse provides a good example of this kind of parenting.

The third theme that is covered in Ring of Curse is the effects of unsupervised access to the internet can have on a person. This one does not have as much depth to it as the other two, but it is still an important subject to bring up. In the movie, Kurohane is shown to be able to create curses by writing words or at least in certain combinations of cursed words. In order to find out how to create stronger curses, she goes to many occult sites that give her ideas for her curses. While the internet itself is not inherently bad, it can be used for evil purposes. If her parents were more caring and active in her life, she probably would not have been on the sites and the curses would not have been as powerful. However, it has been established that Kurohane’s parents do not care for her at all which leads to Kurohane having unlimited access to resources that end up strengthening her curses.

One thing must be addressed though. This review, as well as the movie, is not trying to excuse or condone Kurohane’s behavior. At the end of the day, it was still morally wrong for her to create a curse that kills people and spreads it to millions of people who had nothing to do with her bullying nor would have. It was not right to kill those who bullied her as two wrongs do not make a right. That being said, there is a rather strong argument to be made here that she ended up this way because of the bad upbringing she dealt with. There was almost no one in her life to help her when she needed it and that might have helped her immensely.

In conclusion, Ring of Curse is a brilliant movie about how bullying, bad parenting and the negative influence of sites online not only affected one of the main characters, Kurohane, but can affect others in real life as well. Ring of Curse shows this through the lens of Asian Horror. There are several things to do when it comes to fixing all three problems. When it comes to bullying, that is the hardest one of all. It may never truly be stopped in any real way, but we can still try to work on it not being as prevalent and give those being bullied a trustworthy friend group to help them out. When it comes to parenting, parents should make sure to be an active part of their child’s future without being a helicopter parent. When it comes to access to online content, parents should make sure it does not consume their child or that they get into the wrong places online. As for the movie, Ring of Curse, I highly recommend it. The ideas of bullying, bad parenting, and the dangers of the internet have been covered before, but this movie handles those themes in a unique and interesting way. This movie is not to be skipped out on and should be viewed.

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Very funny but lacking accuracy.

I found this movie randomly and on my own so I went in with no expectations.
I was pleasantly surprised by the comedy of the movie and I actually thought it was a pretty nice slapstick comedy. It was very easy going and I would watch it again because of the nice chemistry between the main leads and interesting plot twist. With that being said; the medical inaccuracies in this too overwhelming and the portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder are very stereotypical and not really accurate at all. If you know nothing of DID it is easy to watch but if you have even the slightest knowledge of the condition it makes it cringe to witness.
I also did not favor the ending. It felt like a really cheap cop out. Hypnotherapy wont just get rid of DID and trauma and allow her to re-enter society. There is nothing wrong with having DID and Gu Chang liked A Ni for who she was. It would have been better if they hadn't 'fixed' her..

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The Greatest Kaiju Movie of All Time

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris is not only the greatest kaiju movie I will ever see, but if it wasn't for Another Me, I would say it is my favorite movie of all time. In my eyes, this is a gold standard of Kaiju movies and movies in general. Like Another Me, I drew many comparisons to other media and how this did everything those other things did but much better.

The main comparison that came to mind was between this movie and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (I could also bring up Civil War but those comparisons would be very much stretching it and I don't want to give the MCU more spotlight than it ever deserved). Both tackle similar themes about questing the actions of the hero and the person or people striking back at the hero.

The difference is light and day when it came to the execution. Unlike BVS, Revenge of Iris's challenging of the hero is completely earned. In BVS, it was an obvious knee jerk reaction to the people's distaste for Man of Steel. In Revenge of Iris, this was set up from the start, all be it very subtly. The government and military are very mixed on Gamera in both of the previous movies and we are shown how Gamera can negatively affect the economy around him.

This time though we are thrown a curve ball to the mostly positive narrative about Gamera when we see a flash back to a scene from the first movie. In this scene, we see Ayana Hirasaka watch in horror as we see the destruction of her house and the death of her parents. The camera pans up to Gamera who is spikier and very creepy looking.

While he didn't have this look in the first movie, it makes way more sense when you realize that this is how Ayana sees Gamera. We also see that all the Pendents have shattered, reflecting Gamera's connection to humanity cut completely, which was shown in Gamera 2 when Asagi broke her connection with Gamera so he can fight Legion. 23 minutes into the movie, we then see Gamera fighting a pair of Gyaos and we are shown how Gamera's fight affect the humans around him.

All of this was something that built up to from the previous movies and it feels completely earned.

Speaking of Ayana Hirasaka, she is what batman in BVS should have been. Ayana isn't written as some psychotic strawman for the audience who didn't like the destruction in Man of Steel. She is written very realistically and we are able to completely understand why she hates Gamera.

She hates how people are praising Gamera as this savior when she saw Gamera cause the death of her family and the bullying that she and her step brother receive only make it worse. Her change of heart about Gamera is very well done and is how the infamous martha scene from BVS should have been handled. It also helps that Ai Maeda's performace is extremely nuanced and complex. She gives off the appropriate cold anger that the character has without resorting to screaming and shouting her way through the movie.

Iris is the not only the greatest non Godzilla kaiju, but it is also the Greatest villain of all time. Iris is a creature who feeds off of Ayana's hate for Gamera so it can kill Gamera. That being said, Iris does actually care about Ayana as it connects with her losing her family to Gamera and is very loyal to her. It also kills the bullies that were picking at Ayana and her brother. However, it also kills innocent people as well and does so intentionally. It's clear that Iris started off as an innocent creature but got completely corrupted by Ayana's hate for Gamera and became evil because of it.

Iris and Ayana symbolize the devastating effects of revenge. Both were initially kind and loving beings that become hate filled after the loss of their families. Both don't care what it takes or who gets hurt in their path of revenge either. As long they manage to take down Gamera, that is all that matters.

Gamera in this movie is very morally dubious. Unlike Superman in BVS, we actually see why Gamera could be considered a threat against humanity. Thanks to the destruction of the Pendents, Gamera has no real attachment to humanity anymore. Now that the Gyaos have reappeared, his sole goal is to eliminate the Gyaos. He never considers the destruction and loss of lives as long as the Gyaos are killed. In a way, He is similar to Ayana and Iris but not completely.

With Ayana and Iris, both are doing this out of blind hatred, Gamera is doing this because he is made by the atlantians to do this. He is meant to protect the earth, not humanity. While this was a concern in the first two movies, it is really focused on with this movie. He is also extremely violent with how he takes out his enemies, more so than usual. The scene with Gamera staring at the Gyaos he just took down as it is screaming in agony with his eye hanging out of his socket and his whole body completely destroyed and broken, is way scarier than almost anything in any horror movie ever.

Mito Asakura and Shinya Kurata are the other antagonists of the movie. Unlike Iris and Ayana who are fueled by hatred toward Gamera. Mito is trying to kill Gamera because she believes he is an evil spirit while Shinya is doing it because he loves destruction and chaos. They may not appear too much, but they are certainly memorable and are important to the story. Also, Tôru Tezuka's performance as Shinya Kurata is what Jesse Eisenberg's performance as Lex Luthor should have been. Crazy and psychotic but only when needed and was also realistically socially awkward.

I also like all the returning characters as well. Especially Osako who is always a joy to watch. Not much more to say here as I wanted to focus on the characters above.

The effects and designs of the kaiju. Gamera is very spiky and vicious looking here which fits the tone of this movie. Iris however steals the show. Not only is the mixture of CGI and practical effects perfect and seamless, but the design for it is gorgeous. Iris has a very angelic and angular. It almost looks like the good guy here and I can totally see someone believing such. This is very much intentional and it is the perfect disguise for its more violent personality. The Gyaos also look really cool as well, now with more sleek angles and a grey color scheme. The miniatures are also wonderful here but that is expected from this trilogy.

The Cinematography somehow outdoes what is in the first two movies. This is true in the action scenes ( the very small amount in this movie), especially in the fight with Gamera and the two Gyaos. It perfectly fits the tone that scene and makes you feel the horror of the situation. This trilogy and Revenge of Iris especially showed me the power of amazing cinematography. The Music makes it work so well and is awesome on it's own.

Before I go to final thoughts, I must address the ending. It ends off at a part that might lead some to feels cheated but I think that was intentional. One of the main themes is hope and the ending is reflective of that. You are supposed to come to your on conclusions about what happens next. I will not go into it further as I want to make this review to convince people to watch this movie. Just thought I warn all of you prior to seeing the movie.

In the end, I demand you to see the Kaneko trilogy and give special attention to this movie especially. The fact that the main movie going audience sucks off MCU and DCEU releasing the same bland meaningless movies every year while making fun of and degrading the kaiju genre is beyond insulting.

I am not saying to wipe all goofy kaiju movies away (we do need to laugh and feel happy after all), but I and many other kaiju fans would love to see the public treat these movies with respect. I hope this trilogy changes that perception some day if the mainstream ever decides to give it a chance.

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The Start of the Greatest Movie Trilogy of All Time

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is what happens when you take the traditional structure of a kaiju movie and add nuance, depth and passion to it. Shuske Kaneko is a master at making Kaiju movies a shown with this whole trilogy.

The story paints a dark picture of humanity. Like the Atlantians, we have created disasters and poisoned the earth for the worst. However, Gamera comes in as he represents hope. He (as well as the people of Atlantis) may not have been able to prevent the Gyaos from destroying Atlantis, but that doesn't mean he can't prevent the Gyaos from destroying Earth centuries later. It manages to tackle all of this in an incredibly sophisticated and thought provoking way without being preachy as fuck.

We also learn and experience how much these monster fights and rampages effect people. The economy is fucked and similar to modern times, items of value are being fought over and people are buying them in bulk. It's hauntingly realistic and something we don't see much in Kaiju movies.

The characters are also very fleshed out. Asagi is a selfless person that understands how Gamera is important through the bond they share thanks to an amulet she received. She shares Gamera pain psychically and mentally and is willing to go through it so Gamera can stop the sinister Gyaos. The rest of the cast is just as great, being extremely likable and incredibly interesting.

I really dig how the government here is handled here. They have such a warped view of everything that isn't too far off from how mot governments work. They are so willing to disregard facts as fairy tales, shoot at Gamera who is helping, fake sympathy for the people they govern and despite Gyaos being against them, view him as ally against Gamera, who is the actual savior. The only reason they are even protecting the Gyaos is because they believe it is some rare and endangered species that needs saving.

The Gyaos are a great update of their admittingly silly original versions. They are now a terrifying living weapon that constantly consume and feed off of the destruction of earth. It is also an extremly clever an deceptive kaiju to boot.

Gamera, as stated previously, is a symbol of hope. He is the atlantian's last effort to stop the Gyaos from destroying the earth. he is also extremely protective of people and willing to get hurt to protect those who are about to be killed by the Gyaos. Unlike the Gyaos who are souless killing machines, Gamera is incredibly compassionate and caring.

The thing that really makes this work are the effects, Cinematography and music.

The effects are top notch, especially for the time this came out. Gamera has a realistic look to him, yet has big expressive eyes that gives him some extra humanity. the execution of Gamera is simply marvelous as it is incredibly life like and detailed. The animatromics are also top notch and work perfectly.

Gyaos is more unnerving not only how it looks, but how it moves. It is shaky an erratic, giving him an other worldly nature to him. I also must give heaps of praise to how they handled the laser beam of gyaos and the fire effects for Gamera. Especially in a time where not even the Godzilla movies got that perfectly down yet, The execution here is seamless. The miniatures and explosions are also intricately crafted and flawlessly handled.

What really makes it work is the cinematography and music. The trilogy has the best I have ever seen in movie history. every shot, movement, framing and angle is done to complete perfection. there were many times were I stared in awe of how it was filmed. I felt the impact and scale of Gamera and Gyaos as they smashed thorough buildings flied in the sky and most importantly, I felt as small and tiny as the humans in the movie against these massive titans. The Music is gorgeous and elevates every scene it is. compared to the low rent drivel the mcu farts out, This music is incredibly impact and very memorable. It adds to the experience and is not random background noise to be simply brushed off.

To conclude, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is a spectacle and I use this and the rest of the trilogy as the gold standard which I judge Kaiju movies by.

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An Overlooked Entry in the Greatest Movie Trilogy of All Time

For the longest time, I considered this to be my least Favorite of the Trilogy, that was until this rewatch. I mean it hasn't topped Gamera 3 and the human characters aren't quite as developed as in either 1 or 3, but this is a great step up to Guardian of the Universe.

As said before, While most of this movie's human characters aren't fully fleshed out like in the other two entries, they are still extremely likable. This is probably helped out a lot by the great acting across the board. We do get some more development with some of the characters from the first movie like Asagi and Osako, But they don't have that much screen time compared to the new human characters.

However, the Kaiju take the spotlight here. Both Gamera and Legion are awesome and the battles they have are some of the best Kaiju action I have ever witnessed.

Mother Legion and the hordes of Soldier Legions are very unique kaiju I have ever seen. They have an other worldly vibe to them and don't resemble any traditional kaiju, which makes sense as they are aliens. The smaller soldiers (about 6 feet tall) look like mutant ticks and minus being the size of humans, manage to swarm up and be a huge hindernece to Gamera. The Mother Legion (who is kaiju sized) is like a bug equivalent to a centaur and is a very busy design. Sure they may have no big symbolism like Gyaos or Iris, but they do pose a huge threat.

I also liked how Kaneko decided to create a brand new Kaiju instead of just re-using an old Kaiju from the Showa Gamera movies. Kaneko and the creative team he worked with realized that constant nostalgia bait was never gonna work and decided to do something different and that is something I always look forward to seeing.

Gamera himself is given even more depth. Wee really see how much he is willing to protect the earth from forces that harm it. Even when he is almost near exhaustion or death, he will do anything he can to save the day. It's truly inspiring to watch and shows you can make the heroic kaiju without making it a Saturday morning cartoon; a fault a good chunk of the Showa Gamera and Godzilla movies fell into all too often.

The story itself is all about the situation. This is the same kind of story telling used in the deserving acclaimed Shin Godzilla. Like Shin Godzilla, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion perfectly creates a terrifying disaster and cooks up high amounts of suspense, helplessness, horror and terror along with hope, passion inspiration and epicness.

The effects are top notch as always. The Gamera suit is a bit more agile, hunched and different to how he looked in the first movie of this trilogy and I love it. I still prefer his look in Revenge of Iris, but he still look awesome here. the Legion horde are a work of art. The soldier legion are very well handled but HOLY SHIT is Mother legion beautifully done.The fact that they pulled off this insane design to this level of greatness needs to be recognized and awarded for sure. The fact that most people don't recognize these movies for the amazing effects yet praise the dated looking effects in Spider-Man Homecoming is offensive to me. The miniatures, explosions and destruction are also all perfect as well

The cinematography is also very unique for a kaiju movie as well. A lot of it is shot like a horror movie and it is clear that Junichi Tozawa has the ability to shoot an amazing horror movie if he hasn't already. It also has an appropriate Documentary feel as well which helps the story a lot. The Music is just as perfect as ever. It manages to fit each scene perfectly with each scene it is placed in.

To conclude, While it may not be as deep as Guardian of the Universe, It manages to out do that movie by perfectly executing an already solid premise. I am Hyped to see Revenge of Iris this Christmas.

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