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REVIEW: Casshern

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STORY:

In a post-apocalyptic world full of hate and plagued with disease and death, a scientist has discovered the ability to restore and regenerate lost life. After awakening a group called the Shinzo Ningen, the end of the world has been planned and is ready to be carried out and only the resurrected spirit of a killed soldier can stop it.

REVIEW:

Okay, how can I even start to explain this movie correctly?… Imagine a post-apocalyptic world with a Killzone feel and fights like Equilibrium, and you have Casshern. Originally based on the anime from 1973 of the same name, Casshern is a live action sci-fi with some of the most beautiful scenery and style I have seen in a movie.

The style of Casshern is artistically sound and really gives the movie more depth than just the story alone could. From the gritty black and white flashbacks from war to the blurry vision of light to simply just a beautiful, giant full moon illuminating a crumbled city an eerie blue light, the visuals and brilliant use of light in this movie gives emotion where emotion is due and really is just a treat for the eyes. The music was also soothing and fit the scenes pretty much perfectly, although I find The Moonlight Sonata being used very cliched for some reason (didn’t mind it at all though).

The characters in Casshern are believable and very true to human nature. From the selfish and power-hungry to the powerless who are full of hatred, every character had qualities of which anyone can relate to and it is really hard to define who the real “bad guys” were, which I believe was intended and gave it an edge. The story pretty much follows leading man Tetsuya (Yusuke Iseya) in his quest through death to the becoming of the “Saviour” Casshern. From watching over his windowed wife, Luna (Kumiko Aso), to trying to save his kidnapped mother (Kanako Higuchi), and fighting through feelings of hatred and resentment of the human race and his actions from his previous life we really get to see Tetsuya grow and in turn grow to love him.

Being a fan of the whole science fiction apocalyptic idea as well as asian artistic film-making, I thought this movie was wonderful and a great way to spend 2 and a half hours. The visuals are wonderful, the storyline is well thoughtout and the characters are dynamic. I think I’m gonna check out the original anime soon here, but for now I would recommend anyone with an open mind to see this movie.

RATING: 8.5/10