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mrgiggles
Reviews
Ankoku shinwa (1990)
Theological Chop-Sockey!
Well this is certainly a hard one. The whole film seeks to examine which Japenese religion is the "correct" one, via a twisted tale of reincarnation, and a pre-destined fight of two Gods, one evil, one good (naturally, why is there never a God of apathy?).
The story itself follows a teenage boy, who is actually a reincarnated saviour of humanity, as he travels through Japan attempting to become powerful enough to fight "The Dark Nebula", whilst also avoiding a cult that wants his power for himself. (This is kind of simplifying things a little, but as with much anime this is the only way to explain the story).
Although the animation is dated, and there is little "action, this remains a very engaging film. It attempts to unravel the very history of Japanese religion, while claiming it is neither correct nor incorrect. It can be very hard to follow at times due to the amount of Gods that are mentioned, often with no direct relevence. Regardless, the very ideas behind this film are what makes it so successful, and it remains interesting that only anime is capable of such complex and philosophical tales. This film is recommeded for any one who likes to have their ideas challenged, and to be avoided by action fans.
A prime example of the thinking-persons anime.
The Hole (2001)
On the (w)hole, good.
If you were expecting a thriller on par with "Cube" as the trailer suggested.......sorry. This aint it. If you were expecting a pretty solid, if unspectacular film, then rejoice. This is it.
It was nice to see a decent thriller set here in Blighty, as England rarely appears in any other films of this style/genre. But then location hardly matters in a film set mostly underground! The characters were the usual party animal/slut etc. but they were well acted. The direction is tight, but a bit cliched, you can pretty much tell when any shock is coming.
The only real flaw was that for a film with such an original, and suspensful concept, the tension is destroyed immeadiatly as you are shown WHO survives at the start.
This is an above average thriller, but by no means does it live up to the potential of such a good idea. great, but not one of THE greats.