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DualEdge
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- Review count3
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewMay 11, 2009
- Last reviewJuly 27, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
DualEdge's Reviews
Overall rating
3
/
5
Tekken...without the fight
PostedJuly 27, 2011
DualEdge
from Omaha, NE
I will first admit to not being the most hardcore Tekken player, but I have followed the franchise since its inception. That said, I had pretty high hopes for this movie as it seemed to have all the right things going for it. Using CG would mean that the fighting could seem real and hard-hitting, but allow for some video game effects to translate over as well. And the 3D should provide a great level of immersion, right? Hmmm read on.
The Story - Without spoiling too much, the story primarily is focused on Xiaoyu and Alisa as well as an all-new character, Shin Kamiya. Shin seems to be harboring some kind of dark secret and its up to the ladies to find out more about what it is and its significance to their "employers". Of course, there is a strong presence of the Mishima clan as well that is worked in. But this is where the problem lies. The movie feels like 2 different stories that just don't quite fit together. The first half could probably be best described as Tekken: High School Drama whereas the second half is a bit more of what people paid to see in the first place.
Characters - While only a handful of characters actually contribute to the main story, a number of others make cameos throughout the film. Some are funny and some are facepalms. Even though I didn't want a movie that tried to squeeze every character in just for the sake of seeing them on the screen, a LOT of fan favorites are notably missing (something the story writer backed by saying that their stories are already developed in the games). I respect that they didn't just try to make this about a tournament, but I do feel like more characters could've been worked in.
3D - I am a fan of 3D, so I was pretty excited to see what this would look like. My feelings on this are decidedly mixed after seeing the final result. Scenes that involve dialogue only feel very flat and barely exhibit any depth at all. Sure, some shots work better than others, but I believe that the best work comes during the action sequences (rightfully so). A lot of the action is shot "in your face" similar to a common Michael Bay movie, so in this case, the 3D does work for these sequences. Debris and other objects regularly come out of the screen, so those looking for a bit of pop-out with their depth should enjoy these scenes. Does the 3D add anything? Sure, but this is not the best 3D you've ever seen.
The dub - I knew that this was going to be dubbed in English going in, so I prepared myself for the worst. While I'm happy to report that it is not horrible, it's about as good as you might expect of a release of this kind. The worst part actually seemed to be some of the translations though. There were a lot weird innuendos in the movie that I'm not sure were intentional. Our theater was constantly laughing at the dialogue and the presentation. Also, and this a personal gripe, but it seems very weird to hear this entire movie in English. Why? Because we have been listening to these characters speak their native languages for some time now, so to magically make them fluent in English seems very odd. All I can say is I hope that Namco Bandai includes the original Japanese audio on the Blu-ray as that might bring back some of the intended seriousness.
The Animation - Can't really say anything negative about this and as expected, this is the real star of the movie. The animation is crisp, fluid, and very detailed. Indeed, this is very much the same type of animation we are used to seeing in our video game intros and it translates wonderfully to the big screen. The 3D effect does darken the image a tad, however, the movie is very vibrant, so this is pretty much a non-issue. In 2D, the image should be pretty much flawless.
Final Thoughts - It's really hard for me to recommend this movie even though it does have some good moments. For a movie about fighting, there is a serious lack of it. I think when people reflect on the movie after having watched it, they will really only remember one of the fights (and you can guess which one that is). When the fights are going on, they are quite good and you'll even notice some chain combos, which fans can appreciate. While I wouldn't say the movie is horrible, it's not really that good either. Yes, I will be buying Tekken Hybrid, but its primarily because Tekken Tag Tournament HD is included.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Enjoyable adaptation
PostedJanuary 21, 2011
DualEdge
from Omaha, NE
What you need to know before you head into the movie is that it is quite a bit different than the anime/manga that it originated from. If Gantz to you is merely this ultra-violent, sex-filled series, you are likely going to walk away from the movie disappointed. However, if you are interested in seeing a new take on the world of Gantz, you can enjoy it quite a bit, just as I did. The actors did seem to retain the majority of their characters traits and personalities (although Kurono is a bit less of a horndog here), but the real stars of the movie are the aliens. They absolutely got those right despite a few small changes. The Tanaka alien was probably my favorite as he was just such a quirky character. For a modest budget, the special effects were quite convincing, especially the transfers in and out of the missions. The only thing that I thought was really bad was the dub, as others have mentioned. Not only because they didn't always give proper emotion, but the sound was very unnatural and literally felt like I was sitting inside of a recording studio. I have no doubt that the original Japanese language will resolve this, so if there is anyway to get Part 2 subbed versus dubbed, please let it be! Overall, a very enjoyable movie and I look forward to Part 2!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Well worth your time
PostedMay 11, 2009
DualEdge
from Omaha, NE
Talk about a breath of fresh air. Based on the trailers, this movie looked great, but having seen it, it is nothing less than epic in my opinion. The characters are so wonderfully cast and they all have great chemistry with one another. As for the special effects, they are absolutely first rate. I would like to see them on their next voyage sooner than later.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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