Review of Parasite Eve (1997) by Andrew A — 27 Feb 2011

3 - This blend of sci-fi and horror starts off very well, as a young doctor looses his wife to an accident, and then decides to reconstruct her through his mitochondrial research. This part is full of grandiose melodrama, set to a lush romantic score by none other than Jo Hisaishi.

Let's face it, no one does melodrama as expertly as the Japanese. It is during the second half of the film however where the plot of the film is literally lost. The doctor stumbles upon a hidden conspiracy carried out by mitochondria since the beginning of time, and his newly reconstituted wife becomes the first vessel towards world domination.

If it sounds absurd, rest assured it's treated with utmost seriousness here, as though people are really going to think this is possible. Oh well. The commitment is admirable and the film is still rather watchable.