Review of Bunraku (2010) by Jarrett M — 20 Nov 2011

Bunraku has a decent cast and a excellent visual approach to telling a story that has been told many a time before. As a matter of fact, it feels rather similar to 'Sin City' in it's visual style.

But it is a very different movie. Bunraku is paced much slower and though there are several fight scenes through the film, they never really feel exciting or intense. The cast does decent jobs with their characters, but don't expect any impressive performances.

The writing is also a bit on the bland side and the story brings nothing new to the game. Where the film does excel though is the visual style and appearance of the backgrounds and landscapes. It is an interesting idea that translates nicely to the screen.

Unfortunately, the eye candy is the only thing that will impress in this film. And that really is too bad because Bunraku could have been something really special, but just winds up being pretty to look at.

For those curious about the film, it may be worth a look, but I suspect many will be expecting a lot more from it as a whole than what it delivers.