Review of Gantz (2010) by Nicolas A — 07 Mar 2011

I'm writing this as a fan of the source material, so that may color my review somewhat. First off, I want to say that I don't think I've ever seen a Japanese live-action film with this high of a special effects budget. With a handful of exceptions, the CGI and makeup effects are great, and really help draw you into the action. I can't truly comment on the acting, since the version I saw was dubbed over in English, but it seemed passable. Some of the characters are changed significantly from their counterparts in the anime/manga, and I guess I'm not enough of a purist to rail against that--they're still developed, just in different ways. (Seeing Kishimoto actually be useful was certainly a nice change.).

The fight scenes are nicely choreographed for the most part, though understandably not as epic as they were in the manga, or the anime. As for the story, it follows relatively closely to the beginning of the source material--though it is lacking a few details (as well as a lot of the gore/nudity), and the pacing stutters from time to time. Overall though, the "Gantz" movie hits enough of the important points to make it a good introduction to those who are unfamiliar with the series, while changing enough things to make it well worth watching for existing fans. Great special effects, engaging fight scenes, and the bizarre premise at the heart of it all make "Gantz" an easily recommended action flick.