Review of Goemon (2009) by Tim M — 25 Jul 2011

So I'm on an Eastern film binge right now in reaction to this all american summer blockbuster. Maybe not the big foreign films everyone talks about, but even something introductory to the culture would help. This is what Goemon did for me. Based off of a Japanese fable I loved the rich layer of the story. Everything comes together in this movie and is told without rush. It unfolds as neatly as expected. The acting was pretty good, nothing worth really mentioning. The film is heavily influenced on anime and the superhuman abilities filmed in this movie are CGI'd and slightly noticeable. Considering it was filmed with such a strong color range I forgive the CGI slips. It has the intensity of color to it the same way 300 does. Lots of color-themed scenes. It's a great story about freedom, war, peace, and brotherhood. It's cheesy action for non-anime fans, and a little over dramatic, but it's a very good peak into the pop culture of Japan's stories today. My only complaint is that it gets long. Granted the full story is told, but there was a certain point I would've been happy where they ended it. It went on for a little more, but that's all. All in all a good piece to start with. I'm hoping to move my way through these movies until I watch Akira Kurosawa films.

P.S. My complaint is that Netflix dubs over most of these oriental films and completely ruins the original translations of it! I was upset and had to live with two-bit american voice overs. Still, worth the watch. I'd go for it on a casual night in.