Kiseijû: Kanketsu-hen

Parasyte: Part 1 came as a surprise to me, a pleasant one I must say. The whole concept might seem awry to some, and the poster doesn't help with that.

Anyway,I watched the first one because of a good rating and had to watch part 2 consequently.

It picks up right where the 1st part ends with the ever evolving duo of Shinchi & Migi trying to find a way to end the parasyte menace. At this point I must mention that the action is not as fast and frequent in this installment and it proceeds at a slower pace. But what I really liked about this was the dialogues between different entities. The justification given by Parasytes (both Tamia and others), humans and Migi+Shinchi for their survival was just amazing. It sets a really dark undertone for the film and makes you question whether humans really are the most superior race and do they really deserve to dominate the planet. The special effects are really good and most scenes stand out visually.

The only disappointments were the abrupt end to the final showdown between Shinchi and the 5 in 1 parasyte and the sappy lesson at the end saying human spirit can conquer everything.

Needless to say if you have watched the 1st part and enjoyed it watch this one without any hesitations. It will enthrall and entertain you for sure.

This was always a single movie, they just released it in two parts. But while the first part went quickly over the events that set up the arrival of the aliens and presented the main characters, thus compressing a lot of the original manga/anime story, this part loses the pace and gets to have a few boring scenes. They are mostly flashbacks and emotional explanations of what the characters felt (even if it was quite obvious from their actions and they were dying :) ), but still, a little jarring. I think a better edit of the material would have created a nice two hours and a half single movie that didn't suffer from pacing issues.

That being said, the movie ends well, with too little of Gotou, one of the more interesting characters in the story, but with great development for all the others. Maybe except Satomi Murano, who was always the damsel in distress and not doing very much. I recommend this movie to sci fi fans from all over. While the philosophical speeches increase in number in this part, I still think Parasyte is a good sci-fi horror movie that needs more recognition.

Part 1 of the "Parasyte" movies, from 2014, wasn't overly impressive, but at least it was better than this 2015 sequel. But I didn't know that prior to sitting down to watch "Parasyte Part 2" (aka "Kiseijuu: Kanketsuhen").

Sure, the special effects in this movie were great, just as they were in the previous movie. Some interesting enough creature designs as well.

However, the entire movie was just swamped with too much drama and politics, to the point where the entire storyline was just turning to mush. I didn't enjoy much of anything of this movie.

The acting in "Parasyte Part 2" was good, taking into consideration the limitation of the script and storyline imposed upon the actors and actresses.

I am sure there are some hardcore fans for this. I, however, wasn't just particularly into it, and as such, the movie scores a mere three out of ten stars because it was too much of a political drama that it was an enjoyable movie. And this is definitely not a franchise that I will be sitting down to watch again.

Solid sequel and a satisfying end. Emotionally charged and almost as good as the anime. Wish I watched this series sooner.

I was disappointed by the first Parasyte film, and though I'd never seen the anime, I felt the feature lacked depth and characterisation, focusing too much on the violence than on the story, which resulted in an, at times, emotionally impotent experience. Parayste Part 2 however is highly recommended, much of the concerns I had with the original been brilliantly addressed in this sequel.

Some time has passed since the original film, and Shinichi (Shota Sometani) has become more adept with his abilities, as he and Migi (Sadao Abe) continue to grow in unity and strength. Shinichi's confrontation with his diminishing humanity is an important aspect of the film, his relationship with girlfriend Satomi (Ai Hashimoto) keeping him grounded.

Ryoko (Eri Fukatsu), the smartest of all parasites, has continued her experiments, and it is her character who occasionally seems the most human of all, the film sometimes doing little in its way to make the audience want humanity to survive the conflict at all. In Ryoko's attempts to keep tabs on Shinichi, she has hired reporter Kuramori (Nao Momori), whose fascination with revealing the truth to all of Japan makes for further problems. At the same time, Ryoko continues to convince the rest of her kind to refrain from been so violent, an ask that is especially difficult for Miki (Pierre Taki), the most dangerous parasite of all.

As Shinichi wages his private war against the parasites, a special police task force begins finalising its coordinated attack, using vile murderer Uragami (Hirofumi Arai), a man who can see the parasites within people, to help locate and kill the invading horde.

With so many characters and so much happening, it's no surprise actors like Ms. Hashimoto go without the screen time they deserve, the feature wanting to pack so much into its two hour script.

Moral ideas concerning the environment and global warming are occasionally discussed, and though these are passionately employed, the addendum that most who discuss these end up with their legs and arms in the air makes it difficult to take such important concerns seriously. Additionally, the theme of which race is more dangerous, the parasites or humanity, is loosely touched upon, though towards the end, it's difficult to distinguish which species is more destructive.

The fight scenes are frenetic and enjoyable, the film fantastically milking the sense of dread, keeping you continuously on the edge of your seat, the feature having what could only be described as multiple endings – just when you think it's over, another threat emerges, though the eventual conclusion is a little too anti-climatic.

Some of the set pieces, including that of the final fight sequence, which incorporates hellish fire in the background, are extraordinary, adding to the visual appeal, the special effects again been amazing. Though violent, the film is not as reliant on blood and gore as the original, which allows the emotional depth of the film to come into effect. Unlike the original, the film has its compellingly touching moments, from its exploration of motherly love and sacrifice, to its story of friendship, redemption and identity, there been an ironic softness and beauty in this horror/sci-fi feature.

Parasyte Part 2 does feel a little rushed at times, and though we gauge the intentions of all characters involved, significantly more depth would have benefited the feature. The film strikes all the right tones, and has just enough content to be unsettling, refusing to shy away from the increasingly dark content, while employing a good dose of humour every so often to give us an occasional break from the themes, though this lacking seriousness does get in the way of the messages the film strives to send. To fully appreciate this movie, one would have had to have seen the first, though the finish Parasyte Part 2 promises is well worth it.