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Reviews65
petersmovieposters-36377's rating
With the advent of cheap CGI I'm starting to wonder if maybe it's gotten a little too cheap. The Captives is only passable entertainment (although not a complete waste of time for those inclined) as the lack of budget really does seem to impair the underlying vision for the whole film.
Pretty much your basic bug hunt science fiction film, aliens have invaded Earth with the survivors living under (formerly) secure domes but the creatures are now evolving and are able to penetrate Earth defenses. Xu Dongdong leads the military team trying to overcome the challenges the invaders are throwing their way as well as some personal demons of her own but the price grows increasingly high.
I can't point to any one thing that really stands out - the sets are cheap, the CGI goes between barely OK to passable video game level but the story did keep me from switching off. If you've got some time to kill and need a dose of alien invader fu this might be worth checking out. More like a 5 1/2 than 5 stars.
Pretty much your basic bug hunt science fiction film, aliens have invaded Earth with the survivors living under (formerly) secure domes but the creatures are now evolving and are able to penetrate Earth defenses. Xu Dongdong leads the military team trying to overcome the challenges the invaders are throwing their way as well as some personal demons of her own but the price grows increasingly high.
I can't point to any one thing that really stands out - the sets are cheap, the CGI goes between barely OK to passable video game level but the story did keep me from switching off. If you've got some time to kill and need a dose of alien invader fu this might be worth checking out. More like a 5 1/2 than 5 stars.
Displaying a growing complexity of thought regarding their part in the war, Sensuikan I-57 kofuku sezu (Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender), is decidedly different from previous Japanese films about the war that I've seen up until now. Immediately after Japan's defeat there seemed to be a certain deference to the victors in portrayals of military action but director Shue Matsubayashi, a veteran sailor from the war himself, takes an entirely opposite approach and delivers a film that could have easily been made during the war proper. Perhaps it isn't a coincidence that the US was also entering into a phase where World War II films were once again becoming in vogue and this - call it nostalgia - for those terrible days was becoming possible and borderline rosy.
In the absolutely final days of the war one of the last surviving subs of the Imperial Navy is pulled from action to escort a western diplomat (Andrew Hughes), who is willing to plead Japan's case to the Allies, to a rendezvous in the Atlantic. None of the battle hardened veterans are thrilled with the idea and are even less so when the diplomat's daughter (a one and done Maria Laurenti) also comes on board. There's a fascinating back and forth between the crew and Laurenti, in fact between everybody, ranging from duty, obligation, understanding, and the samurai spirit. Really intriguing stuff. Even the opening depiction of an attack using one man kamikaze mini-subs was a bit of a shock. I don't recall ever seeing that before.
Production value and style are generic Toho, lots of models and the like but it's easy to suspend modern SFX expectations and to just go with it. While the basic story may be a tad generic the between the lines bits make this worth seeing.
In the absolutely final days of the war one of the last surviving subs of the Imperial Navy is pulled from action to escort a western diplomat (Andrew Hughes), who is willing to plead Japan's case to the Allies, to a rendezvous in the Atlantic. None of the battle hardened veterans are thrilled with the idea and are even less so when the diplomat's daughter (a one and done Maria Laurenti) also comes on board. There's a fascinating back and forth between the crew and Laurenti, in fact between everybody, ranging from duty, obligation, understanding, and the samurai spirit. Really intriguing stuff. Even the opening depiction of an attack using one man kamikaze mini-subs was a bit of a shock. I don't recall ever seeing that before.
Production value and style are generic Toho, lots of models and the like but it's easy to suspend modern SFX expectations and to just go with it. While the basic story may be a tad generic the between the lines bits make this worth seeing.
Certainly the draw to Jakoman to Tetsu (Jakoman and Tetsu) is the screenplay co-written by Akira Kurosawa, based on the script for the 1949 original. Since the likelihood of ever seeing that version seems remote it was a thrill to come across Kinji Fukasaku's 1964 version, although how similar it is to the Senkichi Taniguchi version will have to wait for another cinematic miracle.
Just after the war temporary fisherman are hired at the remote Hokkaido fishing station run by the avaricious owner but when a poacher, Jakoman (Tetsuro Tamba) comes seeking revenge for his stolen boat - and basically moves into the place until he ruins the owner - tensions rise. Unexpectedly, Tetsu (Ken Takakura), the youngest son who had been thought drowned returns, and he begins to even the scales with sensible moderation and a refreshing calm as the fishing season begins. Kurosawa's voice can definitely be heard, the focus on the impoverished fishermen, the wildness of Jakoman (a role seemingly tailor made for Toshirio Mifune although he actually played Tetsu in the '49), and a strike against the owner right at the critical moment all seem to have his fingerprints and it would have been interesting to have had his directorial take although Fukasaku is definitely up to the task.
It's well made and captures the desperation of the post-War years as Japan transitioned to a modern industrial power from its more traditional past. Worth seeing.
Just after the war temporary fisherman are hired at the remote Hokkaido fishing station run by the avaricious owner but when a poacher, Jakoman (Tetsuro Tamba) comes seeking revenge for his stolen boat - and basically moves into the place until he ruins the owner - tensions rise. Unexpectedly, Tetsu (Ken Takakura), the youngest son who had been thought drowned returns, and he begins to even the scales with sensible moderation and a refreshing calm as the fishing season begins. Kurosawa's voice can definitely be heard, the focus on the impoverished fishermen, the wildness of Jakoman (a role seemingly tailor made for Toshirio Mifune although he actually played Tetsu in the '49), and a strike against the owner right at the critical moment all seem to have his fingerprints and it would have been interesting to have had his directorial take although Fukasaku is definitely up to the task.
It's well made and captures the desperation of the post-War years as Japan transitioned to a modern industrial power from its more traditional past. Worth seeing.