Moon Child

I must admit, at first I wasn't expecting anything good, at all. I was only expecting a cheesy movie promoting Gackt's and Hyde's image, but I'm glad to say it has much more to offer.

Yes, the acting is not that great, but it doesn't suck either, all the cast's well disciplined and they bring enough strength to their characters. Effects lack consistency but action scenes are satisfying enough.

What really hooked me up was the essence of the storyline, although it merges fantastic elements, it also displays a crude reality. The developing of the characters, their doubts and their feelings really got on to me and I think that's the key of this movie. It puts you to think and it does well transmitting all the angst.

It fulfills any expectations for a good drama. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

I must admit - the only reason I bought this movie was because I am a big fan of Gackt and a *huge* fan of Hyde. I was expecting a good movie with a lot of shots that were, shall we say, pleasing to the feminine eye but a slightly cheesy story. I mean, the synopsis sounded really out there. And now that I have just finished watching it - I feel the need to tell the world of its brilliance! Hyde and Gackt both gave heart-wrenching performances, and my eyes are still hot from the crying that lasted throughout the last half of the movie. You get sucked into the story, and you really feel for the characters by the end. The element of vampirism - which I love, but is very easy to overdo or to ruin a movie with - is subtly mixed into the storyline as to make it something merely exotic, normal to this setting, rather than a random unnecessary addition to the story. I ranked it at a 9 out of 10 at first...and then I went back and tried to think of why I wasn't giving it that last point. Came up with nothing. So a ten out of ten it is. After all - I'm not much of a critic - the fact that I'm bothering to write a review at all means I either really hate the movie or really love it. You can tell what side I'm on with Moon Child.

When I first heard about Moon Child, I thought it was a joke. After a few months, I figured I guess it's for real. The few reviews I read that WEREN'T made by squealing fangirls were not very promising.

When I was given the opportunity to watch it, I was fully prepared to groan, wince, and otherwise need to close my eyes to avoid the silliness.

I was more than a little surprised, and in a good way.

Yes, Moon Child has its moments of cheese, camp, and general dorkiness -- I think that's kind of impossible to avoid when it involves Gackt Camui, a man not known for his sanity -- but all in all, it was wholly enjoyable.

No, it is not a work of cinema genius but it is very, very heartfelt, amusing, with fun choreography, a touching score, and a fun cast. I know little of Japanese cinema so I can't really judge the acting but considering the fact that the cast was speaking a language or extreme dialect foreign to them at one time or another and that a couple of them have almost no acting experience, I was rather impressed.

If you can enjoy a good action movie, a good drama, a good comedy, see this film. At least rent it since it's coming to Region 1.

On a side note, there is zero homosexual/homoerotic content in this film. I didn't even see much of a subtext. Don't let people that read too much into things ruin this for you.

O.k., so even if the main character reminds you of your sister, he can act.Gackt plays Sho, a juvenille who has trained with Kei, (hyde) which is a vampire. He trains Sho to fight with guns, dodge bullets, and take out underground gang members. They eventually bump into another gunsman, who also takes out gangs. He has a sister, who likes Kei, but Sho likes her. ( Do not pay attention to the back of the box on the DVD, it is wrong!!!)The movie is great in a few ways. The gun scenes are excellent, esp. when Hyde throws 2 pistol clips at Gackt and he catches them in the guns. AWESOME!!! There are funny scenes too, but you have to see it yourself. Only negative, sometimes Hyde burns in light, sometimes he doesn't. I recommend this to everyone, esp. if you like shoot em up films or if your a fan of Camui Gackt.

The two stars of the movie Moon Child Gackt (ex Malice Mizer, solo artist) and Hyde (L'arc en Ciel, solo artist) are both rock idols in Japan, so it goes without saying that my expectations were fairly low for this film heading in.

The plot is quite a piece of work. On one level it's a typical gangster picture about orphans growing up in the slums and trying to carve out a piece of the pie for themselves. And on another level it's about the transience of life and the value of happiness, which is shown to us through the presence of the vampire Kei (Hyde), who is forever trapped in his youth. Yes, there's a vampire. But the story isn't actually about the vampire, it's about Sho (Gackt).

The movie opens with Sho, his brother Shinji and Toshi as children innocently robbing a local gangster. In the midst of the retreat Sho comes upon Kei, who is burning in the sunlight, Sho takes Kei to their hideout and before you know it Kei's true nature is revealed. Flash forward a few years and we see a young Sho on the verge of manhood, and Kei, still unchanged but smiling a lot more.

The movie has the traditional three acts of a gangster picture. Predictably the first act has a happy go lucky quality to it, but all the while the director shows you glimpses of the dark clouds looming beyond. Act two is the fake smile on the frown, and Act three is the tears and redemption. As far as pacing and writing goes, I think the movie does a top notch job of trusting its character's motivations and histories. I was genuinely moved by the story.

The problem isn't with the script, the problem is with the action. The action scenes though some are creative and funny, are monotonous and unbelievable. For all the drama in the comedy/drama scenes there is very little in the action scenes. Which are so full of gun shots you're likely to get a headache. Sho walking into machine gun fire is so ridiculous it makes Rambo look plausible.

I also had a few qualms about the performances, especially Hyde's Kei. While he was good as the stranger standing aloof, or the morbid figure smiling dully, he failed to convince me of his 'curse', and he failed to step up when it came time to be dramatic. This was his inexperience as an actor showing.

Overall I think the story is such a good one that I'm willing to forgive most of the film's shortcomings. It may not be the prettiest film, but it definitely has some great shots, and great moments. You won't see another movie where the vampire is a secondary character this year or possibly any other. Moon Child is a unique experience and though it takes some getting used to, when all is said and done, you'll be glad you invested time and emotion in these characters.