The difference between a good movie and a bad one can sometimes be small. While there is bound to be good points in almost everything, there's also just as likely to be some not-so-good things. So where in the scale does the balance shift in a film like Casshern. Visually, it's magnificent. Released in Japan in 2004, it takes digital backdrops to a new level. And even though I'm sucker for eye candy, there's got to be more to a film than just good looks (much like when looking for a partner in life). With that in mind, the story elements of Casshern are all over the place making for a pretty film in more ways than one: visually pretty and pretty confusing.

Set some 100 years in the future, it's as though James Cameron's vision in The Terminator has come true. Humans and machines are battling and mankind is getting sick beyond repair. Enter the Neo-Cell, a genetic mutation of sorts that can produce any part of the human body en mass. So if you lose an arm in battle, a new one will be provided. has come true. Humans and machines are battling and mankind is getting sick beyond repair. Enter the Neo-Cell, a genetic mutation of sorts that can produce any part of the human body en mass. So if you lose an arm in battle, a new one will be provided. If you get that BB gun and shoot your eye out, they'll put a new one in, no googling around required. Only problem is, the technology gets out of control. A new race of mutants are created and they aim to destroy what's left of mankind.

Like the similarly stylized Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and, to a certain extent, 300, Casshern is more about visuals than story. It's a CG playground where cartoon and live action collide. Sometimes you can tell, other times the visual effects make you take a second look. It also provides the perfect opportunity to give everything a shiny solar flare. Adapted from a Japanese anime cartoon, there's a tremendous amount of imagination that went into converting Casshern into a live-action (sort of) film. However, there are times when the look goes overboard. For example, there always seems to be something falling from or hovering in the air. And like any film that looks great, eventually you get used to the awe and you settle in for the story.

Casshern is all over the place in terms of story. Allegiances seem to head in one direction and then they go in another. Set in a time of war, this is a good way to create sympathy for all sides, but it also makes it tough to find the focus. Maybe I was distracted by the prettiness early on and wasn't able to catch up. Oh wait, that can't be it because I watched the first 30 minutes twice to see if I was missing anything.

So I couldn't explain the plot much beyond the very basics, but man does Casshern look good. So where does that take the scales of goodness. I guess that depends on what you look for in a movie. Me, I like the whole package, which includes both story and artistic merit. By failing in one, Casshern, like many others, ultimately fails to leave a deep impression.

DVD Features

The North American DVD release of Casshern is definitely on the sparse side. On the one hand, the international hit is finally available but on the other there's not much to it. You've got your movie, which is presented in a gorgeous enhanced widescreen and that's it. Audio is in it's original Japanese 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Surround with English subtitles burned into the movie itself so they can't be turned off. The only "extras" are previews for Transformers and Next.

Buy the DVD.

©Movie Views; October 21, 2007