The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms: Movie Review #16

Review of the Week:

The Birth of a Sub-Genre

Everything has a beginning, it must start from somewhere. Most days, a trend can appear out of nowhere and no one usually knows how it came to be. That isn’t always the case, especially when it comes the giant-monster craze of the ‘1950s. While most people credit King Kong (1933) as the first gargantuan beast to start this whole trend, the idea of a monster being spawned by nuclear radiation was created by ‘1953s: The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

            The film starts out in Antarctica, where a group of scientists and military personal test an atomic bomb which awakens a dinosaur called the Rhedosaurus (red-o-soar-us). The creature makes its way out of Antarctica and arrives in New York City causing mayhem and destruction in its wake. The plot is VERY basic, but considering a lot of other monster movies of the time followed the exact same structure, it’s very original by comparison. This film also served as the inspiration for the king of the monsters himself: Godzilla.

            To save time, the human characters in the film will not be discussed, mainly because they’re only there to move the plot forward, the real star of the film is the monster itself. Ray Harryhausen, the man behind the special effects, did a great job of both, designing the creature and giving it enough personality to make it stand out above the rest. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, represented Ray’s first solo venture as a stop-motion artist. Prior to this film, he was a co-animator with Willis O’Brien on Mighty Joe Young in 1949.

            So, if you’re wondering where giant monsters truly got their start on the big screen, then you should definitely check out The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

Final Rating:

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is available on Blu-Ray & DVD, possibly at your local video-store, but you’re more than likely able to find a copy online. As for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards the original Gojira (Godzilla), another important piece of monster movie history, lastly, I suggest checking out Tremors, a giant monster flick on a smaller scale. That’s it for me, let me what your thoughts on the movie are and if you have any other movies I should review, down in the comments.

Until Next Time, Never Detonate a Bomb Next to a Giant Monster…



Sword of the Stranger: Movie Review #11

Review of the Week:

Blood & Swords Galore!

 

Sometimes I like to be reminded of why I love a certain thing, an amazing discovery that reignites my interest in something that I already consider fantastic. In recent years, I started watching a different form of entertainment known as Anime. It all started when a friend introduced me to show called Attack on Titan, at first I didn’t know what to expect from it and boy when I saw the first few minutes, I was ABSOULTELY blown away. Since that time, I have seen a wide variety of “inventive” shows, from Fullmetal Alchemist, to Cowboy Bebop and many others. It was and is those types of shows that kept me going, I continue to find unbelievably great shows and a lot of them have shown me what animation is capable of, but to me, none of them come close to the spectacle that is: Sword of the Stranger.

Sword of the Stranger, tells the story of an orphaned boy named Kotaro, and his dog Tobimaru, who are being pursued by assassins under direct orders from the emperor of china. While on the run, the boy runs into a name-less samurai, who soon becomes caught in the affair. It’s through these dire circumstances, that Kotaro enlists the samurai to help escort him to safety.

The plot of the film is fairly simple, but the animation is not. The animation was handled by Studio BONES, the studio most famous for animating the two shows I previously mentioned at the intro. They did good on those and they did a hell of a job in this film. A lot of the animation has such fluidity it’s unbelievable. It's those moments, especially during the final fight, is when BONES’ efforts is shown. As for the decision to listen to it in Japanese, or English, is simple: it doesn’t matter. Both versions are great to listen to and are very satisfying (though go for Japanese, if you bought it from Funimation, you'll find out). Also, the music is some of my favorite in Anime, my personal pick from the soundtrack is Battle Theme, it’s extremely epic (I listened to it repeatedly while making this review and you should too while reading).

Overall, if you’re looking for a simple, but amazing film with super awesome animation, but extremely violent action, then you should definitely check out Sword of the Stranger. Just don’t watch it with kids under 15, they’ll probably get mentally scared from this.

Final Rating:

Sword of the Stranger is available on Blu-Ray, DVD combo, by the fine folks over at Funimation Entertainment, for a reasonable price, you may have better luck on other pages, though it’s still worth buying regardless. It’s also available for legal streaming on their site. Unfortunately, I have no alternate recommendations at this time, but if you have any, feel free to sound off in the comments below.

Until Next Time, Thank A Helping Stranger…

 



Ninja Scroll: Movie Review #10

Review of the Week:

Nineties Ninjas

 

There are a lot of Anime out that have this distinct appearance, a certain aspect that labels them as a product of the time they were released. Ninja Scroll is very much a product of nineties, down to its animation, style and the quality of its English dub. In this movie’s case, it works to its advantage, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it works in all areas.

            Ninja Scroll takes places in a land where supernatural beings and monsters exist, that just happens to look like feudal Japan which justifies some of character designs. Probably the biggest example is the main character, Jubei, who looks like an American who decided to cosplay as a samurai. I should get into the plot before I lose track, in the film, Jubei gets caught in a scrimmage between a league of demonic ninjas and a shogun spy, who forces Jubei to help him out. While getting entangled in this mess, he also runs into a mysterious ninja girl with a deadly secret. I would try to explain the rest of the plot, but it's just too complicated and weird for me.

            While Ninja Scroll is a great standalone film, some of the animation did remind me of another animated film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Though this isn’t much of a surprise since both films were animated by Studio Madhouse, this studio is also responsible for famous titles such as Death Note, Black Lagoon and more recently Death Parade. As for the decision to listen to it in either Japanese or English, surprisingly enough I still say English. While the dub is more or less standard, there are some big names in the cast. Some of the names include Wendee Lee (Cowboy Bebop) and even Richard Epcar (Ghost in the Shell). Both of their performances are great and memorable.

            Just want to add some final thoughts before the verdict, one thing people should be aware of is the violence. It’s extremely graphic and there are some depictions of rape as well, so if you decide to watch it: DO NOT watch this in a public place or with family, they’ll probably think something’s wrong with you. Other than that, this movie is a good time, if you’re into ‘90s anime.

Final Rating:

Ninja Scroll is currently available on Blu-Ray and DVD both online and at some local video stores, I found my copy at a Bullmoose store in Salem, NH. I’m not sure if you can watch it on legal streaming, if anyone knows, please do inform me in the comments along with thoughts on the film itself. As for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards another ‘90s anime, Berserk, though the series is only part of a larger story, it’s still worth checking out, lastly, I recommend checking out the film Highlander, while this has a more modern setting, it’s better as a whole and it also has some songs performed by Queen (which is AWESOME).

Until Next Time, Relive the Past…