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Reviews (4)
17 July 2009
Great movie, but very poor release! DON'T buy this DVD!
1 of 1 found this helpful The U.S. / Canadian releases of this DVD are the Miramax re-tooled version. They re-tinted the color of the film and re-"wrote" and "re-tell" the story their own false way through english subtitles. See, the movie itself is spoken in Polish and because of that, Miramax figured that none of us english speakers would understand what the characters are actually saying. So they changed (and in some cases removed) a lot of very important points in the film. To see the movie in its true form, I highly recommend getting the Bluelight DVD set from the UK, which not only is the director's cut but features 2 hours 46 minutes of making-of material!
That being said, below is my review of the real version of the film!
This region 2 DVD set looks and sounds great, everything is solid. To keep this review as light and spoiler-free as possible, the films plot revolves around a virtual reality "game" called Avalon. While viewing, it begs the big question: "What is reality really?"
The films visual style is superb and surround mix really enhances the experience. The score is equally amazing. The film moves at a deliberate, slower pace but that doesn't mean it's boring.. quite the opposite. I was always extremely engrossed in the while viewing the film and this is one that demands to be viewed over and over again to put all the pieces together. The films pacing is a very nice, welcome change from all of the usual Hollywood movies that make things go "boom" with no real substance or story. Avalon has both and more. The people who seem to not "get" the film, I suspect either they are too young to grasp the subject material with all of its many, many layers of contexts and underlying metaphors.
Find this DVD set if you can (from what I understand it is very very rare) because it is the director's cut with the original Polish audio and accurate english subtitles (as opposed to the butchered U.S. / Canadian release - see my other review for information on it) and includes a second disc containing 2 hours and 46 minutes of making-of / behind-the-scenes / interview material, which is all available to watch with english subtitles.
Final word: This isn't just a film, it's an experience! An amazing film from the director of Ghost in the shell!
disc 1 - widescreen director's cut with original image coloring, audio and english subtitles.
disc 2 - 2 hours 46 minutes of special features.
Avalon 2 disc DVD set, Bluelight release, 5/5 stars!
17 July 2009
Awesome unconventional platformer / shooter!
1 of 1 found this helpful This game stays true to the feel of Ghost in the shell. Plenty of story, plenty of shooting and things blowing up! The developers did a great job! There's a decent amount of extras to unlock, and the game features a four-player deathmatch mode. The Tachikoma tank in the game is often times hilarious without over-doing it. One of my favorite unlockables for the single-player game is the sniper rifle with infinite ammo. It lets you go more of a stealth route and gives the game a different feel!
You have to really pay attention to your surroundings when transversing the terrain bacause nothing is really pointed out to you, only a general direction that you should be headed towards. What makes it unconventional is that there is hardly ever anything that looks like a "you can land here" spot. Often times, you'll be jumping off a building to another one stories below, to land on a corner of a scaffolding or pillar. I personally like this approach as it gives a more realistic and excited feel to platforming. But to less experienced gamers, I can see where this may be difficult or frustrating.
Hand-to-hand combat is great when you have the "shock gear" on. Enemies will fly through the air sparking after you punch and kick them. Their bodies spiral into water or even off sky-high buildings if you happen to be near one. The game also encourages and sometimes requires you to think before you make your move. If you don't, snipers will take you out easily with one shot.
The only negative aspect to this game is probably the length of the (single-player) game, which feels slightly short (12 levels from what I remember). Still, the levels are very fun and replayable and there's unlockable difficulty settings.
For those wondering about this game being compared to Oni, I pretty much hate that game but Ghost in the shell: Standalone complex is great.
Graphics: 8.5 (Everything usually looks great but sometimes there's things that aren't quite as detailed)
Controls: 9.5 (jumping can be tricky sometimes but everything else is near-perfect)
Audio: 9.5 (surround is an option and sounds great)
As a side note, the games actual box art is reversible, so you actually get 2 covers for the DVD case -- choose the one you like best!
Final word: Great game, worth buying! 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!
17 July 2009
Taut, interesting sci-fi film with impressive visuals
I went into this movie with low expectations after hearing a lot of bad things about it but i'm the kind of person who doesn't let someone else's opinion deter me from forming one for myself. So I watched it and after it was over, I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it is.
This film is more of a mystery/drama (enhanced by some action sequences) than anything else. So if you're looking for an action film, I say look elsewhere. But if you're looking for an interesting story with more deliberate pacing, I think you may enjoy this one.
I was never once bored during the entire duration of the film and I plan to watch it again soon. Worth mentioning is the unique character designs, impressive visuals and of course the main star, Charlize Theron who earns a lot of respect from me for doing nearly all of her own stunts!
One thing I don't understand is the hate that this movie gets from so-called fans of the original animated series. I grew up with the series, I watched them on Mtv.. and I feel this movie fits right in with the rest of the series. If it were animated rather than live-action, it could've actually worked as a continuation, or even as a form of "closure", to the animated series.
Either way, I personally really enjoyed this movie and I recommend buying it. If you're big on behind-the-scenes material, I recommend getting the 2 disc DVD edition, which was only available at Best Buy (U.S.) for a limited time. The second "bonus" disc consists of a 30 minute "the effects of Aeon Flux" feature which is very interesting.
The only reason that I give this film a 4 star rating instead of 5 is that there are some reasonably noticable chunks excised from the films narrative. I later learned that in fact, this release is the studio cut which has 30 minutes of footage removed! I sure hope a director's cut is released eventually but regardless this is a great film and should be viewed by those looking for weird sci-fi!
DVD techs:
Audio (5.1) Overall great sound mix, no real complaints here.
Image (anamorphic wide screen) Excellent quality. The bright, vibrant colors really pop out to enhance the story.
Final word: Taut, always interesting sci-fi film with impressive visuals. 4/5 stars!