Satisfying for those who:
-Love Japanese and/or Hong Kong gangster movies
-Love action sci-fi movies, especially those involving time travel
It's true that there a lot of cheesiness, but that's all part of the fun.
It's also true that this film is HIGHLY derivative of American sci-fi movies, but I have to point out that Sky Captain was at least as derivative but not even half as entertaining.
The only element that I thought was appalling was the soundtrack. I mean, the Villain's theme sounded like early ZZ Top. Not that there's anything wrong with ZZ Top, but in this context, it just didn't work. The aggressive techno was somewhat more fitting, but it still seemed dated to me.
And a note about the extras in the DVD version: They really should've added commentary to the making-of footage. It was cool to see how they did a lot of those shots (and I don't speak a word of Japanese, but I will still able to follow along), but some kind of director's commentary would've added a lot (see the LOTR extended discs for the absolute best making-of extras I've ever seen.)
-Love Japanese and/or Hong Kong gangster movies
-Love action sci-fi movies, especially those involving time travel
It's true that there a lot of cheesiness, but that's all part of the fun.
It's also true that this film is HIGHLY derivative of American sci-fi movies, but I have to point out that Sky Captain was at least as derivative but not even half as entertaining.
The only element that I thought was appalling was the soundtrack. I mean, the Villain's theme sounded like early ZZ Top. Not that there's anything wrong with ZZ Top, but in this context, it just didn't work. The aggressive techno was somewhat more fitting, but it still seemed dated to me.
And a note about the extras in the DVD version: They really should've added commentary to the making-of footage. It was cool to see how they did a lot of those shots (and I don't speak a word of Japanese, but I will still able to follow along), but some kind of director's commentary would've added a lot (see the LOTR extended discs for the absolute best making-of extras I've ever seen.)