6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When Keiko is disowned by her sushi chef father, she finds work in a resort hotel catering to the up-market business sector. But when a party from a nearby pharmaceuticals research facility check in, little do they know a former crazed employee is about to take his revenge. For he infects the fish being prepared for a lavish meal and Keiko and the sexy staff must fight off an onslaught of razor-toothed sushi, demented squid and a California roll battleship. Beware the yolk kiss and you might learn the right way to eat sushi properly in this absolutely hilarious sashimi shocker.
Starring: Rina Takeda, Kentarô Shimazu, Takamasa Suga, Takashi Nishina, AsamiHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 90% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
JP same bitrates as EN
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
“Dead Sushi” hits a note of insanity that’s wholly entertaining and frequently uproarious. It’s a Japanese production that manages to merge the madcap and the macabre with a defined sense of humor, making sure to remind those horrified by the geysers of blood and peels of filleted skin that, in the end, it’s all about having a good time at the movies. It’s a difficult tonal tightrope walk, yet writer/director Noboru Iguchi manages to construct an outlandish feature that never overstays its welcome and offers some true originality as it mines the monster madness of old. After all, it’s nearly impossible to dislike a film that highlights flying sushi, a man-sized tuna antagonist (wielding an ax, natch), and offers a song performed by a friendly portion of tamago. “Dead Sushi” is nuts, but its absurdity is most appetizing.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation reveals an overly brightened appearance, diluting the richness of the blacks, which tend to register on the milky side. Colors are generally satisfactory but also feel robbed of intensity due to the brightness boost, though blood red certainly retains its bold shock value, and the pinkness of the killer sushi also makes its intended impression. Skintones are less interesting, washed out to a certain degree, though extremes of illness and zombification are easily understood. Fine detail is quite valuable in tight shots, with healthy facial minutiae and a textured look at gore highlights, permitting the viewer to survey the make-up and creature creation efforts. Noise is scattered and rarely overwhelming. The "Dead Sushi" BD doesn't offer a luxurious, cinematic viewing experience, but the basics are tolerable, delivering on the particulars of murderous seafood with a reserved HD kick.
The Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital track offers minimal heft for such a manic effort, with a perfunctory presentation of immersion emerging from the surrounds, which are primarily employed to articulate the far ends of scoring cues and amplify the slapstick. A ripe chance for some seriously frantic directional activity is missed, and while the track sounds full, it's not detailed. Frontal stage activity is more convincing, with an adequate blend of heated dialogue exchanges and screams of terror, with group antics suitably arranged, absent distortion. Scoring is routine and flat but unobtrusive. Sound effects are pronounced satisfactorily, keeping up the cartoon atmosphere of the picture. Low-end is useful for heavier slams of violence, but doesn't take command.
That "Dead Sushi" manages to sustain itself for 90 minutes of cartwheeling combat is outstanding. The film isn't consistently quality work and perhaps a few of its more eccentric detours could've been trimmed, but the picture as a whole is energetic and gleefully bizarre. For those in the mood for a midnight movie extravaganza that shows attention to the particulars of the palate and reverence for creature attack cinema, "Dead Sushi" is just cracked enough to work.
Chaw
2009
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