6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Kei, the college boy, has become a stern warrior in the service of Gantz, a black sphere that brought him and Masaru inexplicably back to life after a fatal encounter with an oncoming subway train. He and others among the newly dead accumulate points by killing aliens on missions assigned to them by Gantz. With 100 points, they can either escape their limbo and lose all memory of their time there or return another person to life.
Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Gô Ayano, Takayuki YamadaForeign | 100% |
Action | 98% |
Sci-Fi | 59% |
Comic book | 37% |
Horror | 17% |
Mystery | 5% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (1 BD, 2 DVDs)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Virtually every culture known to Man has some sort of idea about an Afterlife, whether it’s a paradisiacal sylvan grove full of angels strumming harps or conversely a fire and brimstone pit filled with those were a bit too naughty in their lives. The advent of the videogame era and the internet seem to have opened up a portal for writers’ imaginations, one perhaps hinted at a generation (or two) ago by authors like Arthur C. Clarke, whose 2001: A Space Odyssey posited a high-tech afterlife, replete with an all-knowing, albeit enigmatic, monolith. In the case of Gantz, a popular manga series which has spawned two films (thus far), instead of a boxy monolith we have instead an all-knowing black orb, a giant onyx globe which looks like a high-tech version of those 8-Ball fortune tellers we had as kids. Unlike 2001: A Space Odyssey’s monolith, the orb has a name—Gantz—and communicates, more or less, with several characters who it controls in a kind of quasi afterlife existence. If the Existentialists (and Jean-Paul Sartre in particular) claimed that “Hell is other people,” Gantz might take that idea (and Sartre’s No Exit in particular), by plopping a handful of people down into a closed room where Gantz is their puppet- master, and they must do as they are commanded. Gantz may slightly morph “Hell is other people” to include “Hell is other aliens,” for part of the series’ rather convoluted storyline is that Gantz is out to eradicate an invasion of aliens, and is utilizing these quasi-dead prisoners to achieve that goal. Gantz therefore displays information about various “targets,” and then transports these imprisoned “players” to various locations where their goal is to kill the intended victim. They operate under a strict time line, and if they succeed in their mission, Gantz awards them points, as any good Games Master should. If any given participant achieves a running score of 100 points or more, they are given the option to either free themselves from Gantz’s control or to resurrect one of their dead allies, whom Gantz evidently keeps “archived” in its memory banks.
Gantz II: Perfect Answer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Viz Media with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This presentation almost has the look of having been digitally shot, though some online information seems to suggest it was actually traditionally filmed. It must have been tweaked one way or the other during the DI stage, for the end result features noticeably reduced grain, and is smooth and rather flat looking (I should state the screencaps actually show more grain than is evident when the film actually is in motion). Color timing has been significantly altered as well, giving the film a cool, blue and gray shaded ambience that plays well to Gantz's sort of impending apocalypse ethos, but which also robs the film of some shadow detail, something which some may find troubling as so much of this film plays out in darkened settings. On the other hand, there's quite excellent fine detail throughout the bulk of the film, especially in the copious close-ups. The film's CGI also comes off rather well throughout this presentation, especially in the undeniably cool effect of the various players being transported from locale to locale.
The first Gantz film was roundly criticized for its ostensibly incompetent English dub, and some may find they can't stand this outing's English dub as well, which, like the original Japanese language track, is delivered on this Blu-ray courtesy of a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. Both of the DTS tracks feature virtually identical mixes in terms of music and effects, as well as dialogue levels. I have to say that I personally didn't find the English dub that horrible, though I kind of get a kick out of the hyperbolic delivery and the mismatch of word to lip movements. The Japanese track should easily satisfy even the most persnickety audiophile. This is one of the most delightfully bombastic soundtracks in recent memory, one which is completely immersive from virtually the first shot to the last, and which in addition offers one unbelievable LFE sequence after another. The surround channels are fully engaged throughout this film, and some of the action sequences have incredibly smart placement of discrete sound effects. A couple of explosions which occur late in the film may have some listeners ducking their heads as the sound pans quite audibly from front to rear.
No supplements are included on the Blu-ray disc. There is an accompanying Supplements DVD (along with a DVD copy of the film itself) which includes:
Gantz II: Perfect Answer may not completely live up to its title, in terms of offering perfection, but it is a very stylish and enjoyable actioner that has a couple of wonderfully over the top set pieces that should give any adrenaline junkie a run for their money. The film has a sort of Grade Z acting style, which will either contribute to its allure or turn off viewers, depending on their own particular viewpoint, and it also can't be denied that the film is confusing at times, and will probably be downright confounding to those with no grounding in the Gantz saga. But for fans, this is a great looking and especially sounding release, and it comes Recommended.
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