Writer: Syahida Kamarudin

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Watch this if you liked: “20th Century Boys”, “Death Note” & “L: Change the World”

"Gantz" the manga in "Weekly Young Jump" is a great past-time read. "Gantz" as the two-seasoned anime series is also an entertaining watch. But "Gantz" as a feature film?

A 2-hour snooze-fest.

It would not be such a bore if it its pace is not painstakingly slow in almost everything. It is too slow, that you want to get into the screen a la Sadako and push the actors around (at one point, the audience will want to scream "Stop moving like you're a sloth!"). It is too slow that the comedy fails to deliver. It is too slow that one will fall asleep before the best alien creature comes out to fight.

"Gantz" the movie is directed by Shinsuke Sato ("Spring Snow"), following the story of two old friends, Kei and Kato who realises that instead of 'going into the light' like any normal dead person, they were sent to an apartment where they are given a task by a black sphere called Gantz to vanquish aliens that are roaming the earth.

One have to admit that the aliens in this movie ranges from the weird looking ones (like an onion alien "that stinks"), to the awesome Praise-the-Lord-for-CGIs in the likes of the statue of Buddha with 1000 arms. There is no doubt that the visual effect is at par with what Hollywood have to offer. The movie is all blood and gore and if not for the Censorship Board, it would also be vulgar and contains nudity.

However, director Sato fails to deliver a solid movie and fast-paced action scenes. It is trapped with the stereotypical dialogues that have often been used in many Japanese dorama - preachy, slightly motivational and annoyingly slow. Instead of watching a live action movie, it is more like watching an episode of "Beach Boys" with Takeshi Sorimachi and Yutaka Takenouchi sitting and talking about life and its challenges.

Kenichi Matsuyama who was last seen in Malaysian cinemas as L in the "Death Note" movies and "L: Change the World" should have grown as an actor. However, with bad script and not much character development, Matsuyama as Kato is too wooden and brooding much. Japanese Arashi's member Kazunari Ninomiya ("Letters of Iwo Jima") seems to be the only person worth watching, although the snail-paced movie does not help at all to make it more interesting.

In short, it is a movie with amazing effect and may attract fans of the comic. But as an adaptation, this reviewer will say that Yukihiko Tsutsumi's "20th Century Boys" and Shosuke Kaneko's "Death Note" are the better choices. The ending is done in the way that spells sequel all over. We'll see.

Cinema Online, 06 April 2011