Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I didn’t realize this was out on DVD. I now know what I must do... and soon. I’m dying to see this, ever since we ran that insane, jaw-dropping trailer. And this review only makes me crazier for it:
Call me Harlock.
I'm a student studying in Japan who's back home in New York for a few weeks. In the time I've been home, I've been talking to my family about school and my friends about Japanese movies and TV. While my friends haven't heard of most of the stuff I've seen (Ever heard of "The Vampire Gigolo"? I rest my case.), when I talked to them about a film called "Negadon," their eyes shot open wide. I really dug it when I saw it in the fall but had no clue the movie had any following in the US. Doing a Google search, I saw I was wrong.
Here's the run down: Negadon is a CGI kaiju movie made by one man. CGI kaiju? Like the crap of the American Godzilla flick? Nope. Instead of replacing the heart and soul of everything kaiju, Negadon uses the latest in computer technology to deliver a kaiju experience faster and more explosive than any kaiju film before -- and it's fully faithful to the genre. Made by one man? So it sucks? No. Look at animations like Kakurenbo and Hoshi no Koe. These, too, were made by single men yet came out breathtaking. Negadon is no different. It's monster and mecha CG is completely real, gritty, and believable. The human animation is a little off -- but I've yet to see human CG animation that look 100% real.
The story: Negadon's the story of a space kaiju that crash lands on Earth and mankind's fight for survival. Tanks and jets do nothing to stop it and it appears Earth is doomed. In this final hour, an old professor steps up to defend his home. Years ago, he was a pioneer in the field of robotics, but when his daughter died in a lab accident, he locked up his work and vowed never to look upon his creation again. But as Earth's only hope, the professor launches in his robot -- MI-6. Facing off with Negadon in the middle of Tokyo, the monster and the mecha engage in a hot blooded kaiju duel and pull off some excrutiatingly awesome moves never seen in a kaiju film before. Eventually, the professor takes the battle into space, destroying Negadon and protecting the Earth at a very grave price. It's a beautiful, manly movie and an heir to Godzilla's crown.
The kaiju: Negadon looks like an odd floating crab mushroom thing. He's bulky but deadly.
The mecha: The MI-6 robot looks like the Iron Giant on steroids. He's also got some Gunbuster thrown in. Combining old school looks with a gravity and reality unseen before, he's a big tin retro orgasm. I want an action figure!
The length: Negadon is 20 minutes. Maybe a little closer to a half an hour. You can say it's short, but it gives you everything a good movie does in 2 hours in 20 minutes.
The DVD: Negadon was released on DVD in Japan in December. I've seen it in stores. Will it be coming out over here? All the Godzilla flicks have made it to the US. Movies like Kakurenbo and Hoshi no Koe have also come out in America. Negadon's combination of both is either a formula for a quick release or something so obscure we'll never see it. A man's gotta have hope.
Harlock out.
Great nick, Harlock, and a nice review. This really does sound like a dream come true.
"Moriarty" out.
