First, I want you to watch the trailer for this abomination. That's okay, I'll wait.

Doesn't that look cool? Well guess what, this movie is a fucking scam. Don't buy it. Don't even look at the DVD cover. STAY AWAY!

Let me first tell you what's GOOD about it: chapter 9. Chapter 9 has the ONLY good action scene in this movie. There are others but they're shot Alien vs. Predator style. You can't tell what's happening and there's always shit in the way preventing you from getting a good view. THIS MAKES ME ANGRY! The music is also pretty grate. But the rest?

This film tries really hard to be artsy looking. Kazuaki Kiriya (the writer, director, editor, etc) tried too many things at once. The film does not have a consistent look or style. One minute we see black and white film grain, the next we're watching claymation. What? The photo effects were pretty distracting. Other movies have done this without it coming off as gimmicky. Don't get me wrong, there's some really pretty shots in this movie. But you're not missing out on anything.

Also, the story doesn't make any sense. If you thought the Matrix franchise was guilty of nonsensical symbolism, you haven't watched Casshern. (The few, the proud.) I've read on repeat viewings it makes more sense. Well, I refuse to watch this a SECOND time. Fuck that. Especially when this movie weighs in at over two hours in length. Are you kidding? If the entire movie was like chapter 9... No wait. If HALF the movie was like chapter 9, I would have NOTHING to complain about. But too many scenes here drag their ass like a dirty dog on your good carpet.

I'm not going to mention the acting because I like Star Wars, you see? Also, Japanese actors are either way over the top or too subtle. They don't seem to have a middle ground. I guess it’s how they’re taught over there. Lots of pantomime. I don't hate it. I'm used to Japanese acting. And for a movie like this it's almost a requirement.

I hate to be an asshole but this movie really makes me angry. All I'm saying is that you should stay very far away from this turkey at all costs. In fact, I went out of my way to find chapter 9 on YouTube. It's not the best quality but it will save you money and TIME in the long run.

It's a shame this movie sucks because they used to show the OVA on the Sci-Fi channel back in the day and I loved it! It had just the right balance of action and DRAMA. And the message was elegantly presented. Something about the environment if I recall correctly. This movie's message is about the evils of war. They spared no violence to bring the point home. And yeah, there's a lot of blood and people dying but that doesn't equate to action in my eyes. I rather see things getting blowed up good like in chapter 9. Why didn't they make the entire movie like this?

This movie is a fucking failure and I HATE it. Out of five starts I give it two.

** (2 stars)