Casshern
After years of bitter warfare with the European Union, the Asian Federation has united Eurasia but at a terrible cost. A scientist named Doctor Azuma has a potential solution to the injuries inflicted on the millions involved in the conflict in the form of ‘neo cells’, that can regenerate any body tissue that is required (stem cells in other words). Unfortunately the laboratory is struck by a bolt of lightening and a Frankenstein-like situation ensues in which a race of beings is spawned and following an attempt to destroy them they give themselves the name of ‘Neoroids’ and vow to eradicate the human race. The only one who can stop them is Dr Azuma’s son, killed in the war but re-born thanks to his father’s research.
I must admit that I had heard precious little about this film apart from the fact that it featured cutting-edge CGI and ‘chromakey’ techniques, and was inspired by a 1970s anime series, Casshan the Robot Hunter. The director is famous in his native Japan for his photography and music videos, so the film that he has created is not surprisingly very artistic and stylish, with a good soundtrack penned by Shiro Sagisu. It is truly a feast for the eyes: I don’t think I have seen such detailed and meticulously crafted visuals in any film, live-action or otherwise. The twin inspirations of anime and music videos are also evident, which may explain the hype that has surrounded the release in its home country.
While Casshern has a number of breathtaking action sequences and as a result can be seen as a sci-fi action film, there is a recurring theme of the human cost of war and the role of science in dealing with the problems faced. Sadly, once the viewer gets past the visual aspects of the film things begin to fall apart. On one hand there are spectacular combat sequences featuring the film’s superhuman hero; at the same time there is a character drama with a strong moral message. As if this is not difficult enough to follow, there are political events taking place plus the ‘neo-cell’ research and the sentient race that is born from it raise some interesting moral questions.
A film that tackles such a wide range of themes should be commended; indeed, the cast put in some excellent performances and it has a truly epic feel. However, the human aspect is lost amongst the lavish visuals and things become very confusing. In trying to be an action film, an anti-war fable and a drama-romance, Casshern tries to do all of these things at once and fails to make a thorough job of any of them.
In Summary
Casshern is without a doubt a superb showcase for what can be achieved by blending CGI with anime-inspired live action set pieces to give a dazzling viewing experience. What lets it down is the wide range of themes that individually are not explored enough: in order to make a film whose message is clear, the story would have to be simplified or extended over two or more films. There are some good ideas in there and the style is spectacular but the plot ultimately tries to do too much at once and loses its way.
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