Movies / Home Theatre

Gantz

By Chris Zimmerman
November 9, 2011 - 11:16

In what started out as a manga focused on gore and sex and tinged with sci-fi, Hiroya Oku’s Gantz has grown from a cult hit into a phenomenon in Japan. The series has spawned 32 volumes, two animated series, a novel, a console game, and now a pair of live action films, the first of which just landed on DVD courtesy of NEW PEOPLE Entertainment.

Examining the success of live action adaptations of anime and manga is similar to video game to live action adaptations. While there are some gold nuggets to be had, most projects range from mediocre to unwatchable. NEW PEOPLE Entertainment seems to have an eye for successful adaptations, having released the live action Death Note films and the 20th Century Boys trilogy.

The film’s opening mirrors the manga’s, introducing audiences to Kei Kurano. While waiting in a subway, he witnesses a drunken man collapse onto the rails. While Kei is hesitant to assist the man, his childhood friend Masaru is anything but, and dives over the rails to help the man. As the train approaches, Kei is persuaded to aid his friend, albeit out of pressure. The two get the man out of harm’s way only to get caught in the train’s path. Just as it seems as though their young lives have reached their climax, both wake to find themselves sharing a room with a motley collection of individuals and a large obsidian sphere.

Soon the group is joined by an unconscious naked woman. Sharing the name Kei, her appearance serves to show the difference in Kei and Masaru. While Kei is prone to inaction, Masaru is quick to help those in need. He gives her his coat and defends her from a Yakuza. As the group questions why they are there, the sphere reveals that they were chosen to kill those who it claims to be aliens. The group is given an arsenal of weapons and armor, believing that if they kill the alien they will be awarded $100,00 dollars. They manage to successfully exterminate their target, but find a much larger and angrier alien waiting for them.

The film progresses in the vein one would expect. Masaru questions the morality of what they are doing while worrying about the family he left behind, while Kei slowly gives in to the power the sphere promises. As the film progresses, each member of the group is put under the microscope, testing their morality and what it means to be human.

Production wise, Gantz is a slick sci-fi spectacle. The effects are better than most non US properties and are even stunning at times. Even more satisfying the replication of the costumes from the manga to the screen. The suits look meticulously constructed from the original designs, while still sporting a realistic and believable look to them. The film recognizes the virtues of sticking close to the source material, opting to fill its running time with action rather than creating unnecessary dialogue to pad out its length. Of course, as with any adaptation of a lengthy series into two hour film creates time constraints in which a good deal of the plot requires trimming, in this case being character development.

The ending leaves some dangling threads, presumably for the second film. Inconclusive endings are rarely a treat to audiences and Gantz is no different. The characters and their conflicts remain unresolved. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, answers pertaining to the sphere, its purpose, and the relationships of the characters remain few and far between, to the point that average audiences could find this tactic maddening.

For those who have already entrenched themselves in the world of Gantz, this film was made lovingly for them. It’s a devoted love letter to the manga that faithfully recreates the series proper. While it does stray from time to time, as most adaptations do, it provides all the signature action and melodrama known to accompany the franchise.

B
 

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12