There are a few good things in this movie, but they are very much overshadowed by how bad it is. I think the aesthetics of the movie are very beautiful and I’m a fan of the cinematography. Also the soundtrack is pretty good, and I love all the miniatures and the special effects. But other than that this movie sucks. Plot wise, it sounds like an interesting idea, and the first part of the movie is actually pretty interesting, but the second part is boring and the plot seems badly executed. I don’t mind really bad movies, as long as they find a way to at least be somewhat entertaining, but this movie gets very boring after 40 minutes.
Also the racism is insane. When the group of Japanese researchers go to visit the island to do their studying, they discover there are people living there. The indigenous people that live on the island are literally Japanese actors painted brown, and are acting in a very stereotypical and almost animalistic way. It feels very imperialistic, because the “civilized” Japanese people are shown as better and more sensible than the indigenous people, and are trying to help them by getting them off of the island because it’s dangerous, but also because they want to build a resort there.
It’s also very sexist, in the beginning of the movie when Koyanagi and Kurosaki are in the cave, Koyanagi says the cave is freaking her out a bit, and Kurosaki tells her she could just quit her job as a photographer, and go be a wife and have babies. Of course Koyanagi reacts negatively towards this comment, and says she’s not an “ordinary” woman. She rather continue working. But at the end of the movie, she ends up quitting her job so she can pursue becoming a wife and mother. Because I she realizes she is an "ordinary” woman, and wants to become a mother after seeing how sweet the mama Gappa was with her baby. Which it’s not a bad thing for a woman to become a mother or a wife if that’s what she wants to do, but this was just a blatantly sexist storyline. It just reinforces the idea that women will “come to their senses” and realize they are destined to become mothers and wives. It was pretty gross.
I did like the story line with the Gappas, and I found them very charming. They were adorable!
Overall, there were a few things I liked, but it’s not a very good movie, and the racism and sexism is very strong in this film.
There are a few good things in this movie, but they are very much overshadowed by how bad it is. I think the aesthetics of the movie are very beautiful and I’m a fan of the cinematography. Also the soundtrack is pretty good, and I love all the miniatures and the special effects. But other than that this movie sucks. Plot wise, it sounds like an interesting idea, and the first part of the movie is actually pretty interesting, but the second part is boring and the plot seems badly executed. I don’t mind really bad movies, as long as they find a way to at least be somewhat entertaining, but this movie gets very boring after 40 minutes.
Also the racism is insane. When the group of Japanese researchers go to visit the island to do their studying, they discover there are people living there. The indigenous people that live on the island are literally Japanese actors painted brown, and are acting in a very stereotypical and almost animalistic way. It feels very imperialistic, because the “civilized” Japanese people are shown as better and more sensible than the indigenous people, and are trying to help them by getting them off of the island because it’s dangerous, but also because they want to build a resort there.
It’s also very sexist, in the beginning of the movie when Koyanagi and Kurosaki are in the cave, Koyanagi says the cave is freaking her out a bit, and Kurosaki tells her she could just quit her job as a photographer, and go be a wife and have babies. Of course Koyanagi reacts negatively towards this comment, and says she’s not an “ordinary” woman. She rather continue working. But at the end of the movie, she ends up quitting her job so she can pursue becoming a wife and mother. Because I she realizes she is an "ordinary” woman, and wants to become a mother after seeing how sweet the mama Gappa was with her baby. Which it’s not a bad thing for a woman to become a mother or a wife if that’s what she wants to do, but this was just a blatantly sexist storyline. It just reinforces the idea that women will “come to their senses” and realize they are destined to become mothers and wives. It was pretty gross.
I did like the story line with the Gappas, and I found them very charming. They were adorable!
Overall, there were a few things I liked, but it’s not a very good movie, and the racism and sexism is very strong in this film.
