Film: Returner
Release date: 19th January 2004
Certificate: 15
Running time: 112 mins
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Anne Suzuki, Gorô Kishitani, Kirin Kiki, Yukiko Okamoto
Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
When a term such as “summer blockbuster” is used, audiences are usually aware what they are in for: a lot of action, an over-reliance on CGI, and a dose of humour thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, these elements can come at the expense of the writing and the plot, but if handled in the right way, these movies can be enjoyable and, most importantly, fun. Takashi Yamazaki's ambitious movie shows us it's not just Hollywood that appreciates the value of these movies.
The year is 2084, the human race has been brought to the edge of extinction by an alien race known as the Daggra. The humans have holed up in Tibet and their last hope rests with Milly, a young girl driven by the loss of her brother, who must travel back in time to the three days before the war started. Her orders are to kill the first Daggra, who faked a crash landing on Earth as a prelude to their invasion. Things don't go as planned, as her trip back in time places her squarely in the cross hairs of Miyamoto, a gunman who, after taking out a child smuggling ring, has finally caught up with his best friend's murderer, Mizoguchi .
After shooting Milly, Miyamoto takes her home to help her recover. When she reveals her true purpose to him, his reaction is one of derision and mirth at her obvious insanity, until she attaches an explosive device to his neck ensuring his co-operation. Together, with the aid of Miyamoto's sage-like handler, the two set out to stop the Daggra and save the future.
Meanwhile, Mizoguchi has his own plans for the alien and the ship. Hoping to use the technology for himself, he will go to any length to stop anyone from gaining the power he feels he rightly deserves.
As the two groups race to find the Daggra, Milly and Miyamoto slowly start to realise that all may not what it seems as they learn what really happened on the fateful day that the Daggra began their invasion…
This movie feels like a live action anime, with a super-cool anti-hero, a cute female side-kick, mechs and set pieces that take ‘over the top’ to the next level. This is a hard task for any director to get right, yet Takashi Yamazaki manages to pull it off. This aesthetic choice on his part is easier to understand now that he has gone on to direct live action versions of popular animes such as Space Battleship Yamato.
The action set-pieces are explosive and satisfying. The addition of a wrist device that can speed up the wearer adds to this greatly. Although it is a cheap ploy to fit in some Matrix-lite slow motion, it is nevertheless used in some original and inventive ways, while also giving characters a reason for being able to pull off some superhuman feats featured in the film.
The CGI and special effects are well done. The scenes set in a future overrun by the Daggra are the best example of this, from their ability to disguise their ships as normal planes to the scenes of the mech-encased invaders laying waste to all around them. It falls down slightly when the real actors and the Daggra are shown together on-screen as the limitations of the special effects become obvious.
With his shades, long hair and trench coat, Takeshi Kaneshiro oozes cool as Miyamoto. He switches between a revenge driven killing machine to reluctant hero effortlessly. His character isn't given much to do beyond this, but scenes showing his reaction and internal struggle with the loss of his best friend, and the scenes where he and Milly start to bond show a depth to his character which gives the film a much needed touch of heart.
Anne Suzuki is a delight to watch as Milly. Her fish out of water reaction to things we take for granted makes for an amusing contrast to her original introduction as the battle hardened savour of humanity, whilst a back-story involving losing her brother to the Daggra gives her an opportunity to show an emotional side, which helps fuels the story and her friendship with Miyamoto.
The relationship is well written and thankfully the bond that develops is similar to a bickering brother/sister combination rather than used as an excuse to fit a romantic sub-plot into an already convoluted story.
Undeniably, it is Goro Kishitani who steals the show here. With a hairstyle that even a manga star would envy, he lets rip as the villain. His introduction sees him execute one of the children he is transporting in order to subdue the rest. From here, he only gets worse, as his quest to use the power he feels he can gain from the Daggra leads him to more outrageous acts of violence and deception. In essence, he is the pantomime villain of the piece, though he goes about his acts of lunacy with such darkly comic glee that it is impossible not to look forward to his scenes.
This is a movie that is literally bursting with ideas, perhaps too many. An alien race, time-travel, gang warfare, a childhood vendetta and a clunky “humans are the real enemy” message all feature. Despite this, the plot is easy to follow, though scratch beneath the surface and things to start to unravel. Miyamoto's character has no obvious motivation (his encounter with Mizoguchi being as much a surprise to him as anyone). The Daggra are extremely powerful but haven't managed to wipe out humanity in eighty years. Why would Mizoguchi be firing a rocket launcher on an oil rig? The usual problems with time travel paradoxes, an issue that plagues the Terminator series, rears its head here also, and threatens to ruin one of the movie's most touching scenes. These are elements that could easily deter the more serious movie watcher, but it is a testament to the direction, action and acting that while watching the film, these niggling issues will fade into the background.
This is a divisive movie. It is a great action/ comedy movie with some decent CGI that will please fans of anime and action cinema in general. However, gaping plot holes, limited character development, and having heroes who take time out of saving the world to get makeovers may be a step too far for some people as the suspension of disbelief can only be pushed so far. DM
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