lordameth

I think Samurai Fiction is a truly amazing film for the way it balances artsiness with more typical film styles, for the unusual combination of traditional samurai tales with modern rock-ish music. I can't quite tell if it is meant to be an homage to Kurosawa and the like or not, but it's certainly serious enough, and good enough, to not be a parody.

Normally, I don't like black and white films, but the very limited and carefully placed use of color helps this film immensely.

I saw it first with no subtitles, and was quite understandably & totally lost. But now that I have seen it again, I'm glad I bought the DVD. Now, if I can only find the soundtrack...

I don't remember this series too well, since it aired some years ago, and I havent been able to see it since. But, I do remember it being a great great series, one of the few decent things to come out of American animation studios lately (they're too taking perfectly good anime and screwing them up to make them bad for the American audience). While much could be said about plot holes and stuff like that, I won't say it, because not everything needs to be analyzed that closely. This show got me really excited and interested, and i was glued to the set while it was on... The only problem with the show is that it ended almost without being expected to... it didnt end as neatly and cleanly as a TV miniseries should, and it really really should have returned the next summer. I remember that last night, seeing the final screen "end of book one" and waiting, wondering why there was never an ep saying "beginning book two"...

This is, in my opinion, the best comicbook-based movie ever... it was completely true to the medium, while at the same time being original, exciting, intriguing etc. More importantly, it was so well disguised (in the trailers etc.) that no one really knows what it is about until the film itself starts.

There are soooooooo many wonderful comic references in it, but it is the rare film that works wonderfully both for fans of the genre and everyone else.

Plus, of course, the surprise ending makes it all the more amazing as a work of cinematic artistry. As long as M. Night Shyamalan keeps making movies that end with Bruce Willis realizing something he should have realized far earlier, Make Mine Marvel! (pseudo-inside joke)

Ok. I'll start by saying that, yes, this comment CONTAINS SPOILERS. I believe they will be necessary to argue my point.

Now, I loved the movie... but I have a few problems with it. First, the good things: 1) cameos of random X-men... Collossus, Shadowcat, Pyro, Cannonball, Jubilee, Iceman... yay to them. 2) Stan Lee. An absolute must. 3) most importantly, the movie was well done. It wasn't a joke or a flop like previous Marvel movies. It did well at the box office, it didn't use ridiculous spandex, corny jokes (well, not many), or cheesy special effects. Bravo to Marvel for actually making something decent.

Now, onto my main point. THE MOVIE DOES NOT PROPERLY REPRESENT THE X-MEN!!! Firstly, the X-men are not that dark!!! There were far too few scenes that involved sunlight or even very much color...

Secondly, while I realize that spandex would look bad, the X-men DON'T WEAR BLACK Leather!!

Third, and most important of these "cons": the continuity is completely wrong. Those who see the movie before reading the comic will get the wrong impression of who these people are, how they met, etc. The movie continuity, in my opinion, is not canon; it is not an alternate continuity; IT IS SIMPLY COMPLETELY WRONG...

oh, also, I feel that it was incredibly wrong to change Mystique and Toad in the comic to better match their movie counterparts.

EVIDENCE! Here we go:

1) Rogue's name is not Marie. Her real name has never been revealed in the comic.

2) Rogue's gaining the white streak after touching Magneto is also wrong. She always had it.

3) Rogue was supposed to be a villain first. She was raised by Mystique... and joined the X-men only after acquiring her super-strength, invulnerability, and flight powers.

4) The roster was wrong - the timing/order in which people joined was wrong... if Cyclops and Jean are adults and are X-men, why not Iceman? he's only a few years younger... Pyro shouldn't be there at all... if Storm's on the team, Wolverine should already be, too. They joined at the same time...

5) Magneto and Mystique and Sabretooth were never on the Brotherhood together

6) Erik (Lensherr) is not Magneto's real name - it was revealed that he used that as an alias...

7) Mystique does wear clothes. and she's not scaly

8) Toad does not have this strange tongue thing... nor the green goop stuff

9) Henry Peter Gyrich (the guy Mystique impersonates for her attack on Sen. Kelley) is a red-head.. also his name is mis-spelled "Guyrich" in the credits

10) It just doesn't fit in continuity! If Jean barely has any telepathy, and doesn't even have a code-name (like, um... Phoenix), then Jubilee shouldn't be there... if Kitty (not Katie!!!) is there, then where's Lockheed.. on the other hand, i find myself asking that rather often...

Um... I think that's enough kvetching for now. Go see it, go enjoy it... but keep in mind that THE MOVIE IS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION. Go buy some comics :)