Returner (2003)

Kaneshiro always seems to bring a different type of element to every movie he appears and Returner is no exception. Given the movie as ongoing action, but for the slow parts, he really lets his characters conflict show through and expresses it as effectively as possible. Especially with his interactions with the female lead, Milly which also helps lighten the mood when things get a little too intense.It was surprising to see that the actress that played Milly was a young teen girl while she acted roughly like she was in her later teens early twenties. But her maturity in certain scenes did seem to change every so often.

Lightweight but entertaining Japanese sci-fi flick that rips off about a dozen similar Hollywood movies made in the last couple of decades. I've watched a lot of rip-offs over the years and the ones I enjoy more are those that rip off multiple movies to create their own wild blends rather than those that slavishly copy the plot and style of one specific movie (such as the execrable REIGN IN DARKNESS, which copied THE MATRIX so heavily it was a total bore). RETURNER is a film that goes for quantity over quality, delivering a quite frankly bonkers plot that riffs on such movies as THE MATRIX (in the look, style and action), THE TERMINATOR (with the main character having travelled from the future to save the present) and STAR WARS (dodgy looking aliens are the enemy in this instance). Throw in some distinctly Japanese elements – nasty gangsters, cute bonding over rice – and you have a film that's difficult to describe.Of course, it's a triumph of style over substance, but that doesn't make it a bad movie. In fact, it's pretty entertaining, loaded with tons of action scenes and featuring a central twosome who are difficult to dislike. Takeshi Kaneshiro trades on his boyish charm as is the norm and Anne Suzuki proves an unexpectedly heartwarming saviour. There are a ton of CGI effects, some dodgy, some decent, but for the most part Returner gets by on just the kind of wild enthusiasm and imaginative effort you expect from Japanese cinema.

No movie I think illustrates the example of Style over Substance moreso I think than than this movie. Its a common trait it seems among Asian cinema to throw in flash with no substance at all. Yes I know Hollywood does this too, but it seems to me that 9/10 Asian films that have great special FX have terrible writing and the same goes for so much Anime. (not knocking all Asian films Oldboy is one of my favs!)OK first off, I cannot at all knock the direction, cinematography, and FX in this movie. They are all superb. Now with that said. Everything else is pure DRECK! I mean its so bad you have to turn your brain off COMPLETELY. This movie has the cheesiest villain in it, I've ever seen.. Right up ther with the villain in Final Fantasy - Spirits Within."If I can't use this weapon, It's JUNK!" like a child who tosses away a toy because he can't figure it out. Why did he ever expect to figure it out.. ITS ALIEN! He gambled his whole organization on the hunch that he could just magically use an alien ship to take over the world. God what an idiot. And many times did I count in this movie when Hero - Villain come face to face and don't shoot each other? About 5/6 times?! Then there's this great ability that nobody seems to realize they have. The hero's can slow down time, seemingly anytime they want. But they use this ability maybe 3 times in the whole movie, and use it in the dumbest ways I could imagine. They didn't even try to write in a simple contrivance that explains the power might be limited in some way, or only had so much energy. No they just ignored all logic and just didn't use it. Like the characters just Forget they have this godly power. Then there's the Aliens which hardly serve any purpose in the whole movie accept to show us a few great transforming effects. And finally there's this ending with the girl disappearing. WHY? Oh.. she's going back into the future now. What a great time machine! It just knows that your job is complete so it starts slowing making you disappear and reappear in the future. How nice of it to do that! More like, your disappearing because perhaps you erased your future self and altered your future so that you were never born. But hey go ahead and believe that the future is looking out for you always and now its programmed to bring you back safely. This has got to be a show for young kids because Nobody over the age of 12 would not find this movie utterly ridiculous. God please teach film producers to look at hireing decent writers! They are Much More Important to a good movie, than Director, Actor, FX!

I loved this film. I am aware, however, that it is a bit of a cult film, so you will either love it or hate it. Returner has excellent actors (Takeshi Kaneshiro, from House of Flying Daggers; Anne Suzuki, from Moon Child; Goro Kishitani, plays one of the best movie 'bad guys'; and Kirin Kiki the supplier (of weapons/information) with attitude) Returner has beautiful photography, flawless animation, and really cool action scenes. Oh, yeah. And trench coats. So through in a grown up street kid out for revenge, a villain who buys children for their organs, a girl from the future on a mission to save the human race, and, of course, aliens, and what do you have? The Returner.