Casshern (2004 Japan, 2007 USA)

Either it's a soulful meditation on the agony of loss and the state of father-son relationships in the world today, or a live action anime featuring a superhuman facing off against other superhumans and their robotic armies. I really have no idea either way. I will say this, though: damn it's a gorgeous movie! Every frame of this film drips with one kind of artistry or another, and the end result is two continuous hours of scene paintings of incredible fidelity. The action sequences benefit the most from this, though some erratic editing keeps the violence from being immediately understandable. Meanwhile, the plot that guides the imagery is meandering and unfinished. By the conclusion, you're not sure of the kind of logic the narrative was trying to follow, or what exactly it was trying to say. Clearly there's a powerful message in the film, but it's buried under confusing conspiracy plots and typical anime existential melodrama. That being said, there are moments of startling clarity and tender emotion peppered throughout. Maybe some folks will watch this and see something huge and meaningful. Maybe I missed something that kept me from fully enjoying this film. I wish I could see what that is, because what little got through was quite touching.

6 out of 10.