JFF Movie Reviews - Gantz: Perfect Answer

Gantz: Perfect Answer is a direct continuation of the first film although it has a completely different feel to it. The dark angst remains but this film hits us with a fist full of anger and unbridled violence. When we left our hero, Kei (Kazunari Ninomiya), he was just finding his feel in this sick and twisted death match. Now when we return, he has fully embraced the power at his disposal and is a relentless killing machine.

Kei and Kato return to their normal lives, albeit momentarily, and fall back into the routines of their daily routines. Kato cares for his brother while Kei focuses on a burgeoning relationship with college classmate Tae. Just when their routine begins to offer a sense of normalcy, Gantz plays the cruelest trick of all.



There is no denying that this film is superior to its predecessor in many ways. The action sequences have been turned up to 11 and we begin to feel for our characters, start to care whether or not they die at the hands of alien invaders.

As said, in this film the action is relentless. There is one particular scene where Kei battles a "Men in Black Alien" which is some form of Mr Smith/Vampire hybrid, wherein the swordplay is unpolished and downright brutal. We see Kei swinging his katana like a baseball bat, then like a pick axe, resembling a child who had played ninja and samurai in the park as a child but never had any formal training. The scene is beautifully choreographed but their fumbling through the fight highlights that these characters are just people, not highly trained killers. This helps to highlight the element of danger and shows that these people are literally fighting for their lives, tooth and claw. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed and highly stylized. Thankfully the use of CGI is kept to a minimum with the actors relying on their own strength, acting abilities and the occasional dose of wire work.

We see a relationships blossom both in a romantic sense between Kei and Tae. Kei's new found confidence has added a swagger to his walk and gives him the confidence to get closer to Tae. Kei's new found confidence borders on cocky and actor Kazunari Ninomiya walks a very fine line, just managing to keep Kei from being unlikeable. This is in stark contrast to Kenichi Matsuyama's character, Kato, who is a stoic hero with a dark past from start to finish. The play between the two is heartfelt and earnest, an obvious reflection of the off screen chemistry between the two actors as highlighted by Deb Aoki's piece over at Manga.About.Com.

Realistically, Gantz and Gantz: Perfect Answer are popcorn movies. They are insanity driven action films with just enough substance to give us a reason to watch. This franchise definitely had a Matrix feel to it without suffering from Matrix Syndrome. It didn't get preachy or too big for its boots, it just is what it is, a great fun, extremely visceral popcorn film. If you plan on seeing the first film you have to see the second. It is a better film in so many ways. It is more fun, more thrilling, more action packed and more emotional. A worthy successor to one of my favourite manga and anime series of all time.

Gantz: Perfect Answer will be showing at the Japanese Film Festival in Sydney on the 19th of November and in Melbourne on the 2nd of December. Both are shown back to back with the first film, Gantz.