Casshern
December 2007 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Casshern, made at approximately the same time as Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, shares with that film the "digital backlot" process, in which the actors perform mainly in front of a special-effects green screen, with sets created by computer and filled in later. And also like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Casshern is more about the then-unique special effects than the story.

Late in the 21st century, mankind has been at war for more than 50 years. Though the Eastern Federation was victorious over the robot armies of Europa, the lands between the two are a decimated, irradiated wasteland, and mankind is facing extinction. Geneticist Professor Azuma may have found a solution in "neo-cells," which resist all disease and can heal any injury. While the government is disavowing this research, the military is secretly funding it, hoping to gain a race of super soldiers. Unfortunately, they get their wish when a mysterious bolt of space lightning strikes the research facility and the cells become active, reanimating spirits who want vengeance against the soldiers who killed them.

Casshern is a live-action film based on a '70s anime, though it puts its own unique twists on the story. It's a lot like Michael Bay's Transformers in that way. Director Kazuaki Kiriya has created some truly stunning visuals (on a remarkably small budget), so a trailer for Casshern is sure to be eye-catching. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the story. Though its messages of humanity, life, love and peace are good, they're pounded over your head with all the subtlety of a giant, exploding megatrain. The US release of this film is 117 minutes long, while the Japanese version was 141 minutes. Does that extra half-hour clear up the story at all, or is it just more flashbacks and repetitious dialogue?

On the plus side, the disc's picture quality is very high. Those digitally created locations look remarkable, and the scores upon scores of robot enemies stand out clearly. Have you ever wanted to see a man catch a tank shell in one hand, then use it to blow up an army of rampaging, flamethrower-wielding robots? You will see it in Casshern, and you will see it in wonderful detail.

Any downside? The subtitles show up poorly in some scenes. White letters on a white background can be a bit hard to make out, guys. The film is widescreen, so why not drop the subtitles down below the picture? That way we can always read them and the cool pictures don't get covered up. Everybody wins!

The audio presentation is good as well, and the sound really dances around during those huge, mind-shattering battles. Sadly, Japanese 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 are the only audio options -- Dreamworks neglected to provide an English dub. Maybe they couldn't find someone who could craft a comprehensible English script? However, there are English subtitles.

They also didn't spend any money on extras, because this disc doesn't have any. Zero bonus features. Not even the truly arresting trailer that earned Casshern such a big buzz when it was first released.

Casshern is worth a rental for effects junkies who want to see some top-notch eye candy, but the head-scratching storyline and the total dearth of extras mean that this long-awaited import is mostly a let-down.

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