MOVIE REVIEW : PARASYTE (2014)

Parasyte is dark, gory, funny and weird... and I love it.


Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Shota Sometani
Studios: Robot, Toho Pictures, Office Abe Shuji
Distributed by: Toho
Release Dates: October 30, 2014 (TIFF)
November 29, 2014 (Japan)



Plot: A parasitic alien tries to take over a teenage boys body, but ended up controlling just his arm. Together, they try to unravel the main goal of these parasitic aliens and their plans for humanity.




I've grown fond of japanese movie adaptations of famous mangas and animes. One really good example was the 2012 film Rurouni Kenshin, based on the manga where the anime series Samurai X was based from. I really had a lot of fun watching that one.
So it's no surprise that this movie got my attention. Although honestly, I'e never heard the manga nor the anime before. So how did the movie turned out? Let's find out.


The Classic Alien Invasion Story
Well, this scifi body horror film also follows the same thread that other alien invasion films had previously. Imagine the 1993 movie Body Snatchers by Abel Ferrara, but set in Japan with much more weirder monsters.
The movie starts out with a voice over stating the damages that the human race has caused the Earth. It then proceeds on stating that maybe, it would have been better if humanity was reduced. It would help heal the Earth.

Then, it cuts into a scene in a sort of a loading dock where parasitic worm like creatures climb aboard a freighter. These parasitic alien crawls into the earsof it's unsuspecting victims to take over their brains, one fails in doing so (because it's chosen host was wearing earphones, listening to music). It then tries to enter the boy's body through it's nose but the boy woke up and pulled him out. He ended up entering through the slit of the boys fingers (right under his nails, imagine that) into his arms.

The boy is Shinichi Izumi (played by Shota Sometani), a regular high-school student. As days passed by, more and more gruesome murders all throughout the city occurs. The killings, known as the Mincemeat Murders, are caused by the parastic aliens who took over human bodies, feeding on human meat.
All the while, Shinichi discovers that his arm come to it's own life, as the parasitic alien who calls himself Migi, controls it. Together, they join forces to find out what is the real plan of this alien race for humanity.
See? it's very similar to other alien invasion stories before. But then again, this manga to movie adaptation stands out in a lot of ways. Why?


Amazing Leads
One of the things that makes a good horror film (or any film in general) are the actors in it. And this movie adaptation chose the perfect actor to play Shinichi Izumi. Shota Sometani really fits the part very well. From the first scene when Migi tried to enter his body (his reaction was epic) I already liked him (well, his character, I mean). He really fits into that geeky, innocent high school boy that everyone would have in mind. From his looks to his voice and his actions, he really nailed the role.

I also liked to commend the actors who played the main antagonists. One in particular was Masahiro Higashide as Hideo Shimada. His character was just so creepy to watch on screen as the dude who never cease to have a smile on his face. Well, it's a sinister simel so it's really creepy. Kinda reminds me of Rhys Wakefield from his character in the 2013 movie The Purge. And when Masahiro's character runs amok during the film's climax inside the school, it was just downright epic.


Body Horror At it's Finest
This is probably on of the best movies that perfectly introduces today's audiences to the body horror genre. I really love the straightforwardness of the whole film. It doesn't shy away from showing gore and mutilations all throughout.

There are heads getting torn off, arms being slashed off the body, and all sorts of mutilations you can think of. Blood and guts and human flesh fly out everywhere.
Then, there's this amazing creature that feeds off human flesh. Tentacles and eyes popping out of their skins make up these alien monsters. These creatures look so cartoonish yet so dangerous.



Amazing Fight Scenes
Although I really love it whenever I see these alien creatures prey on other unsuspecting humans (I love the giant mouth swallowing off the whole head of the host's wife, so unforgettable) I must say that the fight scenes between Migi, Shinichi and these monsters make up the best scenes from the film. Every time they battle, the excitement is really high. The fights are just so fun and thrilling to watch.

My most favorite in particular was when Mig and Shinichi was fighting off Hideo Shimada inside their school. After a bloody rampage, tearing off the student body inside, the creature running amok inside the campus gets into a mano-a-mano fight with our protagonists. This battle ended up on top of a rooftop where Shinichi shows his skills in targetting to finish off the monster.
That scene was just so awesome.


Verdict:
A lot of people might probably find this film a bit bloody and violent, but with it's ample mix of dark humor and gore, this Japanese body horror is sure to be a cult classic among horror fans.
Probably one of the best from Modern Japanese cinema.


I will give it 5 out of 5 stars.



Parasyte: Part 1 (2014) - Trailer #1 - [HD] by terrorama