Oz the Great and Powerful

Ratings: 7.4/10

Film Class: B+

Genre: Fantasy Action Drama

Director Sam Raimi's film style is reflected once again in his latest movie, Oz the Great and Powerful. Considering he directed the classic Evil Dead Trilogy, his horror takes still lingers even in apparently unhorrorable movies directed by him.

Take for example, Spider-Man, initially I hated the sudden shock scenes of the green globin, but have now come to terms with his style. The same is true for this one. *spoilers ahead* Coincidentally, there's also a green globin in this movie, the she-globin, aka green wicked witch. She's the witch play fans would be familiar with, since there's a play all about her, Wicked.

There were several jump-up-in-your-seats scenes, and of course there's also his classic "scary grandma" character (wonder who that will be?).

Oz the Great and Powerful is the back story of The Wizard of Oz. It tells of the origins of Oz, how he turned from a carnival magician into the new ruler of the fantasy land of Oz.

Liked the color changing transition scenes, from black & white opening sequences, changing into "technicolor" cinematography. Brought back the good 'ol feel of the technicolored Wizard of Oz.

There's a good cast, James Franco and 3 gorgeous Hollywood actresses, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Wiiliams who all acted as witches.

However, the 2 good points about it were all lacking. Despite the seemingly impressive CG, it still looked somewhat fake. The characters didn't blend in with the setting because of an almost imaginary halo surrounding them which separates them from the fantasy world. And despite having famous stars dominating the screen, their overly exaggerated acting made it too cheesy.

Perhaps I'm being too critical, since afterall, The Wizard of Oz is a children's fantasy novel/movie, but because of its demerits, the film didn't feel classy.

However, I did like the fantasy characters Finley, the talking flying monkey and a talking china girl. No, not a girl from China, but a porcelain girl, literally. Both of them added different levels of funny into the film.

*warning, major spoilers ahead* What I find puzzling is the reference of characters from Oz's "real world", to the characters in the fantasy world. First there's his abled assistant, whom he takes for granted, then there's this girl who hoped that Oz could heal her legs while sitting through one of his magic performances, believing that he does indeed have magical powers.

Both Finley and the talking china girl from the Land of Oz are another version of those characters. Why the similarity? Does it mean that The Land of Oz is just a figment of his imagination? That he is indeed already dead? Furthermore, there's even his love flame, Annie (acted by Michelle Williams), whom he loves in his real world, but didn't find the courage to prevent her from marrying someone else. When he's in the Land of Oz, Michelle Williams appears once again, this time as the good witch. What a puzzling coincidence.

Needless to say, the coincidences were all intentional. Considering the cast who acted as the characters in the real world were also the voice overs for the fantasy characters in the Land of Oz. Because of this, I have a huge question mark hovering over my head, wondering if the fictional Land of Oz is even fictional in it's own plot?

This can't be Oz-ception could it?

Still, I'm intrigued by the "artistic allusion and technical parallels" (wow, what fancily impressive words, but they're not mine, it's a direct quote from Wikipedia) to the prequel The Wizard of Oz. My knowledge of The Wizard of Oz isn't that strong, so whatever I'm about to type, isn't what I ingeniously came up with. The only thing which I observed, was how the initial opening sequence was in a smaller aspect ratio when he was in the real world, compared to when he flew into the Land of Oz. I believe this was so for the earlier film as well?

Trivia: Interestingly, the guy that Annie was going to marry bears the same name as Dorothy's parents, implying that Dorothy is Annie's daughter. In case you're wondering who Dorothy is, she's the protagonist in The Wizard of Oz. The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion were also all referenced in this prequel.

The Scarecrow was introduced as a scare tactic in this film, and would seem that he was built by the townspeople in the next film. The creator of the Tin Man is the Master Tinker, the same guy who built the hot air balloon for Oz and was supposedly able to build literally anything. Finally, the Cowardly Lion who, or it was scared away by Oz earlier in the movie lost his/its guts and so had to find courage in the sequel. And if you're wondering why Mila Kunis tears burns her skin, it's because water is her Achilles heel (though in theory it doesn't make that much sense as tears are mostly saline isn't it? But there's a scene in the novel where Dorothy dumps a bucket of water over the wicked witch and she melts away...).

I liked the last part where Oz gave each of the main characters a present, even though I wasn't exactly convinced that Oz was a much better person. The gift that Finley the talking monkey got was probably the most meaningful, indirectly implying that Oz has finally learnt to appreciate the "people" around him. As for the others, the rationale behind the gifts they got were more direct and less abstract.

Because of the interesting trivia, perhaps the film deserves a 0.3 increase in rating. Well, I'll leave it to you to decide. While it's not that great a film, it's still rather impressive to uncover so many easter eggs in the movie.

Wreck-It Ralph

Ratings: 7.2/10

Film Class: B+

Genre: Family Animation

Wreck-It Ralph is an old school video game bad guy who's like a human-version of King Kong. He smashes things, buildings in particular, and the player gets to control Fix-It Felix, the good guy who repairs what Ralph destroys.

Ralph is a lonely envious bad guy who on the game's 30th anniversary decided to change his fate and goes in search a medal - something only heroes can win.

It was fun to watch video game villains come to life, so at least more animated than their usual video game selves - such as the monster in pacman, and street fighter villains M. Bison and Zangief.

Though Ralph isn't your usually good guy, he sure makes a convincing villain trying hard to be good. His problem, actually it isn't his fault, is that he's too "good" a wrecker. *spoilers ahead* However, predictably, you know that wrecking's gonna come to "good" use sooner or later.

He wasn't likable only until the very last part... Concept wise, the fantasy world of video games was ingenious, reminded me a little of Pixar's very own Toy Story franchise. I'm a little conflicted because I didn't like the setting of the plot, why the game Sugar Rush of all games to be the main basis of the plot? But yet I still like the twist.

The twist wouldn't have gelled that well if not for the car racing video game, Sugar Rush.

I thought the movie lacked something, not originality cos they sure have that, not the characters nor the story development, but perhaps the scripting cos nothing was too funny, too brilliantly said or even too memorable for the likes of me.

Warm Bodies

Ratings: 7.8/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Horror-less Zomance Comedy

R is a zombie who falls in love with a human, Julie (Teresa Palmer). Gradually, he, or it starts to feel a heartbeat, and forms a relationship which could make him human again. This infectious miracle promises a change in a world highly populated with the undead...

Most of what you see in the trailer already shows the best bits of the movie; the novel plot, the funny scenes, thus making the predictability of the plot like an open book. Still, the humorous narration by the lead zombie injected a warm hearted mood into the "lifeless" movie.

I didn't know the lead actress was Teresa Palmer, who reminded us (my wife and I whom I watched the movie with) of a blonde version of Kristen Stewart. I was blown away by her gorgeousness when I first saw her in Bedtime Stories, then still a fairly unknown actress, but somehow didn't quite recognise her in this movie. Most of the time, her wardrobe was a rugged, beatup state which made her slightly less attractive than how I had remembered her to be.

*major spoilers ahead* I love how there's a subtlety about the lead character's names, made obvious only at the point where R went into the quarantine zone to look for Julie, to find her getting some fresh air at her balcony. The scene was reminiscing of the classic Romeo and Juliet balcony rendezvous, how cheekily cute. His actual name was probably Romy, Romeous or something like that.

The part where zombies could relive the memories of a dead person by eating his/her brain was also a very interesting and well thought of possiblity, which opened up to more areas of plot development and expansion.

Overall, the movie triumphed in the details, well thought of "what-if-I-were-a-zombie" scenarios. All the way from how the Bonies evolved (further manifested from a zombie) to the "chance" zombie-remedy because R is a collector of items, everything just seemed to fit right in place. Even the makeup transformation of R from a zombie to a more human-like figure (mostly facial) also didn't go unnoticed. It's mostly funny, a few scenes to make you jump up in your seats but none too graphically haunting.

Orginal zombie jokes with an original zombie plot, add some zombie romance into it and what do you get? A revolutionary genre, an infectious miracle which promises a change in filmography.

Ps.: It's trivia-ly funny that even the movie poster is intentionally made to look like an unrolled crumpled up poster... Apocalyptic-like...

The Thieves

Ratings: 7.2/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Comedy Action (Korean)

Featuring a star studded cast, The Thieves is about 2 professional groups of thieves joining forces to rob a casino of a high value diamond called the "Tear of the Sun" (where have I heard that before?). One group of thieves are from Korea, the other from Hong Kong. Joining the gang of thieves from Korea is *drum roll* Gianna Jun, best known for her role in My Sassy Girl (Korean version). Well, she's the only famous Korean star I know, whom I didn't quite recognise only until after the movie. Thanks to her, she brought testosterone spiking hotsomeness to the movie... 

As for the group from Hong Kong, there's Simon Yam and Angelica Lee (Malaysian actress who acted in Singapore's very own horror movie, The Eye). It was refreshing to see such a diverse group of stars acting together, and the 5 stars who really stole the limelight were lead star, Yun-seok Kim as Macao Park, the mastermind of the heist, Simon Yam, Gianna Jun, Angelica Lee and Hye-su Kim, Macao Park's old flame. Everyone has their own agenda in the heist, and there's more than meets the eye than simply the Tear of the Sun.

Expect lotsa double crossing action, twists and cheekily funny scenes. *major spoilers ahead* I love Simon Yam's "going down" scene the most, followed by Macao Park's suave mighty mouse's "Here I come to save the day" attitude. Even the ultimate villian, Wei Hong's presence was intimidatingly cool. First I've seen a villain so cool-ly walking through scenes of flying bullets (without much corniness) and shooting with dead-accurate zest. Also, there was even a never-before-seen action scene of building-scaling fights.

The Thieves is like a Korean version of Ocean's Eleven, with a hint of Mission Impossible. Despite having a star studded cast and an interesting plot, I didn't give it such a high rating because it lacks class. There's nothing about it which wows me, yet everything about it makes the viewing a fun experience. 

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Ratings: 6.6/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Slapstick Comedy

Thanks to Jim Carrey, this movie became a slapstick comedy. By definition, slapstick means a broad comedy characterized by boisterous actions, farce, violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense (wikipedia). 

Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) are superstar magic duos whose popularity took a plunge when daredevil street magician, Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) performs out-of-the-norm tolerance stunts and does some really disgustingly graphic "magic" effects. 

I believe this film indirectly mocks David Blaine and Criss Angel's publicity stunts, though I'm in full support of the former (he was what Rance Holloway was to Burt Wonderstone as what he was to me). In a weird way, it truthfully portrays the magic scene at present and yet reminds us about the true wonder of magic. 

Love the minute-long cameo by David Copperfield, and getting back to Jim Carrey, I love and hate his role.. he brought his SNL performance to the big screens, with a 50% spike of lameness. Miss his good ol' days as Ace Ventura and the Mask. Still, when he first came on screen, just his image alone was enough to spark chuckles in the audience... evident of a true comedy legend. 

Because Jim Carrey's scenes were so lame, it kinda removed any seriousness left in the movie. Doubt it's a huge coincidence that both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell were cast in this, as they were both individually cast in the "Almighty" franchise. However, putting 2 comedians together (I'm not a fan of Steve Carell, he was never that funny to me) does not make a movie even funnier, though it may be true at times, but not this one. It just magnifies the level of difference in their funny meter. 

Put 3 funny guys together and what do you get? Overshadowed 2, and a cranky champion. 

*spoilers ahead* There was a scene where Rance Holloway (the magician who inspired Burt Wonderstone) was criticising his sleights, and for those of you who are unfamiliar, might not be aware that there were 2 actual terms used in the movie... Zarrow Shuffle and Elmsey Count. In fact, I heard zarrow shuffle where I could have heard wrong, when he actually said Faro Shuffle, also an actual sleight (which would have made more sense). However, those 2 sleights were not executed by Burt Wonderstone, not even the faro shuffle... which kinda made it unnecessarily flashy. 

Also didn't like how they "exposed" basic tricks/sleights but in this time of age, like the director, I'm assuming majority of the audience already knows how some effects are done. Still, that put a frown to my face.

It was a fun movie to watch, not laughing-out-loud funny, but the kinda funny that relaxes a stressed soul. It's far from the elegance of The Prestige, but I'm sure it'll be enough to tease most fellow magicians. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Ratings: 6.6/10

Film Class: C+

Genre: Teenage Drama

The Perks of Being a Wallflower reminds of a modern age Donnie Darko film. It's dark, it's "cultist" and it's a film which left me thinking, "What the hell just happened?"

Charlie is an introvert freshman who just entered high school. He manages to join a clique of friends who have issues of their own. The movie is about troubled teenage children, and how they thrive in this not-so-innocent world. Topics such as sex, drugs and homosexually will be covered. However, those scenes are mild, at times even implicitly represented.

It makes a decent watch, but because I can't relate to it, since I'm no longer teenagish and too singaporeanish, I doubt it will appeal to most local audience either. It does give us a perceived view of how some American teenage kids would go through their younger years as a high school freshman, the difficulties he/she faces and how they overcome them to become "better" adults.

In terms of accuracy, I sure hope it only voices out the minority of American kids, if not they seriously need to look into the issue... "Developing" emo kids at that age is definitely not healthy, for the individual nor to the society.

Emma Watson was the starlet of this dark movie. She brings such radiance to the scenes she's in and it just shows how versatile the Hermoine girl is. Together with lead actor Logan Lerman, and her stepbrother Erza Miller, there were too many pretty faces hurdling the average audience to be pulled into the casts' troubled minds. 

To sum it up, it's an eye-candy teenage flick which is supposed to be dark, yet more fun to watch than most others of similar genres. Didn't quite get to me on this one, but I did learn something... the meaning of the term "wallflower" used in this context. For you bums out there too lazy to search it in google or wikipedia, it's an informal term to describe people who are anti-social. 

The term was originally used to refer to woman, first appeared in an 1820 poem titled County Ball and is derived from an image of a person isolating from social events such as school balls/proms and who remained close to the walls of the dance hall, blending in like a wallpaper.

In fact, the title is a misnomer (intended?). I don't think the movie explained what the perks of being a wallflower is, if anything at all, the only "perk" I see is that it allows one to see that there's nothing good about it and should prevent themselves from being such a person. 

Les Miserables

Ratings: 9.5/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Drama (Musical)

The plot behind the famous musical Les Miserables spans around a few decades of the life of Jean Valjean, who was a strong-willed slave, an altruistic mayor and a loving father. Set in 19-century France, a huge part of Les Miserables was about the French Revolution, and as the name suggests, it's a depressingly tragic musical. 

Perhaps it's because it's so tragic, it's heartfelt, and it brings the audience much closer to being part of the story. Musical remakes like Mama Mia (Funny) and The Phantom of The Opera (Dark, Romance) is of a different genre and though the latter was classy and well made, I felt so much more for the characters in Les Miserables. Like a man I will say this, I almost cried. 

Hugh Jackman should really have won the Oscar for this. He had such strong on-screen presence and such credible portrayal of his character that I no longer saw him as Hugh Jackman, but as the "Jesus-like" Jean Valjean. 

The star studded cast include Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. Of course there's also other great casts, but they're fairly unknown to me, and furthermore, there were too many characters in this movie so most of them only had minor roles, except for those mentioned. 

In fact, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried didn't have much screen time either, but they did good whatever they were given. Anne Hathaway kick started the classic Les Miserables main theme song in an unforgettable grubby and grief-stricken upclose scene of her. Because she wasn't given much screen time, I thought she didn't have to make such a huge sacrifice in having to actually cut her hair short. 

As for Amanda Seyfried, her fair skin tone changed the mood of the scenes whenever she was featured... bringing a "lighter" side of hope in the already depressingly hopeless film. I doubt any CG was done or if that was one of the intended purpose of casting her but it worked like a charm. 

As for Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, they were the crafty, mendacious couple who would pop out here and there to inject some form of light-heartedness. Sacha Baron Cohen has really mellowed down his acting, considering his characters are always so "loud" and attention seeking in his other films, Borat, Bruno, The Dictator and even Madagascar. And Helena Bonham Carter gave her usual uique not-from-this-world persona. 

As for Russell Crowe, he's also one of the reasons why the movie is such a huge success. I think the main success of the film goes out to Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. I'm now made a fan of his, even his performance as the talented John Nash in A Beautiful Mind didn't move me (but the movie was real good). There was something about his demeanour which fits his role exceptional well. 

*major spoilers ahead*

And now finally, for the plot itself. Much of it is about the grace of God. I'm sure Christians will love this, because it glorifies God's grace tactfully. Jean Valjean made a small mistake once, of stealing bread to save his sister's son. And because of that, he was imprisoned into slavery, and through the grace of a bishop, learned to put his faith in God and to bring honor to his grace. He became a changed man entirely, doing only good and helping those around him... But because of his past, and of the inspector (Russell Crowe) who hunts him, he is always on the run. 

It is because of Jean Valjean, and the people he comes across whose lives he will help, that is the basis of Les Miserables. He is the fixer, and the saviour of most. Therefore, I commented that he was "Jesus-like". But it wasn't entirely about him. It was also about the determined love of a mother (Anne Hathaway) and a just yet blinded inspector (Russell Crowe). 

It was not until Hugh Jackman spared Russell Crowe's life, and a few other catalyst scenes which he finally saw the light. He too believes strongly in God's will, but was on the other side of the mirror and who obstinately believes that Jean Valjean is a bad person because of his past. 

It just tells us that one shouldn't harp on the past, and the past doesn't make the person, the present does. 

Les Miserables is about hope, redemption, and unconditional love. 

Think of it like a 3 act movie, Act 1 with Jean Valjean becoming a better man, Act 2 where he finds a little girl whom he will raise as his own, and Act 3 where he brings happiness to the daughter he so loves. 

What comes around goes around, if you spread love, you will receive love... as was depicted in a scene where he and the younger girl ended up in a courtyard whilst trying to run away from the police. 

What I also liked about the movie, was that the main cast has their own trademark songs. Mother and Daughter has the classic theme song tagged to them, and the cunning couple has their own upbeat song as well. As for the 2 protagonists, they don't really have their own songs per se, but everything they sing with their voices in it, sounds so characteristic of them. 

And finally, for the "Act 3" scene, there's the catchy "color" song. 

Though it has a miserable storyline, it was such a delight to watch this musical come to the big screens because I never would have thought it was that good (I watched the musical once when I was very young but remembered nothing of it, actually I don't even know if it's a false memory). It changed my perception of musicals, stubbornly thinking that The Phantom of the Opera was the best, little did I know that there's another, probably other equally first-class musicals like this one and the former. 

Easily one of my favourite and most memorable films.

Rise of the Guardians

Ratings: 9.1/10
Film Class: A
Genre: Action (Animation)

Rise of the Guardians is Dreamworks very best animation yet, and is now my top favourite, number 1 animation, finally knocking Finding Nemo (Pixar) off the top spot of my list. I absolutely love it, for the fantasy, the plot, and the characters. I have subconsiously longed for an animation of such wonder to be made... and it has finally risen. 

When the Boogie man Pitch comes out from the darkness with a devious plan to extinguish the beliefs, imaginations and hopes of children from all around the world, it's up to the Guardians to save them. The newly appointed Guardian, mischievous and carefree Jack Frost joins the team of Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, Sandman and Tooth Fairy to help reignite the beliefs of children, but first, he must find himself and his "center", what he can put in the world, what he's going to protect in children. You won't know what it is... till the very end. It'll be like on the tip of your tongue, yet you can't find the word to describe it. 

It's a fantasy type movie on a totally whole different level. In a way, it's like "deceiving" the children watching this film into believing there's really such characters like Santa Clause, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. But isn't that what the film is trying to show? That we adults lose the wonder in the fantasy when we grow older. We tend to be less imaginative, and less hopeful of our future has install for us.

It has a simple plot, with an interesting take on what the worlds of the recognisable fantasy characters which we all love would look like. To top it, there's a star-studded voiceover crew.. especially that of the guardians and villain. Jack Frost - Chris Pine; Santa Clause - Alec Balwin; Easter Bunny - Hugh Jackman (kudos to Hugh Jackman for his bunny life-like voice); Tooth Fairy - Isla Fisher and Pitch (Boogie Man) - Jude Law.

A fun-filled rewatchable film that I'm sure I won't get sick of. Rise of the Guardians is the true testament of "Dreamworks". 

Cars 2

Ratings: 8.0/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Action Comedy (Animation)

Cars 1 was one of the few Pixar films which I didn't like, didn't bother giving Cars 2 a chance... until I got it because of my nephew's fondness of cars. Well I thought... might as well give it a try... And zzooooommm, Cars 2 has taken over most other Pixar films and is now officially one of those in my top list. 

Lightning McQueen... star racer is back once again, and he finally brought his best bud, Mater, an old rusty tow truck to help out his race in the Grand Prix. Unknowing to him, there's an espionage brewing in the darkness, and it's up to his best bud to save the day. Yup, you heard me right, his best bud, Mater, to save the day. 

If you're hoping to see lots of Lightning McQueen (not me), be prepared to be disappointed. Cos' Cars 2 is about his rusty tow truck best bud, unexpected hero Mater. To be honest, the posters don't do Cars 2 justice, and in a way, "deceives" the audience. I would think Cars 2 is a much more matured animation for the older audience... Kids wouldn't appreciate it as much as its first movie because they wouldn't really understand the life lessons subtlely taught behind the seemingly simple storyline. 

Don't understand why it got such a bad rating on imdb, but I can confidently tell you, those guys who rated it in imdb are WRONG. Cars 2 kickass... why? Because it's both a combination of James Bond, and "karship" (Singapore pun, actually it's basically friendship between cars). The values one get to learn from this, is remarkably deep. 

*major spoilers ahead* By now you would have realise that whenever I include spoilers in my reviews, it's because I find it necessarily to justify my ratings. I don't want to leave my viewers hanging, or claim that I'm just basing it on subjectivity (only a small part, I mean afterall, isn't ratings all about subjectivity? But I still prefer subjective objectivity.) Those posts without spoilers alert doesn't mean that they aren't good, it's just that they're generally undebatable. 

There's uncover James Bond-type action scenes which makes cars 2 a whole lot different from what we saw in part 1. Action, +1 tick. There's also recognisable scenic landmarks of the world, in particular 3 countries, Japan, Italy and London, all of which are locations where the Grand Prix races took place at. Each time they were in each country, there were local and cultural jokes, as well as interesting takes on what the countries would look like if indeed cars populated them. Gorgeous scenes (backdrop) car-world style, +2 ticks. 

Life lessons taught in movie? The true value and strength of friendship. It also lets us open our eyes to the world of the outcasts/forgotten (basically the classics), what they once were, though now will never be, but as long as we remember, will forever be. And looking good doesn't necessarily mean better. Dedicated to those insecure buggers who rather drive a flashy, modified (most of the time for the worst) car than a decent looking reliable one. Morals, +3 ticks. 

Humor? +1 tick. Twist in ending? +1 tick.  Total ticks count: 8. Easily. 

Cars 2 isn't cool because it's an animated version of Fast and Furious, or of the races. It is cool because the action scenes, and because of the morals taught which I nostalgically miss since Finding Nemo...

Hotel Transylvania

Ratings: 7.5/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Comedy (Animation)

Dracula is an overprotective dad who opens a hotel for monsters where he keeps his precious daughter and travelling monsters safe from the human world. Yup, it's a twisted world, where monsters are afraid of humans instead of the other way around. 

He has invited the monsters over to celebrate his precious daughter's birthday, but things took a turn when a human explorer discovers the hotel. Is this boy explorer as scary as what the monsters think humans to be? Or is he the link for the understanding between humans and monsters? 

I didn't like the boy's character, he was too obnoxious and there wasn't anything likable about him. Wished the director/scriptwriters had created a more mild-mannered, less over-the-top character instead of this one. On the other hand, love the monsters, especially Dracula. He's funnily irritating, and even though he's a monster, he's more human than human, and there's this sensitive side of him that allows the audience to instantly connect with his character. 

Fun-filled family film for everyone! See the cute and funny sides of our favourite (or feared) monsters in a totally different light!

Rurouni Kenshin

Ratings: 7.6/10

Film Class: B-

Genre: Action Drama (Japanese)

Rurouni Kenshin is a live action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga, Samurai X. I believe there was an animated movie/series which was very popular about a decade ago, of which I have vague recollection of. All I know is that I was once a short-lived fan, and that fanship has sparked yet again. 

In the 1800s, there lived a legendary samurai, feared by all, whom everyone calls "Battosai". He played a huge part in ending the Bakumatsu war (final years of the edo period, marking the end of the shogun) and in causing the transition of the Samurai Age to the New Age. Since then, he had laid down his sword, and made a pledge never to kill anyone again... 

10 years later, disguising himself as an ordinary wanderer by the name of Kenshin Himura, with his trademark reverse blade sword (which has no chance of killing anyone, or so they, the characters claim. Even though logically, one can still kill with a reverse blade sword), he meets the pure-hearted Kaoru, whose path unfortunately crosses with the villainous Kanryuu Takeda, a crimelord vent on taking over the world with his production of opium and his acquisition of the then modern age gunpower. 

Actually the plot sounds predictably boring, but it's the appearance of another "Battosai", which is the highlight of the entire movie. This imposter "Battosai" is ace-material, and there is only 1 man who can stop him... Kenshin Himura... 

*spoilers ahead* Though the storyline was well developed, and there was a pretty smooth transition of the scenes, some of the scenes were overacted and overplayed, resulting in a awkward discontiunity of my concentrated engagement. I wasn't fond of a particular fight scene where 2 characters were goofing around with each other, though it was intended to be funny, it turned out more corny than comical. 

The cast didn't quite have the look which fit their characters, with the exception of 1, the veteren Yosuke Eguchi, who gained popularity after the Japanese hit series, Under the Same Roof (aired on TV during my younger days, when Japanese culture semi-dominated Singapore's media, which has now been dominated by K-Pop/Drama). 

Even though the movie turned out to be pretty draggy at one point, what I liked about it is the emphasis on the lead's predicament and his perservering nature to never take another life again, despite the impending instigating moments. 

It doesn't take a savant to figure out that he would finally unleash his true nature at the end but it's with this expectation that keeps me at the edge of my seat till the very end. 

Fighting scenes wise could be better, the lack of CG made it too realistic and less exaggerated. In brief, Rurouni Kenshin is more character than samurai slicing. 60% story, 35% cool and 5% sweet (esp the ending).