As usual I am not sure what I am getting into before I watched a movie. I thought it was a horror movie, especially when it credited Hideo Nakata as the director. Half-way through the movie, I began to think this could be the best sci-fi movie in 2014, at least the one from Asia.
The Good As usual, I began with the casts because it is half the reason we are watching a movie and the casts are what we see before we jump into the twist, the plot and the scenes. I must say, the casts are pretty good, especially the main protagonist and the main antagonist, especially the antagonist. It is almost they were successful in creating the Japanese version of Clark versus Luthor or Batman vs Joker, or in this case, Clark versus Joker. The antagonist might have learned a lot from Heath's Joker. The supporting casts are also pretty good, even the sissy guy added something to the movie.
The Bad As almost all Asian movies, we cannot expect stunning visual effects to wow us. But in this case, it also shows the specialty of Hideo Nakata in creating an atmosphere. If you are a sci-fi fan who takes stunning visual effect, then maybe you will find this movie below average.
Summary
You will see a lot of shoots of Akira book in this movie and this is exactly what this movie is. If you have read Akira, you can tell this movie is inspired by the book. Otherwise, better read the book. Thus, I do not agree with the other reviewer that said this is a remake of a Korean movie. This is clearly a remake of Akira and Hideo Nakata really wants us to know this. This movie also creates the exact feel of going through a live action manga: the expression, the scenes, even the set.
After finishing the movie, I am surprised by the lack of awareness for this movie. There was only one review for Monsterz. In short, it you like Akira, or scifi manga, this is a must watch.
