Nihon chinbotsu (2006) Reviews

• Excellent, splendid and top notch of a movie!

  quinta_x2007-08-22

  It's the best movie I've watched this year! Excellent detail and storyline (for a remake). It presents to you a "what if" situation wherein the island of Japan could totally be wiped out of this earth. A thought-provoking, life and death situation and not to mention all life on earth (well in this particular Japan). It also presents a great and genius solution to this massive tragedy. Horror, action, suspense, sci fi, documentary, love story and all the human interest story you can get you'll find everything here! But I also warn you that it is a real tearjerker! The casts, actors and all are all excellent, better than any Hollywood movie! The thing is...this could really happen to anywhere on earth! Now let me ask you this after you've seen it..."what would you do if you are faced in this life and death situation"?

• A solid SF/disaster movie

  Jeen2007-08-16

  I actually caught an ad for JAPAN SINKS in a Japanese magazine last year, and wondered what the heck it was until I saw the trailer for the film. It was then I remembered that I had seen the English translation of Sakyo Komatsu's novel some years back. I got it, and it was quite good, as well as chillingly realistic. It's enough to make the reader dread hearing any news about earthquakes in Japan. Now, I've read the book, and seen this 2006 movie version (the first movie came out in 1973). And you know what? I thought the movie was quite good, even if there are major changes from novel to film (but that's understandable). The story is simple--a major tectonic shift will cause Japan to sink within a year. Massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis rock the country as frantic efforts are made to evacuate as many people as possible. One scientist has a plan that could stop the sinking of the country and save what's left of the landmass, but can it be implemented in time? I saw JAPAN SINKS at Otakon 2007, and while there were a couple of problems I had with it--it does run a bit too long, and a couple of the character moments were a little too sappy--I was nonetheless blown away. The sheer concept of an entire nation sinking into the sea was made terrifyingly real, and the effects were some of the best I've ever seen, rivaling anything that Hollywood has done. The film also plays no favorites with the main characters, with some not making it to the closing credits. Frankly, I've been surprised by some of the negative comments made about this film. Difference of opinions, I guess. Personally, I enjoyed it. And I've read the original book.

• Little surprise; barely delivers

  harry_tk_yung2006-08-27

  As done with economic theory, disaster movies can be sub-divided into micro (Poseidon, The Towering Infernal) and macro (Deep Impact, Armageddon). SoJ falls somewhere in between. It's neither the destruction of our entire planet, nor does it pertain only to a cruise ship or a building. It's about the threatened obliteration of an entire island nation. I have not seen the 1973 "original" and can only dwell on the current "remake". It gives you everything you expect from a disaster movie – the CGI mayhem, the scientific backbone, the action and reaction of various government officials, the plight of the "little people", lovers caught in a struggle of life and death. But somehow that doesn't seem enough. The mood is gloomy throughout, accentuated by the faded brown hue and grainy shots. There are not only one, but two claustrophobic deaths you can choke on. What we don't find are the occasional upbeat moments, even in the face of heroic sacrifices. Here, I must digress and mention the excellent made-for-TV docu-drama "Krakatoa: The last days" (2006) that I happened to have watched just 7 hours after watching SoJ. Krakatoa is REALLY gloomy, but for a good reason – it tries to recreate a REAL disaster, possibly among the most devastating known in human history. SoJ however is pure fiction, and the audience has the right to expect more uplifting treatment of the material. The more positive note on this movie comes from the two leads. Tsuyoshi Kusanagi of the top Japanese pop group SMAP plays a likable, gentlemanly role similar to the one he had in Yomagaeri (2002), and more – with heroic self-sacrificing. Immensely popular Kou Shibasaki (Crying out love in the centre of the world) is distinguished not by her beauty, but by her charm as a character actor. In SoJ, she finds another role that is a perfect match for her screen persona. Some local critics point to the lack of chemistry between the two protagonists and I'll not debate that point. What I find refreshing is the un-Hollywood treatment. On the night when he comes to say goodbye before he seeks refuge in England, his sincerity finally breaks down her inhibitions. Returning his love and promising to join him in England soon, she offers herself to him. After an initial moment of emotional response, he backs off, gently declining her offer, saying that as they will be together in England soon, he can wait. The real reason, however, is that he is not going to England, but a suicide mission – the last chance to save Japan from sinking. He did not want to take advantage of her. By Hollywood standard, this is unrealistic fairytale. But despite Hollywood, noble sentiments still exist. In the end, the movie is far too long, clocking in at 135 minutes, and poorly paced. Taking away 30 minutes, in my view, should put it in much better light with the audience.

• Entertaining, within limits

  poikkeus2007-08-11

  As spectacle, it's hard to fault Nihon chinbotsu. The Japanese people have benefited from their intimate relationship with the sea, and the concept of the film implies that an entire world and way of life at risk - thanks to its volcanic heritage. From the standpoint of reality it's rather silly to have a drama wherein the entirety of Japan vanishes under the waves; why just Japan? So, presume instead that we have movie reality, fueled by spectacle (and popcorn), and some may find this quite affecting. Compared to adventures with Japanese radioactive monsters, this comes off as more mature and better paced. The emotional element is underplayed, and it really works. (It loses a bit with the overblown theme song at the climax, however.) Is Nihon chinbotsu credible? Probably not, but the thrilling eruptions, and the relaxed pacing make for a more pleasing entertainment that one night expect.

• A disaster flick that finds the good balance between action and thought-provoking

  barkerintokyo2007-01-27

  Nihon Chinbotsu is another example of Japanese creativity and ingenuity. The original story written in the early seventies is truly incredible in terms of thrill and how thought-provoking it was. Very basically, the story is about the Japanese archipelago "sinking" into the ocean due to plate tectonics. I'm not an expert on this branch of science, so I can't say how realistic the science behind the disaster is, but it sounded very believable as a layman. There are many elements which make this disaster movie stand out compared to other disaster flicks like Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, Twister, etc. No matter what devastation there is in the aforementioned movies, the land itself remains to fix. The people can rise out of the rubble, is usually the end of the film. However, Japan sinking means that the Japanese can't do anything to rebuild their homeland. Japanese will have to live somewhere else forever. Which raises many philosophical questions. What happens to a people without a homeland? Are the Japanese going to be worth anything to the other nations when they've lost their factories, cities, cultural artifacts? More specifically, do the Japanese today have any value? Will the Japanese have to simply assimilate into other nations and disappear as a unique civilization? This film is a remake of the 1970s classic which is itself the film adaptation of the novel. There are many changes, one being the obvious CGI which is on par with Hollywood standards (which some may find a prerequisite for a good disaster film). But there are some crucial story edits that some may find for better or worse. I personally found the differences neither better or worse, just another alternate ending. This remake however is a bit faster pace and focuses more on the destruction and relies heavily on the action to keep people excited, which was probably not the intention of Komatsu Sakyo, the author. The questions raised continue to exist in this remake but are not the main focus of the film. In conclusion, this remake is exciting as an action packed disaster flick with great CGI destroying familiar sites (if you're Japanese) as well as a thought-provoking film. What's great about it is that if you want to just watch it as an action flick, you can, if you want to think about the questions raised, you can as well, but you won't be forced to. It's a good balance. I would recommend it.