My 2 cents

Initial D: the live action movie

***NOTE***: This following review does have some minor spoilers (mainly from the author's opinion), so read at your own risk. I think however, that I don't give too much away, so go ahead and read it anyway. =)

As an immediate convert to the racing world as a result of the anime series, I was totally pumped when they annouced the making of this movie. Finally, a true street racing movie that didn't have the Hollywood written all over it with show cars instead of real cars. I heard was psyched to hear that they were going to use real cars to drift. None of this Fast and Furious wanna-be-racers-but-all-i-can-really-do-is-look-cool-in-this-car junk. I thought this was a very successful movie in that it was a great transposition/adaptation of the manga/anime series. However was this a great movie? That is the questionable part.

Every race scene in this movie was done right. It was shot exactly how Initial D fans remember it from the series. Camera angles above and around cars as they drifted to turns. Inside and outside views of the drivers as they shuffle their feet in precise motions to make this kind of racing as beautiful as it appears. The cars weren't all flashy, they were just pure, as a racer's car should be. Only true enthusiasts would recognize each cars prowess. The R-32 GTR was a sight to behold (although the driver and his team weren't) as well as the Lan Evo. Overall, this movie was very aesthetically pleasing and could be watched just for that.

One place that Intial D fans will be disappointed however, will be how butchered the storyline seemed. Sure, Initial D had a pretty thin and straightforward plot to begin with, so one would figure it hard to mess up, right? Unfortunately the director found a way... By trying to incoporate many major sequences, that combined with the lead actor's crappy acting skills, lead to the terrible crash and burn of the story of this movie. The director decides to make some changes in the movie also to make things simpler, which would confuse fans at first, but in the end they don't add nor take away from the movie a whole lot. For example, in the movie, Itsuki is really the only street racer wanna-be on Akina as all other of the group of friends, Iketani and Kenji, were not included. Another unfortunate elimination was the inclusion of Ryousuke's brother, Keisuke and his newer RX-7. This probably broke a few hearts but when you think about it, it was probably in the best interest for the movie makers to cut a few characters out, economically and because it would add too much more to the movie. Also, the end race of the movie has Takumi, Ryousuke, and Kyouichi all racing against each other which never happens in the anime.

The cast was an interesting bunch. I wasn't overly psyched however when I found out who was in the cast although some of the people were very well picked. First of all though, I'd like to throw out the most apparent thing about the movie, is that just about every character overacts their part. Even Jay Chou as Takumi. I mean, yeah Takumi is a sullen and quiet character, but Jay Chou kinda makes him look retarded. Maybe it was because I found his Cantonese speaking skills to be at that of a dead lab rat, but he's really gotta stick to what he's good at, or at least what other people like, his singing. I gotta say that although they probably picked one of the biggest stars in Asia for this role, he did not deliver. He definately should've started acting in a smaller role and smaller movie. This movie was too big of a deal for some new kid to come and take the lead role away like it happened here. Anthony Wong as Bunta was probably one of the best picks for his role. He looks kinda like him and he pulls off his part amazingly. I couldn't have picked a better man for this part. Kenny Bee as Yuuichi was decent, although again, overacting = overkill his own part. I hate to say it, but even though I despised Edison Chen as Ryousuke (Ryousuke is pretty much a god of racing, and they found this stoned-eyed kid to play him... dispicable) I have to say that he did a decent job as well. He doesn't have the charisma and respect-demanding look that a Ryousuke should have, but he doesn't make Ryousuke look like a douche either. Shawn Yu's Nakazato is dismissible. The guy that was a bit of a surprise in the movie was really Itsuki who was played with Chapman To. Yes, you will find that he really overacts like crazy, but in a way he runs away with the movie with his own type of comedy. People who aren't used to his sort of (cantonese "PK") humor may find it repulsive, but I thought it was really funny. He brings so much charisma and umph to his role that you really can't forget him from the movie. Overall, if everyone toned down the overacting, and they replaced Takumi with, I dunno someone Japanese perhaps? or even a Takeshi Kaneshiro (with a haircut of course)? I think this movie could have been better already.

HK definately left it's mark on this movie, and unfortunately for some Initial D anime lovers, that may have hurt the movie for them. They didn't do a bad job, it's just that when you try to squeeze so much into a movie, it just turns out like the result of a food fight... everything everywhere, and not that pretty of a sight. The fact that this movie may have not been so great, but the ending was kinda left open for more, gives hope that a great sequel could be pulled off a few years down the road. Overall, I loved the driving scenes from the movie and some of the characters. Unfortunately, the story and the other characters kinda killed the movie in the end. I would recommend this to all the Initial D fans out there who haven't already seen it, as well as anyone who really enjoys a good racing movie. Note however, that this isn't the same as your Hollywood Fast and Furious stuff and you won't get all the fluff. Just pure and beautiful racing with drifting. If you're going to watch this as a casual viewer, be warned that this probably won't satisfy your yearning for a great , well rounded movie. Jay Chou lovers will be satisfied, getting to see their stud get more screen time than he really deserves. All in all, I guess I still have to rate this movie on a number scale... ehh... I think it deserves a 6.5/10. A good attempt by the director, but you missed the finish line by more than an inch...

posted by Jason @ 12:48 PM