Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War
Miike’s bizarre fantasy film The Great Yokai War (2005) opened in selected US cinemas this week. For those who missed my first impressions back in February, here’s a chance to read them again:
I just came back from seeing Takashi Miike’s new film The Great Yokai War at the Rotterdam Film Festival. I knew nothing about this movie going in, and boy was I in for a treat! It turned out to be something akin to Japan’s answer to the Harry Potter or Narnia series. You know: Miike, for kids!
Apparently, for the first time in his career, Miike was handed a big-ass budget and the cult-favorite made sure it showed. This film is massive in scale yet remarkably off-beat and full of the perversities and black humor Miike is known for. For a supposed family film, it’s way too “out-there” for Western taste (mine anyway: I wouldn’t let my oldest son see it until he’s, like, ten or eleven), but it will blow your mind. In fact, The Chronicles of Narnia is the undercooked egg The Great Yokai War swallows whole for breakfast!
You won’t hear me declare it a masterpiece. To tell the truth, I don’t know what the hell it is. Something I’ve never seen before, that’s for sure. Miike’s cinema is just too plain weird to satisfy on any conventional level. This guy re-invented the word “subversive.†Kiddie movie or not: Yokai War goes from gory body-horror to intimate drama, from absurd parody to epic grand guignol fantasy, from kinky science fiction to all-out slapstick. It features legions of Asian folktale goblins, the coolest robots I’ve ever seen in a motion picture and two very sensual female characters, young enough to make me uncomfortable to be aroused by. Just picture Miike behind the computer screen, trashing proven Hollywood impulses and pushing his CGI-artists in every direction he can think of. (If you’ve seen Audition and Gozu, that should mean something.)
Think Miyazaki, but live-action, with a slightly fetishistic sensibility. Just a few references that popped in my mind while looking at the film: Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Wizard of Oz, Nightbreed, Blade Runner, Akira, The Neverending Story, Metropolis, Labyrinth, Godzilla, The Terminator, Kung Fu Hustle, Lord of the Rings–all filtered through the prism of the mad filmic genius of our lifetime.
I can’t wait to see this; I love Miike, but I haven’t loved one of his film for a while now. This sounds like another masterpiece – I hope it expands to LA soon.
According to IFC blog, the movie is also opening in LA, David. Ask Dennis Cozzalio for details, cause I know he’s going to see this. Remember: I wouldn’t exactly call Miike’s film waterproof, but expect your jaw to drop anyway!
Unfortunately, guys, I don’t know if there’s another screening of Yokai in the works for Los Angeles anytime soon. The American Cinematheque ran it on June 30, just a few weeks ago, on a double feature with a Gamera movie. I’ve been digging around to see if there’s anything else scheduled right now, and as soon as I find out anything I’ll let you know.
There is a Region 3 DVD available, however, but you probably already knew that!
Yeah, I noticed that DVD, but thanks anyway for alerting me, Dennis.
Yes, it’s a great movie — and a change of pace for Miike, given his usual shock-horror tactics. Good to know he can make a kids’ film, though there’s one moment (the arrival of the fleshy creature in the stable) that I don’t think is OK for kids.