300th Review: A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

A Tale of Two Sisters; or, Rose Flower, Red Lotus
     As much as you hate It, I'm the only one in this world you can call mother, got it?
One of my recent visits at a thrift store resulted in obtaining a DVD release of Kim Jee Woon’s A Tale of Two Sisters. Actually, I remember reading about this particular horror film during seminar classes at my university, where a lecturer did a comparison between this film and its Hollywood remake: The Uninvited. So, needless to say, let’s discuss the movie in detail.

Release Info

Directed by: Kim Jee Woon Starring: Im Soo Jung, Moon Geun Young, Yum Jung Ah

Language: Korean Original Title: 장화, 홍련  Runtime:115 min

Synopsis
A teenage girl called Su Mi (Im Soo Jung) was being treated for psychosis in a mental institution. After being discharged, she returns home with her father (Kim Kap Soo), and younger sister Su Yeon (Moon Geun Young). The two sisters have a strong bond and always support each other. However, they refuse to acknowledge Eun Joo (Yum Jung Ah) as their step-mother, which causes friction among family members. Soon after, Su Mi and Su Yeon start seeing supernatural phenomena around the house, even witnessing the ghost of their late mother (Park Mi Hyun).

Past Trauma
I think it is safe to say that Kim Jee Woon is a jack of all trades when it comes to delivering a variety of different genres, from a wacky comedy to an exciting thriller. Evidently, A Tale of Two Sisters is no exception. Having been inspired by a folktale story Janghwa Hongryeon jeon, Kim Jee Woon crafts a dark, slow-paced horror with psychological undertones taken verbatim from the pictures of Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

At its core, A Tale of Two Sisters is the story about the breakdown of a nuclear family. Of course, there are many unexpected plot twists along the way, sprinkled with supernatural elements and jumpscares. Yet, the dramatic reveal in the film’s finale essentially brings the whole thing down to a conflict between a girl and a step-mother, which was set in motion by an ignorant father.

I am not a big fan of a disjointed style of narrative, but in the case of A Tale of Two Sisters, it actually works. There are many sequences throughout the film which make you think whether what you are seeing is real or unreal. In particular, I refer to a chilling scene in which the character of Eun Joo looks for the mother’s ghost under a sink.

With regard to performances, Im Soo Jung and Moon Geun Young did a great job as sisters caught up in a Shakespearean-like tragedy. Nevertheless, they can’t hold a candle to Yum Jung Ah as the devilish step-mom. She really ascended to the heights of Disney villainy in this movie. Kim Kap Soo does well as the emotionless and out-of-touch father.

Recommendations
All things considered, if you want to keep yourselves engaged and put together pieces of a fragmented mystery for two hours, then I recommend A Tale of Two Sisters. To me, it was definitely a more compelling film than The Uninvited remake. The DVD edition I have was issued by IDG company in 2007. Unfortunately, it has no bonus features, but there is a DTS audio track, which improves the viewing experience. Internationally, the film was also issued by Tartan Films in 2005 and by Arrow Video in 2021.
Overall score: 8/10

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Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) [Tokusatsu Review]

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla; or, Neon Genesis Crystals
     Godzilla, thank you for staying alive for me.
After the successful release of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), it seemed as if the Toho Studios were done and dusted with the franchise, but the troubling pre-production of the planned Hollywood remake resulted in delays, which encouraged producers Tomoyuki Tanaka and Shogo Tomiyama to press on with more Heisei instalments. Consequently, the year 1994 saw the release of the 40th anniversary Godzilla movie. To many fans, this is considered to be the black sheep and the lowest point in the series. Let’s dive deeper in to Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.

Release Info

Directed by: Kensho Yamashita Starring: Megumi Odaka, Jun Hashizume, Akira Emoto, Towako Yoshikawa

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ対スペースゴジラ Runtime: 108 min

Synopsis
After the disastrous battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, the army develops a special combat robot known as Mogera. At the same time, G-Force works on a special T-Project which focuses on the supposed mental control of the Big G. Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) works with Doctor Gondo (Towako Yoshikawa) on the project, but she is suddenly warned by the Cosmos (Sayako Osawa and Keiko Imamura) about the approaching danger from outer space. Suddenly, a giant object crashes on the Birth Island. It turns out to be SpaceGodzilla, a creature born out of Godzilla’s cells which ended up in a black hole after the King’s fight either with Biollante or Mothra. SpaceGodzilla imprisons Baby Godzilla and rushes to Fukuoka. Enraged King of the Monsters follows the alien invader in hot pursuit.

Event Horizon
It is clear from the get-go that Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is different in terms of its narrative approach and stylistics than the preceding movies. This stems from the fact that the film was directed by the late Kensho Yamashita and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Both filmmakers were more experienced in teen idol flicks, but evidently, they were also Godzilla enthusiasts, having worked on the set of Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).

Their approach to the Tokusatsu genre is more light-hearted in tone because they chose to focus not only on monster rumble, but human drama as well. For this reason, Megumi Odaka for the first time in the series becomes the main heroine with a love subplot(!) Indeed, this may seem surprising, but in my opinion, works in favour of the character and enhances her story arc.

Alas, it is not the end of human drama because director Yamashita introduces us to the Han Solo-like character of Major Yuki (played by too-cool-for-school Akira Emoto) who wants to hunt down Godzilla and to avenge the death of his friend Gondo (who died in Godzilla vs. Biollante).

On the monster’s side, the emotional payoff is taken verbatim from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, the King again fights to rescue his son, saving humanity is just collateral damage. All in all, the cross-cutting of numerous subplots involving monsters and humans results in an extremely long and exhaustive third act of the film.

That being said, I do not dislike Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. On the contrary, the film is my personal guilty pleasure and I will take it any day over Godzilla vs. Mothra or Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. I totally dig the romantic teen idol vibes with which Kensho Yamashita sprinkled this story. This is the only Godzilla movie in which you will get to see beautiful sunset cinematography by the seaside AND the King furiously obliterating his nemesis with the red radioactive beam.

With regard to special effects, these were once again handled by the series veteran Koichi Kawakita. It seems interesting because the F/X director changed his approach for the purposes of this movie as well. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla has less overview shots, but more close-ups and POV shots, almost as if the filmmakers wanted the viewers to feel dragged in to the monster fight.

As far as the music is concerned, Akira Ifukube allegedly declined to return as the composer after reading the script, so the difficult task was given to Takayuki Hattori. This was the composer’s first Godzilla gig, and I must say I absolutely adore his soundtrack for the film. It is very low key, but so accessible and nostalgic at the same time. Definitely has the spirit of the 1990s.

Speaking about performances, Megumi Odaka is obviously the leading lady here, but I always love seeing her in a Godzilla film. Akira Emoto steals the show as the bitter soldier hellbent on killing Godzilla. Jun Hashizume does well as Miki’s love interest. Towako Yoshikawa’s onscreen beauty as Doctor Gondo cannot go unnoticed. The actress is primarily a model, so her delivery of lines sounds extremely conservative in many scenes.

Recommendations
To me, this is a fun Godzilla movie. I understand why many fans avoid it, but I adore the different approach by Kensho Yamashita and the bombastic battle scenes. Honestly, I would not mind if this would have been the conclusion of the Heisei series, but this is yet to be discussed in my review of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).Overall score: 8/10

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Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) [Tokusatsu Review]

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II; or, Superior Firepower
     The time has come to finally put our technology to the test.
I continue to press on with my journey through the Godzilla Heisei movies. This time, I am focusing on the 5th movie of the series; that is, Takao Okawara’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla from 1993. For clarity’s sake, I will be using the English title Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II throughout the review so as to differentiate this movie from the Showa series original made in 1974.

Release Info

Directed by: Takao Okawara Starring: Masahiro Takashima, Ryoko Sano, Megumi Odaka

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ対メカゴジラ Runtime: 107 min

Synopsis
The United Nations came to the conclusion that they have to do anything in their power to stop Godzilla. For this reason, a special Godzilla Countermeasures Center was created. Their job was to utilise the futuristic technology from the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah and create a technologically advanced robot that could surpass Godzilla’s might. The final outcome of this research materialised in the form of Mechagodzilla. In the meantime, the Japanese team of scientists on Adona Island finds an egg which gives off a telepathic signal that attracts Godzilla and Rodan. The two monsters rush to protect the contents of the egg, but the military sends Mechagodzilla to intercept them… 

Natural Life vs. Artificial Life
Immediately after the overwhelming success of Godzilla vs. Mothra, Toho greenlit another Godzilla picture. Initially, the producers were toying with the idea of bringing back the good old King Kong, but the studio no longer had the rights to the iconic creature. Consequently, the decision was made to pit the Big G against another classic foe, Mechagodzilla.

In contrast to previous films, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II was not penned by director/writer Kazuki Omori. The screenwriting duties were given to a series newcomer, a major sci-fi buff, Wataru Mimura. The writer realised that writing a Godzilla project may be a one-shot deal for him, so he gave it his all in the screenplay by incorporating lots of action and providing the King of the Monsters with the much-needed dosage of pathos and character motivation.

Unlike the erratic shenanigans of Godzilla vs. Mothra, the Big G is no longer just an angry monster. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II marks his progression from a force of nature to a loving parent because the film presents the viewers with Godzilla Junior! Initially, Takao Okawara was against the idea of bringing back Godzilla’s son, but I have to say the director handled all the sequences involving the creature perfectly. In addition, the design of Baby Godzilla is also extremely kawaii. What is more, the presence of the baby in the finale adds additional gravitas to the kaiju confrontation because viewers start to really root for Godzilla.

Speaking about special effects, these were once again helmed by Koichi Kawakita and all the heavy action scenes are top notch across the board. I am actually surprised that there are a lot of “beam fights” in this movie. Undoubtedly, the epic final battle must have served as direct inspiration for the culminating point of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

Thankfully, Akira Ifukube returned to compose a music score for the film, and his contributions are simply breathtaking. The main theme of Mechagodzilla is sombre and militaristic at the same time. It grabs your attention from the opening scene! The haunting chorus song accompanying Baby Godzilla is also a composition to be cherished.

With regard to performances, this time round Masahiro Takashima plays the male lead. He already had an experience with Tokusatsu flicks because of his appearance in Gunhed (1989). His presence does not have much impact on the story. To be honest, Ryoko Sano steals the spotlight as a scientist who looks after Baby Godzilla (played by suitmation actor Hurricane Ryu). Their scenes are easily the best in the film.

Evidently, the movie also features many Tokusatsu veterans, such as Akira Nakao, Koichi Ueda, Kenji Sahara, and of course Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla. Megumi Odaka reprises her role as Miki Saegusa once again and her character has surprisingly a lot of stuff to do in this picture. Miki initially helps the team of scientists who are with Baby Godzilla, but the military actually forces her to help them neutralise Godzilla. It is quite an intriguing twist in the story arc of this particular heroine. There is even a deleted scene from the film in which Baby is afraid of Miki because of her psychic connection with the King.

When it comes to home media releases, the distribution duties of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II were mainly handled by Columbia TriStar who produced their English dub for the film. Interestingly, Toho commissioned their own international translation in 1994, but this version is considered to be “lost”. Fragments of it were unearthed a few years ago through Hindi releases of the film, and snippets can be watched here.

Recommendations
If you enjoy Godzilla’s monster rumble at its purest form, the I recommend Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. Toho initially wanted to end the series with this movie, but they changed their mind in view of the delays concerning the American remake. I must say that Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is a solid, action-packed entry of the Heisei era, but it would not be a strong enough conclusion of the series. What is more important, we would not get Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (to be reviewed soon).

Overall score: 9/10

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