BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

reallytorkedoff-87464 I'm aware there is a whole genre that this movie falls into (pink or pink violence), but that is not enough to redeem it. I am amazed that it was not more evident that this movie falls into this category. IMDB could have been more clear about this fact.Hopefully my review will make it more apparent.Unless you're really into this sort of stuff (I'm not), this movie will be a waste of your time. Production values are middling to low and the plot is pretty thin. It's mostly sex, nudity and gunfire.Enjoy!

lost-in-limbo Sometimes the idea is better then the execution. While slickly presented, the overdone plotting within a very small time frame makes it feel like a disconnected mess. That's the issue regarding the shot-on-video adaptation of 1970s spy manga "009-1: The End of the Beginning". A beautiful, but deadly cyborg spy 009-1 tries to rescue the doctor who made her a cyborg, but on this mission she begins to discover things of her past. It doesn't waste any time on filler, but it just feels shallow trying to squeeze a lot in. Therefore the development and emotional context loses out. Contrived story-telling involving twists and turns alongside jaded flashbacks don't have the impact as they should. Maybe this is due to the low-end budget, but certain things felt lazy and half- baked. Just like the computer effects. Now where it didn't lose focus, was the action. This remains non- stop and bloody, as it showers the screen with fireworks. They really do punch away, other times it's over-the-top and there's some bite. But the use of special effects in those scenes do become tiring, as well long-winded. Still there are some surprises, despite the run-of-the-mill set-up. You could say it does get hot and bothered, just look at those sexy outfits and the sensual teasing. Strangely enough, it's part of the story. The cast don't have too much to work with material-wise, but psychically it's a different story. Performances are stereotypical all round, but the stunning Mayuko Iwasa fits right at home as 009- 1. She brings the right temperament to her character, as her humane compassion starts to break away that ice-cold killing machine instinct.

ulrichburke I don't do many reviews, but I had to put the other two guys here to rights. First of all, it's a totally feminist film All the main parts - good and bad - are women with really well-developed characters. You see, feel and sympathise with all the suffering that men have put them through, turning them into cyborgs, even into artificial zombies, forcing them to fight and kill against their will. The men in the movie are stereotyped cyphers, the characters you feel and root for are all women. It may be called sci-fi, but I saw many ways men treat women this badly in real life and cheered as the men got all they deserved - MAYBE SLIGHT SPOILER COMING UP...!! - all the bloodiest kills were on men and I thought every one deserved all he got! There's also a LOT of feminine sensuality throughout the movie but it's VERY tastefully handled, hardly any flesh, all implied and the better for that. The storyline's superb in a Manga way - each mission leaves the character learning more about herself until she has the power to regain control of her own life from the exploitation of Men - how historically accurate is THAT! If you're up for a full-on, feminist action flick where you'll cheer as every man gets what he deserves, this is the best movie you'll see in ages. I really think women will identify with the heroine, long, as I did, to kill the men who warped and twisted the women she meets along the way - and cheer as those men meet their bloody but beautifully done demises. Even - MAYBE ANOTHER SLIGHT SPOILER....!! - the 'baddie' woman is only the way she is because of what men did to her, I found myself sympathising with her, too.It's got depth, it's got great character development (in the women, the men are intentional stereotypes) it's got a TON of Manga action, it's been made with huge heart and feeling for its source material, it hides its lack of budget with great stylishness and verve. If you love Manga, you'll feel you're an actual part of its world. If you're a woman, please watch it, you'll feel rejuvenated, like you've got revenge on every idiot male who's ever crossed your path. And Men - if you come across a lady who's seen this flick - beware!! Films like this deserve more faith from their backers and a far wider cinema audience. Eight out of ten stars, easy. Chris.

Derek Childs (totalovrdose) ...There is no real emotional connection to the characters, or their development, resulting in very two dimensional individuals, the story itself, which fails to substantially bear fruit, being conceived in a similar vein.Having never viewed the Manga or Anime this feature is based upon, perhaps I was at a disadvantage, as I did not expect the opening of the film to encompass sex and nudity. The film exhibits an avid concentration on the legs and chests belonging to the female characters, and despite the lead never revealing her underlying flesh, which reflects the principles the feature is able to support, much of the sexual content contradicts this particular aspect through the severe limitation exhibited upon morals in general - even incest being a theme incorporated into the script.Almost all of the female characters dress in leather outfits that are absolutely stunning, revealing the physicality of the gorgeous women wearing them. There's one particular scene involving two women with magnificent external features, one of whom is pinned to a table, the other on top, her tongue dancing across the body of the woman who's tied down, saliva left in its wake. This, much like a scene where women are dressed in alluring maid outfits, which is a step up from other moments involving women whose attire is even more revealing, is obviously aimed towards a male audience, who will, in all likelihood, potentially enjoy the aforementioned scene, as it is easily one of the film's most memorable moments. Unfortunately, it seems the creators put too much thought into the tantalizing visuals and innuendo, and not enough elsewhere, which is where the attention was most required. Safe to say, feminists need not apply to watch this movie, with over 80% of the women in the feature been relegated to unnecessary sexist stereotypes.On the subject of the film's other prominent feature, the sheer mass of violence steadily increases over the course of the film, until red becomes the main color spilling across the screen. The fight scenes, although occasionally wonderfully executed, despite the obvious low budget, sometimes become tiresomely long-winded, even with the action oriented soundtrack which efficaciously works accompanying many of the scenes. Most of these battles take place in condemned locations that lack much physical appeal, whereas limited time is spent in the feature's more luxurious settings.Due to the focus on sexually related ideas, and buckets of blood and gore, the story exhibits minimal impact upon the viewer. In the future, the world is divided into two blocks: east and west. Mylene, otherwise known as 009-1 (Mayuko Iwasa), is a brilliant spy for the Western Block, outfitted with an arsenal of weaponry (including machine-guns in her breasts, that, although imaginative, have recently been shown elsewhere). In battle, she is outmatched, frequently been called upon to undergo dangerous operations. When eliminating a human trafficking operation, she happens upon Chris (Minehiro Kinomoto), whose very existence begins to change her life, causing her to feel a connective tug dragging her continuously towards him. Her employer, led by 020 (Naoto Takenaka) however, will not allow her to experience a normal life so easily. Upon been thrust into an operation to save a valued scientist, Dr. Klein (Aya Sugimoto), who has a direct connection to her past, Mylene finds herself in the center of a fight unlike any she has ever encountered. Who can she trust? What can she do? And can she figure it all out in time? A collection of cliché ideas, that are not nearly as predictable as they are flattening to the overall story, alongside an anti-climatic conclusion, that raises more questions than it deems to answer, while teasing the possibility of a sequel, inhibit much of the tension and suspense the film attempts to construct. If you, dear viewer, want to see an assortment of unfathomably beautiful women in sexy, sexy outfits, then please, look no further. If you want a film that contains a decent storyline, maybe you ought to look elsewhere...