Tyreece Hulme
One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Allissa
.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Seifer006
I had stumbled across this film after playing parasite eve 2 (so many years ago). I thoroughly enjoyed the game and thought they should make a movie, thinking that it would be far more interesting than the resident evil movies and so on. That was when I found the film, but deciding that there were no copies to be found in Australia, i gave up the search. I now get US DVD, I got this one thinking I would give it a try.To begin with let me say, do not watch this movie expecting it to be like the square soft versions of the Parasite Eve franchise, this movie can before, and while it has a slower pace than the rest of the installments, I still believe that it works very well.The story begin with a man who is a scientist, and on the eve of he and his wife's anniversary, she falls victim to a horrible car crash, she is pronounced, brain dead. The husband reluctantly agreed to turn off her life support and give her organs away, on the condition that they give her kidney. The organ goes to a young girl (who is apparently the mother of Aya Brea, the central character of the game, though there seems to be some debate amongst fans) and the young girl begin to experience strange occurrences.The film is very deep emotionally compared to most others in the J-horror genre, there are, however, some freaky bits such as Mariko in the hospital. One thing that should be mentioned is the special effects, they are quite good for a Japanese movie made in 1997.One of the downsides to this film is there are moments where the tension simply turns to tedious and while I believe overall the film turned out OK, there is a point, in the hospital where I just tuned out. The final climax however does build up well, leading to the final, very verbal resolution, which I thoroughly enjoyed, it was very well executed. The final scene is very emotional and is a very solid finale.In conclusion this movie is worth seeing, while it is not perfect, it should entertain movie go-ers and fans of parasite eve alike, as it gives them a chances to see the events leading up to the game.
tsimon58
I like slow and arty movies just fine, but I'm sorry that this doesn't qualify. I rented the movie because I liked the video game and the underlying scientific elements are the same. The movie, however, has an incredibly slow pace. After the first half hour, my husband and I actually turned up the playback speed, so we watched the last 90 minutes in 30. The subtitles stayed on the screen long enough for us to read them and the movement of the actors and the plot seemed to be the right speed. So I guess that says that we were impatient and the movie was tedious. I also think that the plot, while reasonable in principle for most of the movie, takes a wrong turn at the end and gives you a love-conquers-all resolution that just makes it too easy to win.
musashimaru
This movie could well be a modern version of William Castle's THE TINGLER. But in this case, it's not a parasite hidden in the human spine which wants to free itself and have its own life but rather the mitochondria in the human body. "Mitochondria" is a term of cell biology. They are self-replicating organelles, bounded by 2 membranes, that are found in the cytoplasm of all eukaryotic cells and produce cellular energy in the form of ATP via the oxidative phosphorylation reactions.The theory of PARASITE EVE is that mitochondria are very much a species with their own intentions. And all those years since evolution spat out the first humans, they were waiting for the day when they could finally break free. This day is NOW, and their outbreak of the human bodies would surely mean the end of all human life on earth. It's up to one lonely and desperate Japanese scientist to stop them after his beloved wife was killed as it was long-term planned by the mitochondria.Like in many other modern Japanese horror and science fiction movies, the pace of PARASITE EVE is slow and often melancholic. But the daring storyline of the movie and the tension which is built slowly but surely until the climatic finale is worth watching anyway.Japanese cinema has become an interesting alternative for lovers of the fantastic film genre. The way how Japanese films tell their story differs a great deal from Hollywood productions. If you have a chance to see PARASITE EVE, go see it or even buy it on DVD or VCD. If you're not an action-only fan, you won't regret it.
Lars-58
I got this title on Video CD without any prior information on it. I didn't even know what genre it was. After seeing it it's one of my favorites!The plot evolves very subtly for about the first half. Then through some fluid storytelling it all changes into a sci-fi mystery. Beautifully shot and very good acting. Almost dreamlike settings mix with harsh laboratory milieus. This contrast is in parallel with the story that first evolves around the love of life and later the sorrow of death and some really weird consequences.If you get the chance to see it and you like romantic thrillers this is one for you.
