Brendon Jones
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Jerrie
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
WILLIAM FLANIGAN
Viewed on DVD. Rarely do Japanese film comedies survive cultural translation. Here is an exception, since the satire is so broad brushed you can't miss at least some of the humor. From ridiculous accents spouted by non-Japanese actors to whale meat dishes to (now superfluous) world leaders and international organizations, there is tongue-in (and out-of) cheek humor directed in all directions including Japanese black humor, stereotypes, and parodies. Cheesy "special effects" add to the fun. Directing, acting (especially Hitomi Takashima), cinematography, and film score are fine. The film seems stretched out though; its satirical impact could have benefited from more judicious pruning. Subtitles are a bit long and often tardy (what actors are saying is translated after (not while) the dialog is delivered). The more you know (or think you know) about modern Japanese culture, the greater should be your amusement! WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.
Pacheau Vaughn
...because when they start to be funny, it turns out to be boring. Or, as in this case, simply disgusting. The plan was to mock the Japanese nationalism and xenophobia, but I actually had trouble noticing the line between a satire and the real thing in this movie. The general idea is highly attractive, I readily admit, but the script writers didn't make it work at all. The director didn't do the good job either. The non-Japanese actors are simply awful, it looks more amateurish than anything else. Any good points? Racking my head to find any, but the best moments gave me just a faint smile, not a laugh. Anybody lured by a good title, stay away from this movie.
nyshyguy84
Seriously this is supposed to be a parody of the sinking of japan. Well parodies are supposed to be funny and this sure as hell wasn't. The steriotypes were not funny and at times either mind numbingly stupid or just plain offensive. The story and plot if their is even supposed to be one, was hardly followed through and when it was over i was left pondering if the director really wanted this to be a parody or just some dumb drama flick, with dumb special effects and even dumber acting And i'm still wondering who the hell some of these no name actors who played the foreigners came from, since I've never seen them before in any movie till now. I hope this doesn't become a trend now in Japanese cinema where they have to rely on cheesy special effects and no actual story to make their films watchable. Its not working to well for Hollywood after all. Oh yeah and i absolutely despised the Japanese nationalism in this flick. Maybe they weren't taking it seriously in japan, but i think to a lot of non Japanese your gonna be very offended by some of the things they say and do to the foreign refugees in this film. Personally i think japan is setting itself up to be hated with films like these.Overall an incredible waste of time to watch.
CountZero313
Let's get the bottom line out of the way first: Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu isn't funny. Given the fame and high profile of the film this is parodying, it is a brilliant idea with huge comic potential. Tragically, the execution fails to mine even a fraction of that potential. I smiled at the "gaijin report," weather forecast-style reporting of gaijin 'fronts' around the country. The Chinese and Korean leaders reduced to vaudeville performing sidekicks of the Japanese PM was mildly amusing - ditto their revenge at the end of the film. I came to the film expecting outrageous laugh-out-loud moments but barely managed a titter. In a film like this, we expect the low production value, cheesy effects, ham-fisted acting and nondescript casting. We put up with them in the hope that all the effort has gone into the script. Admirably, the film takes pot-shots at both gaijin and Japanese pretensions. Unfortunately, at the risk of repeating myself, it just isn't funny. In fact, most of the time it is downright boring. All in all, a missed opportunity.
