Well, its now been banned in the UK as of a few days ago. And as with the legendary British Board Of Film Censors onslaught on horror movies in 1984, this will of course make it a much more sought after movie now than if they'd left it well alone. Its 2009 today, and most folks with minor internet savvy will quite easily be able to obtain a perfect copy for a fee (or for free) as opposed to the under-the-counter, grainy bootlegs of years long past. So Englands banning of any movie these days has little effect on those that really want to see it anyway. Now on to the movie itself...
For anyone to say they "enjoyed" this film Id have to ask them a few questions about their mindset. Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't think it should have been given a UK ban, but its really not something you'd want to sit down to with some popcorn and a quiet night in with your partner. For all its hype however, (and I was taken with some apprehension before I watched it), parts of it aren't as bad as you might expect. For example, the eye gouging scene is much less shocking (IMO) than Dalis "Un Chien Andalou" which was made 80 years ago in 1929. This is mainly because the camera doesn't actually let you see what happens - just the aftermath (even thats not so bad). Other things like the sexual assault finish off (excuse the pun) with something that a bawdy anime cartoon would be proud of - liquid overkill in the extreme lol. Not to mention, that even though there's graphic violence all over the screen, the victimiser only lifts the female victims top up, not her skirt, and I asked myself could this be because of Japans aversion to pubic hair? Other things just don't make a lot of sense either (no I don't mean the plot) for example: if this kind of torture was dealt out on any human being (I would imagine) they'd either bleed to death long before these sorry pair passed away, or their reactions to the violence would have been much more extreme. And the females end made me laugh out loud - no, really, I mean literally (wait for that one). The main part of the film then fades into both the couples lives ebbing away to the tune of "Land of Hope and Glory" - and I couldn't help but have another chuckle at this.
So, is it worth seeing? Id probably say yes. But heres how you approach it: Imagine you're a special effects judge, and take the "movie" as a collection of special effects you want to review. Then, give your mark for the quality of each scene within. Thats how I saw the film. Not as a story of any value (as it doesn't really have any plot) but as a vehicle for showing what a good effects team can achieve with a few pounds of latex and a bucket of fake blood. And Id certainly like to see a "Making Of" documentary to learn how they did some of the scenes within. But in the meantime, Im sure over the last few days (and in more to come), Google will have quite a lot of UK users searching: "Grotesque" to see what all the fuss is about. Such is the enquiring human nature when you ban something.
For anyone to say they "enjoyed" this film Id have to ask them a few questions about their mindset. Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't think it should have been given a UK ban, but its really not something you'd want to sit down to with some popcorn and a quiet night in with your partner. For all its hype however, (and I was taken with some apprehension before I watched it), parts of it aren't as bad as you might expect. For example, the eye gouging scene is much less shocking (IMO) than Dalis "Un Chien Andalou" which was made 80 years ago in 1929. This is mainly because the camera doesn't actually let you see what happens - just the aftermath (even thats not so bad). Other things like the sexual assault finish off (excuse the pun) with something that a bawdy anime cartoon would be proud of - liquid overkill in the extreme lol. Not to mention, that even though there's graphic violence all over the screen, the victimiser only lifts the female victims top up, not her skirt, and I asked myself could this be because of Japans aversion to pubic hair? Other things just don't make a lot of sense either (no I don't mean the plot) for example: if this kind of torture was dealt out on any human being (I would imagine) they'd either bleed to death long before these sorry pair passed away, or their reactions to the violence would have been much more extreme. And the females end made me laugh out loud - no, really, I mean literally (wait for that one). The main part of the film then fades into both the couples lives ebbing away to the tune of "Land of Hope and Glory" - and I couldn't help but have another chuckle at this.
So, is it worth seeing? Id probably say yes. But heres how you approach it: Imagine you're a special effects judge, and take the "movie" as a collection of special effects you want to review. Then, give your mark for the quality of each scene within. Thats how I saw the film. Not as a story of any value (as it doesn't really have any plot) but as a vehicle for showing what a good effects team can achieve with a few pounds of latex and a bucket of fake blood. And Id certainly like to see a "Making Of" documentary to learn how they did some of the scenes within. But in the meantime, Im sure over the last few days (and in more to come), Google will have quite a lot of UK users searching: "Grotesque" to see what all the fuss is about. Such is the enquiring human nature when you ban something.