adrmb

Well, then. For me, it was extremely enjoyable and I appreciated it doubly for not showing any pretentiousness in its staging, which happened in all his other films (which, for me, remain nothing). This one shows its simple and commercial nature from the very first moment, and having entered into this mindset, I ended up fully enjoying it, aided by the consistently high pace, more "Westernized," if you will, which kept my engagement up—it's the first time this has happened with him.
Ah... I don't mind Cannarsi, but this really was a well-crafted adaptation, smooth from start to finish while maintaining fidelity to the text. It doesn't seem to me that the two things must necessarily exclude each other, as he always says in the Studio Ghibli forum o_O

Of course, staying well away from the usual exaggerated hype I'm reading around about this little film.

I really enjoyed it, keeping in mind that I wasn't completely relaxed in the first part and therefore I didn't follow some dialogues very closely. Overall, everything seemed excellent, from the direction that flows sinuously between highlighting the broad scope of the work and the psychological component of the characters, to the religious content that gradually becomes increasingly refined, culminating in delicious dialogues about the conception of faith in a third act where the emotional involvement is immense.

The final shot was entirely avoidable; I agree, it's unnecessarily didactic.

I agree with the rating, but I need to see it again because I didn't catch everything completely.

Yes, here it is, for me it has a film that would only make sense to exist for its concept which indeed connects more than adequately to Episode IV without unnecessary fan service (true Episode VII?), in this sense the references seemed studied and measured to me without bothering me at all; however, you are absolutely right when you state that the execution is completely empty and soulless with boring and lifeless characters (the big robot already mentioned by you and the protagonist aside maybe, at least I didn't mind his initial cynicism at all), overshadowed by a screenplay that is very predictable when it’s comedic and cloying when it’s serious. Moreover, the direction suffocated by too many spectacular explosions greatly undermines the potential drama of the ending, which is also fake and constructed.
Ah, and it struggles even at the beginning to get going narratively speaking with that string of scene changes, but it compensates with incredibly evocative shots.

Well, so-so, only if you don’t pay, like in my case.

Joe, have you seen 'It's Only the End of the World'?

I can only say that it has become one of my absolute favorite movies, a work of art of extraordinary charm and depth, it should be framed. 10/10 for me.

It has nothing to do with it, but I can't find another place to "advertise" it. If you enjoy cyberpunk and philosophical themes, I absolutely recommend watching 'Serial Experiments Lain' (it's only 13 episodes long, and you can find it legally on VVVID), a guaranteed mindfuck experimental masterpiece. A truly great series, shot as it should be and brimming with content, proving that when it comes to plot creation, the Japanese are light-years ahead.

Absolutely amazing, great review, the film is truly splendid, three interconnected narrative threads managed through a solid script (which, in my opinion, slightly falters in the dialogue during Adams' flashback, but who cares) that ties everything together almost perfectly.
Two standout nail-biting scenes: the nighttime car sequence and the final dialogue between the rapist and the husband/killer.

And hey, call me excessive for giving it 5 stars, but it had been years since I was so narratively satisfied by a film seen in theaters ('The Neon Demon' more for aesthetic reasons).

Fuck, one of the most beautiful animated films I've ever seen, yet another confirmation that the Japanese are light years ahead in the conception of animation as a technique to convey messages that are both profound in conception and universal in destination. I was undecided about the rating; by the three-quarters mark of this nonetheless excellent film, I was missing the sociological/explanatory component regarding the narrative background. Despite having simply impeccable psychological depth, then comes the plot twist, that wonderful revealing scene in the bar that opens up the subtly high and disturbing developments I had been eagerly awaiting.

If I really have to find a flaw, I see it on the aesthetic front; neither the character design (too stylized) nor the digital coloring (cold and apathetic) appealed to me, although I do objectively recognize a certain functionality in the latter for recreating a suspended atmosphere.

My favorite from Oshii so far.

Cool.

But.

I didn't understand a damn thing.

"You know, I had a dream... I had it the night I met you. In the dream, I saw our world, and this world was dark because there were no robins. The robins represented love. And for a very long time, there was only darkness, then suddenly thousands and thousands of robins returned to the earth, and their return finally brought the blinding light of love."

That line, that fucking background organ, that damned seductive and warm moment, a glimmer of light and hope amidst the dark and gloomy shades of a (great) thriller noir. The visualization of the symbol at the end, finally, is intensely powerful.

A beautiful film.