Some great movies come out of Japan...this isn't one of them. Unfortunately, most Japanese Hollywood style blockbusters come out looking like TV dramas...complete with poor scripting, poor acting and low low budget effects.
As if that isn't bad enough this movie perpetuates a particularly sad Japanese view of the world...namely, that no-one cares about them. We have seen the compassionate way that the world reacts to disasters. We can be quite sure that, in the event of a situation like this, that given the combination of japan's wealth, its ties with other economic powers, the compassion of the people of the world etc.. that
1. Countries would put together their technological resources and manpower to try to solve the problem (Japan would not be on its own to try to deal with it) and 2. If it were not possible to solve the problem, many countries would gladly take in refugees.
The message of this film is that Japanese people are innocent victims alone in their suffering and that the rest of the world can not be relied on to aid them in any way. This is, of course, a fallacy that makes for a rather pathetic world-view... but one that certainly helps create a sense of nationalism. The formula used in this movie could be equally well put to use by the propaganda writers of North Korea...though I guess if they did they did make such a film it probably wouldn't be far from the truth in their case.
Watch this film if you really have absolutely nothing else to do or see. Be prepared to be bored, annoyed and bemused...on the positive side at least you'll come away from this understanding something of the Japanese psyche.
As if that isn't bad enough this movie perpetuates a particularly sad Japanese view of the world...namely, that no-one cares about them. We have seen the compassionate way that the world reacts to disasters. We can be quite sure that, in the event of a situation like this, that given the combination of japan's wealth, its ties with other economic powers, the compassion of the people of the world etc.. that
1. Countries would put together their technological resources and manpower to try to solve the problem (Japan would not be on its own to try to deal with it) and 2. If it were not possible to solve the problem, many countries would gladly take in refugees.
The message of this film is that Japanese people are innocent victims alone in their suffering and that the rest of the world can not be relied on to aid them in any way. This is, of course, a fallacy that makes for a rather pathetic world-view... but one that certainly helps create a sense of nationalism. The formula used in this movie could be equally well put to use by the propaganda writers of North Korea...though I guess if they did they did make such a film it probably wouldn't be far from the truth in their case.
Watch this film if you really have absolutely nothing else to do or see. Be prepared to be bored, annoyed and bemused...on the positive side at least you'll come away from this understanding something of the Japanese psyche.