Sennen Joyuu (Millennium Actress) is a film that was directed and written by Satoshi Kon and released in 2001. As you can see with the other reviews and the rating on this site, it is considered a VERY good movie. Some people go as far as calling it a masterpiece and laud this film as a classic.
I believe that this is a good film, a damn good film. Though I have to state that I believe the fact that Satoshi Kon directed and wrote this has led some to give it a more favorable review score. By no means is this a bad movie, as
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I said before, it's a damn good film. I just don't think it deserves a 10.
Story: 7
Oddly enough, this is the most flawed element of the entire movie. I'll try to avoid giving away too much, but the entire movie's plot is one of the most Japanese things that was produced post the year 2000. It revolves around the love story between a young girl (the actress) and an unnamed man whose face we never (and she never) sees. They talk for maybe 5 minutes on screen but the entire plot revolves around the actress' love for this unnamed and faceless man.
This actress spends the rest of her life in love with a man she was around for maybe a couple hours in the movie's universe. She risks her life twice in the film and twice risks her job for this guy just to return something. It's offensively cheesy and could only come out of a country like Japan.
Sorry lady, you haven't even seen his face. Ever consider getting a therapist?
I know this is harsh language for a movie I claim to like, but the flaws of the film deserve to be known. I must counter the sugar-coated crap with my special brand of pessimistic assholery.
Anyway, the story isn't total crap. I actually quite like the way the story is presented and unfolds to the viewer. The story is told in a somewhat confusing way at first but you quickly pick up what's happening. Furthermore, It isn't the type of movie where you can tell instantly what is going to happen. This is something to praise, as I believe that movies are becoming less and less complex.
Do an experiment for me, next time you plan on seeing a movie look at the poster and then watch the trailer. Guess how the movie ends. You'll find you get the answer about half the time or more if you're the kind of person who picks up on concepts quickly. If you do this for Romantic Comedy movies then you'll never be wrong ;)
Art: 8
The art is good, very good in fact. It holds up and doesn't look horrible like CG will in 10 years from now. There isn't much to say other than this to be honest with you. There was never a point in the movie where I saw some sketchy animation or poorly animated frames. It's a well animated movie and you can tell that these guys didn't skimp on the animation budget. Obviously it has aged a bit, not badly but it has aged and looks like it's a well animated film from the early 2000's. That's exactly what it is though, so I can't conceive complaining about the art in this.
Sound: 6
The sound isn't bad. That's really all I can say. It certainly isn't bad or anything like that, I just don't pick up anything amazing from here. Maybe I have bad ears and I'm missing something but the sound and music really isn't anything to write home about in this flick. It passes as far as I'm concerned.
Character: 9
Despite what I said about the story, I do really enjoy the characters. I enjoyed the "main" bad guy and his story I really enjoyed the Documentary interviewer and his assistant the most. They add a good bit of humor and are interesting characters to begin with. One is a film lover who always had a thing for the actress and the other is a sarcastic jerk who only works because his boss pays him. I'm sure that these characters have been done before but I enjoyed their implementation.
I even enjoyed the actress. She's an interesting character even if a poorly written one. In fact, even the "bad" characters in this were interesting and I got why they acted the way they did. They weren't poorly done archetypes or bland paper thin impressions of characters.
The only one I don't like at all is the unnamed man. I wasn't aware painting in the snow was such an amazing thing but apparently if you do that and give a key it makes you irresistible. Everything about him is poorly done.
Enjoyment: 9
Between the humor, interesting storytelling and well done characters, I have to say I did really enjoy this film. This is without a doubt. Time can and will fly when watching this movie. The only thing that prevents me from giving it a 10 here is the whole childhood love thing. If childhood love wasn't something that Japanese writers seem to have a preoccupation with, I would certainly give it a 10. I just can't forgive the fact she talks to him for 5 minutes and now suddenly it's Romeo and Juliet.
Overall: 8
I give it an 8. Certainly not bad but not the greatest film ever made. Some things work wonderfully and go together and there's some stuff that grinds my gears. If you have some free time you should consider watching this, even if you've already seen it once before.
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Aug 2, 2016
Sennen Joyuu
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Sennen Joyuu (Millennium Actress) is a film that was directed and written by Satoshi Kon and released in 2001. As you can see with the other reviews and the rating on this site, it is considered a VERY good movie. Some people go as far as calling it a masterpiece and laud this film as a classic.
I believe that this is a good film, a damn good film. Though I have to state that I believe the fact that Satoshi Kon directed and wrote this has led some to give it a more favorable review score. By no means is this a bad movie, as ... |
