The Bottom Line
Solid if uninspiring entertainment.
Pros
- Slick futuristic sci-fi action spectacle
- Takeshi Kaneshiro and Anne Suzuki make a great team
- It's "Terminator" without Arnold, "Matrix" without Keeanu, "ID4" without Will Smith
Cons
- Derivative plot offers little you haven't seen before
Description
- Directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Japan, 2002. 117 mins.
- Japanese with English subtitles.
- Making-of Featurettes and commentary.
Guide Review - The Returner DVD
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, "The Returner" is handing out kudos to all the classics: Takashi Yamazaki's slick spectacle steals shamelessly from "Terminator," "Matrix," "Independence Day," "Blade Runner," "E.T.," "Aliens," "The Fifth Element," and "Diamonds Are Forever." The story involves a small-time gangster (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who is enlisted by a Bjork-like member of a Tibetan resistance movement (Anne Suzuki) returning from the future to save humanity from a war with aliens. The story is as derivative as it could be, but if you're up for some popcorn fun, you could do worse.
