Discount The Man with the Iron Fists (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $34.98
Sale Price: $16.98
Today's Bonus: 51% Off

The Man With the Iron Fists is a movie that was 'presented' (not produced) by Quentin Tarantino and directed by RZA. It centers on the story of a black blacksmith in China, who is trying to leave his hostile home village that's entrenched in between good ol' clan wars.

If you are seeking to be entertained, look no further. RZA blends the 'hip-hop samurai' type of music and feel -prevalent in a lot of anime in recent years -with the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-floating-around-style of fighting to create a high-flying (no pun intended) and adventurous parody of the genres with a Spaguetti Western flare. Needless to say, visually this movie is great in many respects.

However, beyond that, the movie suffers from more than a few noticeable stumbling points. The first being dialogue. Not only is the writing over-simplified, but the fact that some of the Chinese characters have Oriental-English accents while others speak perfectly clear English is something that will distract some viewers from the already simple plot. In addition, the main antagonist Silver Lion is portrayed as the funny one-liner villain, but there are times when his role feels overdone and out of place during the more serious scenes. Perhaps this harkens back to the older Kung-fu movie time other reviewers mentioned, but for me it was distracting.

Another caveat is the characters. They didn't feel very memorable, which is again probably due to the dialogue. The exception here is Russel Crowe's character, who exhibits wit, style, and the fact he sticks out like a sore thumb in a charming way. While I feel he did an extraordinary job in executing this role, I'm not exactly sure how his career will be affected in the long-run from this... You'll know what I mean.

Lastly, there were gaps in terms of the suspension of belief. While these types of movies are going to exhibit combat and visuals that are uncanny, a few of the developments toward the end, including one bad guy in particular, just felt like huge leaps of faith without any sort of explanation at all. I don't want to spoil anything, but again I think you'll know what I mean as you watch.

Now before I sound overly critical, let me tip my hat off to RZA. Not only did he direct the movie. He wrote it, helped compose the soundtrack, and starred as the blacksmith. This truly is RZA's movie in every sense of the phrase.

With so many responsibilities on one person, I can't help but critique this movie with admiration for it. It may not be on the Tarantino level, but if this is a beginning path for RZA I am excited to see what he comes up with next. Watch TMWTIF with the right expectations. If you're expecting Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction, take it down a good notch. If you're expecting a parody of exaggerated, oriental combat and hip-hop anime with Spaghuetti Western tropes, you're in for an entertaining ride. It's worth a watch, even if it doesn't etch itself into your soul.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

fantastic movie! i saw a lot of very unique and fun kung fu ideas that could only come from a true movie fan such as the rza! there is a brass statue of a man that is in many movies as a training dummy for qi (chi) blocking attacks. in this movie there is the statue and a man with skin that can become brass at will, it links up toward the end in such a cool way i was blown away. i imagine the rza back in the 70's thinking "what if someone had to fight the qi training statue? then they would be really f*&%ed!"

i could see where he deliberately paid homage to old kung fu films with some of the camera work, hair and acting styles, this kind of thing might look odd too someone who hasn't seen older kung fu movies as some of it seems corny or stilted (which is how those old movies are, something fans love!). but even so, they would get over it every time one of the AMAZING battles started.

at first the rap music came off as out of place. this is coming from a wu tang clan fan since the 36 chambers, and digital bullet is one of my favorite albums, but they're in ancient china and it's all hip hop style which doesn't really match up, but it grew on me very fast and by the end i was bobbing my head to the beats and enjoying them with the fight scenes. i grew up listening to wu tang, and rza always puts cuts from classic kung fu movies in his music. it's really cool hearing them and then, years later, stumbling over the same lines or music while watching the movie they're from without knowing it ahead of time. it's like: "why do i recognize this? i've never seen this movie... oh yeah! wu tang!" this was the exact opposite of that and it worked pretty well! i'm watching a kung fu movie and thinking "wait a minute, i know that song!"

and the story? phenomenal! really fun stuff going on and lots of surprises. russel crow is a riot in this movie. i was thoroughly entertained. i love buddhism, kung fu, and i dig the rza's music so the scene at the buddhist temple had me smiling from ear to ear.

really great film!

Best Deals for The Man with the Iron Fists (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

good movie for a martial arts film. would have like to seen more fighting styles and the other clans in this movie.

Honest reviews on The Man with the Iron Fists (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

It's got no real plot and the action scenes are terrible. The only saving grace is the actors/actresses which seem to want to try and salvage a bad movie, but couldn't help it.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Man with the Iron Fists (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

This movie starts out with a story that seems promising but as it progresses it just falls short of being an interesting movie. I give it 2 1/2 bags of popcorn in my rating.

Buy Man Who Never Was (1955)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.98
Sale Price: $10.95
Today's Bonus: 45% Off

Although the film was a ostensibly a 20th Century Fox production, THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS was filmed in England using primarily English crew and cast (though American leads). It belongs to a tradition of English war films in which aspects of the war are treated slowly, deliberately, and with great precision. While in the US war films tended to feature John Wayne leading Marines into combat, the British tended to focus much more on the preparation and plans of operations. For instance, the very fine film THE DAM BUSTERS features very little in the way of actual combat. And THE MAN WHO NEVER WAY has no combat whatsoever.

The movie is based on a book by the same name about Operation Mincemeat, in which the British attempted to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion spot for D-Day by planting a corpse with fake papers on a beach in Spain, knowing that the Spanish would pass the papers onto the Germans. The entire movie is involved with the formation of the plan, and then creating the man who never was, creating his papers and personal effects. On one level, not much happens in the film, but on another it is one of the most fascinating films ever made about the war, because of the practical problems they deal with in the executing of the operation. Knowing that it was all based upon real events greatly adds to the appeal of the film.

Clifton Webb, who was in fact far too old for the part, turns in a convincing performance as Lieutenant Commander Montagu. In most of his films he comes across as arrogant, but in this one he instead communicates competence and intelligence. Gloria Grahame is excellent as the primary female presence in the film. If you look carefully, you can spot Stephen Boyd in a small role, a few years before he would portray Messala in BEH-HUR.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This is a fine movie of wartime espionage, disinformation and deception. Based on the book by Lt. Cmdr. Ewen Montagu, it tells of British Naval Intelligence's attempt to deceive the Germans about the planned 1943 invasion of Sicily. Trying to draw as many German troops away from Sicily as possible, they concocted a plan to have a dead body wash ashore in Spain, with papers purportedly from Allied High Command indicating that the invasion would go by way of Greece or Sardinia instead of Sicily. The subterfuge succeeded. The Germans embarked on a massive build up of defences around Sardinia and the Greek Peloponnesus, thinning out their defences on Sicily. The hoax affected not only the Sicilian offensive but had effects across the entire European theater. Hitler swallowed it whole. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was sent to personally supervise the defence of Greece. The 1st Panzer Division was withdrawn from France. Two other Panzer divisions were withdrawn from the Russian front just when they were needed at the crucial Battle of Kursk. Operation Mincemeat, as it was called, was one of the most ingenious and successful hoaxes perpertrated by the Allies during the Second World War.

This is a war movie with little battlefront action. It concentrates on the quiet background work of the Intelligence Service. The first half of the movie deals with the hatching of the plan, the procurement of the dead body, the faking of the dead man's history and the drawing up of his elaborate cover story. The fictional officer is christened "Major William Martin" of The Royal Marines. The second half starts when the Germans fall for the ruse and send a spy over to England to check out its veracity. There follows a cat and mouse game as the British try to tie up loose ends and fill in the fake history they have put together for the dead man, including his purported girlfriend. The movie is always absorbing, often rivetingly so. It is one of the few WW2 espionage films that have stood the test of time. The fact that it was a true story makes it doubly interesting.

Fox have released a barebones edition of the film on DVD. It contains both the widescreen version in its original 2.55:1 Cinemascope (enhanced for widescreen TV) and a fullscreen pan-&-scan version. The widescreen version strangely is placed on the unmarked flipside of the double-sided DVD. Picture quality is fine, very good in fact if you consider this film dates from 1955. There is very little dirt, speckling or any print damage. Colors are strong and bright. Skintones look natural. Black levels are well rendered. The pan-&-scan version version looks terrible in comparison, with a claustrophobic, darker image, heavier grain and a softer picture overall. Sound is available in the original English 2.0 mono, a 4.0 Surround remix as well as alternate Spanish and French 2.0 mono tracks. A single theatrical trailer is all that's included. A fine memento of wartime subterfuge and deception with solid acting and direction from a time when there was still a viable British Film Industry.

Note: The grave at Huelva, on the southern coast of Spain still bears the name "Major William Martin". The real identity of the dead man was kept secret for over 50 years. It was only in 1996 that he was finally identified as a homeless alcoholic Welshman. Today, across the bottom of the white marble tombstone is an added epitaph, finally revealing his identity, "Glyndwr Michael served as Major William Martin".

Best Deals for Man Who Never Was (1955)

I rate "The Man Who Never Was" as an excellent and exciting World War II movie. Why can't movies be made like this anymore? Recent World War II movies are not accurate and place too much emphasis on effects. In my opinion, the more "special effects" a movie has, the more fake it is. Anyhow, "The Man Who Never Was" describes the true events of the British trying to confuse the Germans as to where the Allies will invade Sicily or Greece. By arranging to have a dead body wash ashore in Spain with top-secret documents, the British cause the Germans to alter their defenses, thus saving the Allies from suffering even more casualties. How the British found a body, the details that they had to come up with to make the Germans believe the body was for real, and the subsequent German effort to determine whether or not the information found on the body was accurate, all make for an exciting story which moves at a swift pace. This is really a great World War II movie.

Honest reviews on Man Who Never Was (1955)

Clifton Webb is perfectly cast as the British Naval Officer who devises the plan to decieve German Intelligence, as to the whereabouts of the Allied landings in Sicily during World War 2. As with most British films of its kind, "The Man Who Never Was" relies upon the facts to maintain interest throughout,tampering with history just enough to provide tension and drama where it is needed. Webb's performance is both intelligent and touching, while Stephen Boyd as the German agent sent to investigate the situation,exudes just the right amount of charm and malevolence. Gloria Graham is probably the only downside to this highly effective film,but the others well and truly make up for her somewhat overcooked effort. Made in 1956, in colour, "The Man Who Never Was" has not "dated" at all and stands as a fine example of the British cinema's ability to tell a good story well.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Man Who Never Was (1955)

In what was one of the most successful and infamous deceptions of World War II British intelligence fooled the entire Nazi war machine and all with the help of a man who never existed.

The deceptions that British intelligence pulled off prior to the D-Day landings are now well-known and well documented from Gen. Patton being in charge of a fake army to the use of double agents. The allies were able to keep vital German panzer tanks and troops away from the Normandy beaches as Hitler kept his attention on the Calais region.

Yet even before this British intelligence scored another coup by diverting German attention away from the imminent invasion of Sicily by making the Germans believe that Greece and perhaps Sardinia were the actual targets.

They did this by creating the man who never was. Taking the body of a man whose condition could be interpreted as having died from drowning, dressing him in clothes with accompanying documentation and casting him off from a submarine just off the coast of Spain. All with the goal that the body and the vital top secrets it carried being intercepted by the Nazi's.

It was an inspired scheme and this movie, in much the same vein as the similar true-life deception movie I WAS MONTY'S DOUBLE really shines. It's thoroughly entertaining and well acted throughout. For fans of classic British war movies this is a must for your collection and I'm very happy to see it land on DVD.

Best The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2012) Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.98
Sale Price: $15.58
Today's Bonus: 48% Off

In China, one woman has made an impact not just in her country but also around the world. A revolutionary but also a woman known for speaking out for women's rights. Encouraging women to gain financial independence through education and also learning various professions, so she would not need to depend on a man. But most importantly, rejecting oppression by their families (due to cultural tradition and women looked lower than men) and also at the time, the government of the Quing Dynasty.

She was known for her poetry and essays, wearing Western clothing (usually worn by males) but also being executed in 1907 (via beheading) for what she believed in.

And to this day, she is considered a heroine and a martyr and a symbol of women's independence in China and a museum has been established in Shaoxing by the People's Republic of China as well as statues dedicated to Qui Jin.

Needless to say, when films are created in honor of such an important person, those willing to direct a film will surely be scrutinized in China. For one, they will be criticized for its accuracy, how much they honor the actual person and most importantly knowing that certain directors try to integrate plenty of action and martial arts into their movies, will they do the same for Qiu Jin?

Assigned the task of directing this film on an important person in China's history is director Herman Yau ("The Legend is Born: Ip Man", "The Eight Immortals Restaurant: The Untold Story", "True Women for Sale") and writer Erica Lee ("The Legend is Born: Ip Man", "King of Comedy"). And cast as Qiu Jin is Huang Yi ("Romancing in Thin Air", "East Meets West", "Overheard 2') and cast as revolutionary leader Xu Xilin is Dennis To ("The Legend is Born: Ip Man", "Ip Man", "Ip Man 2').

And the film did receive its fair share of controversial news stories. The film received delays in China/Hong Kong due to protests by Jin's grandchildren who worried about the depiction of their grandmother and if they would make her more of an action/martial arts character. The film would eventually debut in October 2011 and Jin's grandchildren would eventually watch the film at the premiere along with the director Herman Yau and actress Huang Yi.

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" is a film that showcases Qiu Jin in two parts that are mixed together in order to show the influence of Qiu Jin. One part focuses on the battle between the revolutionaries that she had trained at school vs. the Qing government soldiers and events leading to her capture (and execution), as well as the capture of Xu Xilin (played by Dennis To), the leader of the revolution and the person who assassinated the provincial governor of the Anhui Province.

The other part focuses on Qiu Jin's perspective on life from her young years, her feminist beliefs, her college years in Japan and how she became a revolutionary and worked strongly with Xu Xilin.

VIDEO:

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:39:1 aspect ratio). The film absolutely looks fantastic in HD as the scenes are vibrant during the outdoor sequences. The costume and set design were wonderful to look at and detail can be seen in clothing and structures. I didn't notice any artifacts or banding during my viewing of the film. But for the most part, video quality for "The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" is great!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" is presented in Dolby TrueHD Mandarin and English 5.1. Dialogue and music is crystal clear but I was hoping for a bit more of an immersive mix due to the number of action sequences in the film. Surround channels are utilized, especially during music sequences but for the most part, the lossless soundtrack is good but I was hoping to hear more directional sounds and ambiance with the action sequences and the large number of crowds featured in the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" comes with the following special features:

Making Of A 20+ minute featurette showing behind-the-scenes making of and also interviews with the cast of "The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake".

Trailers Funimation Entertainment trailers

EXTRAS:

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" comes with the Blu-ray and DVD edition of the film plus a slipcover case.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" is my favorite film based on Qiu Jin's life. It's really difficult for Chinese/Hong Kong filmmakers to create films based on major symbols of Chinese history because viewers tend to expect action and not something so dramatic and serious for the full extend of a film.

We saw it last year with "Confucius", which was a major challenge for the filmmakers but they managed to find a balance and not focus entirely on philosophy which may have enticed a niche of viewers but for the masses in China/Hong Kong, you need to have this action element.

While the fact that Herman Yau was directing the film and coming off the success of "The Legend of Ip Man", I was not surprised that the film would integrate martial arts. I felt that actress Huang Yi and also Dennis To did a great job playing the characters. Huang Yi manages to give a strong commanding role as Qiu Jin but also showing that she also has an emotional side when she knows that she must separate from her family and children, but it's that resolve knowing of the sacrifice she needs to make for the greater good.

Dennis To is known as an action star but manages to portray the character of Xu Xilin as a strong leader for those revolting against the Qing government. And sure enough, his experience in "The Legend of Ip Man" is quite evident during his choreographed martial arts sequence in the film.

But the talent and interaction that I enjoyed the most was between Qiu Jin and Qing court official Li Zhongyue (played by Anthony Wong). Wong does a fantastic job of playing the court official who respects the intelligence and writings of Qiu Jin but knows that he is powerless as a court official, despite seeing the corruptness by his colleagues. The character is so passionate about Qiu Jin's written work to the point he has memorized it. And these interactions between both individuals were endearing and added to the depth of Qiu Jin's character.

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake"` is a thrilling story, may it be the movie or just reading about the history of Qiu Jin that captivates you. She was an independent thinker who had strong convictions until the very end of her life. While I'm not an erudite of Qiu Jin and what is real and what is not real, I do know from what I have read is that Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin are cousins and read stories that that in real life, she was convicted for documents that show that she was a revolutionary, while in the film, she is shown as a person who was being convicted with no proof.

While the film manages to be entertaining and has a good balance showcasing Qiu Jin's life as a feminist and the sacrifices that she made for her beliefs, the action sequences which Qiu Jin's grandchildren actually worried about before the film was released, was also a cause of concern for me as well.

I didn't want to see Qiu Jin flying in air, nor did I want to see the action look fake. If you want to show people fighting with swords, guns, then make it realistic. While it is known that Qiu Jin learned martial arts, part of me doubts that the real Qiu Jin engaged in such battles. And not so sure if Xu Xilin and his fellow revolutionaries were engaged in the same type of battle as depicted in the film, but I will tell you what I didn't like, the wire work of explosions. We see people floating in air and flipping 360's, it looked really fake considering the fighting choreography was well-done.

Granted, once again, it's a double-edged sword of whether or not you want to see these long action sequences in a film about Qiu Jin's life.

As for the Blu-ray release, video quality is fantastic and audio was very good (although I would have loved it to be much more immersive during the action sequences). You get one making of special feature and also with the Blu-ray release, you also get the DVD version of the film included as well.

Overall, "The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" is a very enjoyable and fascinating film that manages to balance the life of Qiu Jin and making sure it honors her legacy but also knowing that for viewers who expect action, there is also enough action sequences to entertain audiences. With back and forth pacing, the storytelling is done well and not at all confusing. While I do feel the action sequences were over the top at times, the storyline,which may not be historically accurate, does honor Qiu Jin and the biopic is entertaining. And in the end, Herman Yau and Erica Lee accomplished their goal.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

The story of Chinese Revolutionary, Qiu Jin is extremely remarkable and deserves a movie. While The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake may not be an Oscar caliber drama, and the great actions scenes aren't realistic, it doesn't take away from the fact that this is still a well made and engaging film.

Sometimes, I'm very critical of the way women are portrayed in movies. Not to say that I'm a prude, but I hate it when female characters are helpless recipients of abuse who never get their payback. It had been a while since I've seen a film where a woman dominates and Crystal Yi Huang is very good in the titular role. As the real Qiu Jin was a disciplined martial artist, Yi-Huang trained very hard in preparation for the film, and it certainly paid of for her.

Her fight scenes are very good and stunt doubles are only used sparingly. Dennis To and Xiong Xin Xin also have some very good fight scenes, including a showdown between the two that's very intricate as they use rifles as meleé weapons while a huge battle is happening around them.

Anthony Wong and Lam Suet are also present and give welcomed performances.

It's not often in Asian action cinema that women are featured so prominently outside of a "flower vase" role. There were the "Girls with Guns" films of Hong Kong, but it was nice to see a female character who wasn't just physically strong, but mentally as well. Especially in a dramatic period piece setting.

When Qiu Jin has an arranged marriage, she at first wants to get to know her husband and love him, but she wants to be his equal as well, and she shows assertiveness when she realizes it's a loveless marriage and he wants her to be a "yes-woman." She loves her children too, but she has to make an extremely painful choice to leave them in order for her to fight for the things she believes in. Yi-Huang is especially heartfelt in these scenes, and as hard as it may be to sympathize with someone who leaves their family, the movie shows that it wasn't a simple decision.

I felt a little funny about the narrative of the story since it takes place during her final days while the bulk of the story is told through flashbacks. I would have preferred a more chronological story-telling, but the movie was still pretty easy to follow.

I knew nothing of Qiu Jin before this film, and I can imagine some history buffs would be annoyed at the liberties taken in the story as well as the film's preference of action over drama, but I wanted to know more about the real Woman Knight of Mirror Lake, and I would hope that the film encourages others to learn about her too.

Best Deals for The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2012)

This is a truly wonderful story of a single woman's fierce battle against the oppressive and corrupt government during the early 1900's. She blazed the trail of freedom and more importantly, revolution, that completely altered Chinese history. It's a remarkable movie filled with action, drama, revenge and sacrifice . An absolute must see

Honest reviews on The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2012)

A 2011 Hong Kong film "The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" ("Jian hu nu xia Qiu Jin") is an interesting mixture of two film genres: biographical drama and martial arts action. Directed by Herman Yau ("The Legend Is Born: Ip Man" and many others), the film attempts to blend some action film elements into a life story of Qiu Jin, a real-life Chinese revolutionary / feminist / poet in the last days of Qing Dynasty.

The film's story goes back and forth between two timelines; Qiu Jin in 1907 caught by the authorities, and events from her childhood to her eventual arrest. Frequent flashbacks often detract from the narrative, undermining the dramatic impact of a life story, but here editing is slick and the film makes its overall point clear by trying to stick to biographical facts without sacrificing entertainment value.

"The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" has a few nice action set-pieces involving actor / action choreographer Xin Xin Xiong as a ruthless military commander, opposite Huang Yi's heroine and later, Dennis To as a real-life revolutionary Xu Xilin. Xin Xin Xiong, recently seen in a similar role in "Shaolin," shows what a veteran like him can do, with powerful and orthodox martial arts action choreography. Familiar faces from the Hong Kong film industry Anthony Wong and Lam Suet also appear as the government officials.

While providing action set-pieces, the film (script penned by Erica Lee) does not forget to include the key episodes of Qiu Jin, for instance, a photo of Qiu Jin holding an unsheathed dagger, and her dagger thrust before the students. But as to what drives her to political activities, the film is not very convincing.

Those who are looking for martial arts action may be disappointed with the film's narrative that is heavy on drama. Also, the film is not exactly an in-depth look at the important historical figure. With strong acting, decent production designs and photography, "The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" is not a bad film. It just doesn't know what it wants to be.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2012)

Very good film, based loosely on the true life of Qiu Jin, who was a woman ahead of her time and considered a rebel in China. The film tells a tragic story with good action sequences. Definetely a lesson for all oppressed.

Buy Sex and Zen - HK 1991 Adult Erotic movie BLU RAY (Region A) (NTSC)

Customer Ratings:

this is a good film a chinese comedy with erotic over tones. one of the stars of the film is amy yip a very beutiful chines actress with big breast actually she is a well know tease but what a tease. this is a comedy and a good one in a chinese since of comedys. if you follow them then you will like this one as well I dont follow them that much but I am a fan of amy yip so I bought this one. good watching.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Best 2012 Infinite Concert 3D Movie Second Invation : Evolution Deals

Customer Ratings:

It came after 2 weeks and I was scared for a moment because the cardboard outside was damaged, but the inside is still perfectly fine so everything worked out then :)

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

ENDHIRAN Collecters Edition Tamil DVD FROM LOTUS WITH English Review

Customer Ratings:

There is a very distracting and relatively large LOGO on every frame of the movie 'Enthiran the Robot' after the opening credits. The logo reads LOTUS FIVESTAR DVD, all in capital letters. This is a major disappointment for those of us who dislike logos on movies.

The movie is very good, otherwise.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Review of Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society (2011)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $13.50
Today's Bonus: 46% Off

Solid State Society is hopefully a sign of what is to come in the world of Ghost in the Shell. After Stand Alone Complex's 2nd GIG, I was definitely left with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The pacing of the 2nd GIG felt uneven and the story felt more convoluted than tastefully complex, creating an adequate but not perfect addition to the GitS series. However, Solid State Society takes the best from the Stand Alone Complex series and in little under two hours presents a story as rich in detail and as lovingly complex as the series preceding it.

A huge plus of the movie is that instead of feeling like an overstretched episode, it feels more like a long arc of quality episodes stringed together while still feeling cinematic in its presentation. Solid State Society gives us everything we expect in a GitS story: a sci-fi universe that draws you in but never overwhelms, continuity in character development, rich and intelligent dialogue and plot that almost seems plausible down the road, and of course, some light philosophy and shades of grey. Even if you aren't an anime or a strict sci-fi fan, you might just enjoy this one.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This film is one of the best things that I have seen come out of the GITS franchise. I have watched the movie several times, each time enjoying even more. I would give a description of the plot, but I will not ruin it for you. My only complaint about Solid State Society is that it borrows ideas from both of the feature-length movies. If you liked GITS: SAC, and most specially 2nd GIG, you will enjoy this movie.

Note: It is dubbed in English, unlike Innocence. Amazon just has that fact incorrect

Best Deals for Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society (2011)

There already are plenty of reviews for the DVD of this title, but I shall just mention a few reactions to the film, then talk about the blu ray release.

Solid State Society is a Ghost in the Shell motion picture. Do not be fooled by the "Stand Alone Complex" subheading and think it is a few TV episodes or something. This means top quality animation, a great music soundtrack, a complete story from start to finish and not much in the way of needing to see previous content to enjoy. I should know, I've only seen the SAC first series and not 2nd GIG yet. It also has a bit darker feel than the TV series, as to be expected from the films. What is so impressive about the animation is (keep in mind I'm comparing this to previous GITS movies) the use of camera shaking, lens flares, and best of all tasteful use of 3D/CGI-type treatments. Personally I think GITS 2.0 completely ruined the original first film, as the added 3D elements painfully stood out in comparison to the 2D shots, but that's another story.

As for the blu ray, you get some extras but as I always watch with Japanese audio & English subs, I don't bother watching the English 'behind-the-scenes' extras. I will say, however, that the Japanese TRAILER that is included is incredible. So much better than the Bandai English trailer... I only wish there was a subtitle option for the Japanese trailer, but oh well. There are no inserts of any kind, just the disc in the case. The picture quality is brilliant; super-sharp, beautiful colors and of course looks great when colors are muted with the lovely washed-out tone that GITS commonly has. Sorry I can't say much about the audio quality as I just use headphones and play it on a computer, but it sure sounded great to me. Currently this movie is at a very affordable price, especially for anime on blu-ray so don't hesitate Ghost in the Shell SAC Solid State Society is worth it!

Honest reviews on Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society (2011)

I saw this movie for the first time on Sci-Fi Channel's Ani-Monday. I was getting ready to call it a night when this was advertised as being next and had to stay up and watch it. It's a very well done movie with a lot of feeling of the first movie that was brought to the series. Alot of things have changed, alot of feelings are different, but it's all very good. I think I saw an edited version but for the most part it was very well done. All the original cast has returned to do the voices so there's no problem with the english subtitles or with dubbing. Overall it was a good movie.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society (2011)

Kôkaku kidôtai: Stand Alone ComplexSolid State Society. It has been two years since the end of 2nd Gig, when "Major" Motoko Kusanagi left Section 9, a Special Forces unit assigned to cyber crime and answerable only to the Prime Minister of Japan in 2034. Family man Togusa is now leading a much larger force. Chief Aramaki has visibly aged in the job, walking painfully with a cane and attended by Proto. Batou has become a brooding, depressed commander of the training school. All wonder if the Major will ever return. This time around our heroes must deal with the seemingly unconnected rash of suicides, mass child abductions, conspiracy involving elderly healthcare, a "Wizard Class" hacker called the Puppeteer, and as always, corporate malfeasance and political wrangling. All tidied up with a terrific subtle "what if?" ending. At $3.2 million SSS is one of the most expensive TV movie anime's yet, and all the money is up on the screen. Illuminating the convoluted storyline are: Increased detail in both background and foreground (missing in 2nd Gig). "Busy" scenes found only in big budget movies. Naturally smooth movement by people and machines. Small touches like the Nissan concept cars, wrinkled clothing, reflections and small lighting effects, raindrops, "Handheld" camera angles, etc. There are plenty of "remember this?" scenes and other touchstones from the series, including great music by Yoko Kanno, with Origa singing the opening and closing songs. Motoko's face is even cuter than ever and the rest of heryou just don't mess with perfection. GITS: SAC is not for anime fans looking for scantily dressed little girls, giant robots or magical swordplay. Its story lines, dialogue and multiple overlapping themes are more suited to readers of William Gibson's "Neuromancer" or P. K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" So if you prefer the new "Battlestar Galactica" instead of "War of the Worlds", GITS:SAC-SSS might just be for you.