Bubblegum Crisis

Review by Matthew Anderson

Live Action

Company: DVJ Films

Running Time: 2 Hours

Region: All

Rating: R (Suspense, violence, nudity, adult themes)

EXTERNAL EXAM

It is the year 2032, seven years after the Second Great Kanto Earthquake. Tokyo has rebuilt its self, with the Genom Corporation, and their new humanoid robots, the Boomers, making major contributions. Boomers can now be found in offices, stores and restaurants doing jobs people used to do.

Yet something strange is going. Boomers are going rogue, attacking people and buildings. The police have created a new team to fight the menace, the AD (Advanced ) Police. The Boomers, however, are proving to be difficult to stop, and the AD Police are constantly outgunned.

Now, a mysterious group or power-armored women called The Knight Sabers have appeared. Lead by the mysterious Sylia Stingray, these super powered soldiers wage a never ending battle against Mason and his robot army.

However, there is more going on behind the scenes than any of the Knight Sabers realize. Torn between their passions and their sense of duty, the team may tear its self apart before the Boomers do.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

Sylia takes a hit from Mason in the new BGC live action movie. STORY: While it's roots are firmly planted in the original, Rand Williford's script is not the same. It is a tighter, better plotted story that despite the romantic entanglements, does a great job at making the characters seem believable. I also like the fact that the exposition is well disguised, so you don't notice it.

ACTING: Acting wise, Lucy Liu is Priss. At first I was a little disappointed when they announced that Cameron Diaz was not going to play our bike-dike dream. Yet, remembering all the ass kicking she did in the brilliant "Ballistic", and watching her on the screen, it didn't take long for me to get into it. In fact, seeing the rather poor job Cameron did for Linna, I think they made the wise choice.

Demi Moore really steals the show as the borderline psychotic Sylia. Her cold stare, and on/off switching of emotions make her one freaky chick. It's funny watching her beat the crap out of an Boomer that looks like Asthon Kutcher.

FAN SERVICE: There are some cool in-jokes that reference Burn Up W, Sumo Vixens, and of course the original BGC. Keep an eye out for the big kissing scene between Lucy and Demi, and Drew almost topless.

FINAL EXAM

A boomer sheds its skin in the new BGC movie. For those of you who do not know about the history of BGC, here is a brief recap. In the early 90's Bubblegum Crisis was released by AnimEigo. Described as a cyberpunk classic, a better description would be Cyber Noir. The series felt more like a Sci-fi Pulp Novel, with its grittiness, emphasis on action, and minimal character background.

Unlike it's successor Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, the Bubblegum Crisis had a series of different writers. This contributed to its some what fragmented narrative, and limited background. Yet, it's "style over substance" appeal could not stop it from becoming a number one hit for AnimEigo.

Due to the popularity of BGC and it's spin-offs, DVJ Films bought up the rights for a live action version. With the help of Columbia/Tri-star providing the cast, and AnimEigo providing everything else, Bubblegum Crisis (working title: BGC-Total Crash) was started. With a script by Rand Williford (Initial D: The Last Stage, Night Shift Nurses Xtreme), and Director McG firmly on board, the project went ahead.

I attended a finial cut of the movie at our Studios in LA. Lots of thoughts ran through my mind; Would it be as stylish as the original? Would the hardsuits be tight, or at least keep me interested? Will we see the Knight Sabers in various states of undress?

The answers are: More intense. Yes, they were tight. There is nudity, but not of the girls.

Like he did with Charlie's Angels, McG has given us an excellent action film, right on par with his previous hits "Charlie's Angels" and the inspiring "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle". The fight scenes are hard core, the plot is minimal, but who needs it. Capturing the spirit of the original series, this movie borrows from many different elements of that Seminole work.

From the moment the movie started, I was glued to my seat. It was very hard for me to get up and go to the bathroom, I was so into it. The first 25 minutes were incredibly fast, and from then on, it didn't let up. McG knows how to keep a movie going. Just when it seemed that things were going to slow down, something would happen that would make the whole audience go "Whoa!". When we got to the last 25 minutes, everyone was jumping out of their seats. Better than Cat's Eye (both the Japanese and Drew Barrymore versions) I could feel my heart racing. There were plenty of gasps and "woahs" that helped to push the intensity level way up. As people left the theater, I could here people saying; "Man, those Hardsuits were bad ass!

Priss targets a Boomer in the new live action Bubblegum Crisis. The special effects are top notch. I was surprised to see that they went for a more "BGC:Tokyo 2040" style for the Boomers than with the "classic" look. However, I am glad they didn't go for a "Terminator" look for them. That style is over done.

The Hardsuits were quite a pleasant surprise. Not going for the cheep CG route, they actually use real hardsuits. I couldn't even tell if they were using wires or not.

I will say that DVJ Films "Bubblegum Crisis" is right up there with "Street Fighter" as one of the best anime adaptations of all time. It is a powerful, intense, heart pounding thriller that will bring down the house!

SMALL PRINT: This is all in the name of good fun, so let's not take this seriously. It is not our intention to irritate all you BGC fans, AnimEigo, or fans of "Charlie's Angels". Please don't complain to AnimEigo or Sony. They have nothing to do with this, and we are not going to make any money with this feature. This is the last time I watch back to back showings of "Charlie's Angels"

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