Gantz - Play for Your Life - DVD

Movie: When old school friends Kei (Ninomiya Kazunari) and Kato (Matsuyama Kenichi) meet again one day in a Tokyo subway station, their lives are changed forever by this chance encounter. Because while trying to rescue a drunk man from the tracks before an approaching express train, the two boys end up getting hit by the train. By all rights, they should be dead on the tracks. But instead, they find themselves with some strangers in a strange room with a mysterious orb named GANTZ floating in the middle of it. From GANTZ, they are given the mission to find and kill a supposedly alien life form. And thus begins a game of life and death from which there seems to be no escape for the friends.

After the popular manga series Gantz has already been successfully adapted as an anime series and video game, part 1 of the long-awaited live-action film adaptation started extremely successfully in Japanese cinemas in early 2011. This first part of the two-film adaptation has now finally been released in Germany on DVD and Blu-Ray. Even though director Shinsuke Sato had much less time to tell the complex story than the manga original or the anime series, and although the live-action film is much tamer in terms of sex and violence than its original, the end result can be seen absolutely.

Although the play of the actors at the beginning still seems a bit exaggerated, so the viewer is already drawn within a few minutes into the atmospheric world of GANTZ. So it doesn't bother much that the aliens take a bit of getting used to and that, which is not unusual for a first part of such a mystery adventure, more questions are raised than answered. The action sequences, special effects and set design are so well done that it's simply fun to be in the world of GANTZ.

This is, of course, due in part to the original basic idea, which Shinsuke Sato has done a great job of taking on board, despite some significant tightening. The two leads also prove to be good choices as time goes on, as do Natsuna as sexy Kei Kishimoto and Yuriko Yoshitaka as Tae Kojima. The actors make a noticeable effort not to let their characters become soulless pawns within an effects-laden action spectacle - and for the most part they succeed very well.

Gantz - Play for Your Life is a very entertaining mix of science fiction, action and mystery with a little touch of horror. This is absolutely worth watching not only for lovers of Asian fantasy cinema and makes great desire for the sequel Gantz: Perfect Answer, which will hopefully quickly find its way to Germany.

Picture + Sound: The very clean image is particularly pleasing due to the atmospheric colour scheme, with cool, ominous colours providing the visual focus. The picture can also be credited positively for the fact that in the often very gritty action, the overall sharpness, as well as the detail presentation, is absolutely successful. The sound is very well mixed during the action sequences, though the DTS track does turn out considerably more powerful. Here, the discrepancy between powerful surround effects and the rather quiet dialogue sequences is less obvious than is the case with the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Overall, there is a deserved for the technical aspects: very good!

Extras: While the first DVD of the Special Edition offers in addition to the main film only the trailer, as well as other program tips from the provider, there is on the bonus DVD still a pleasantly commercial-free Making of (about 18 min.), as well as quite insightful promotional interviews with the actors and the director (about 30 min.) to see. Not really mind-blowing, but good - especially since German subtitles are available for all extras.

Conclusion: Gantz - Spiel um dein Leben is an exciting and visually engaging mix of action, fantasy and horror. The live-action adaptation of a successful manga series can score with its original basic idea, great effects and fast-paced action. The DVD is technically very well implemented, the bonus material is not particularly extensive, but worth seeing! Not only for fans of Asian fantasy cinema absolutely recommendable - there the second part can actually not come fast enough!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp