On the cover of the Casshern DVD is prominently displayed a breathless quote declaring the film "Better than both Matrix sequels put together." This, my friends, is a textbook example of damning with faint praise. Accurate, yes, but no less damning.

For all of Casshern's stunning visuals and lavish production -- it is nearly wall-to-wall eye candy, ala Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow or the more recent 300 -- it remains to the core a live-action anime film. Not just any anime film, mind you. No, Casshern belongs to that particular sub-genre of anime that strives to be profound but ends up being well-nigh incomprehensible on any level that may pass as narrative.

Neil Gaiman said some years ago that when American audiences don't understand a movie, their automatic response is that "it sucked," but when Japanese audiences don't understand a movie, their automatic response is "I must have missed something. I must watch it again." Both reactions are equally valid in the case of Casshern, as mutually contradictory as those positions may seem.

The film is chock full of symbolism, posing weighty questions on genocide, slavery, bioengineering, as what it means to be human, violence as a solution to problems -- even such mundane issues as familial relationships are writ large in archetypical fashion in the movie. Unfortunately, most of these issues are raised in such a way that they stand as isolated islands amidst a beautifully swirling sea of confusion.

I've heard that the film leaves out vast chunks of source material that fill in these gaps, and that feels like the case. Casshern is a film awash in rich backstory and behind the scenes plot developments that the viewer is never privy to.

The plot elements themselves will be familiar to anyone with a passing knowledge of science fiction or anime: Tetsuya Azuma defies his father and enlists in the army in a burst of patriotic fervor. His father, Dr. Kotaro Azuma, is a brilliant scientist trying to tap the power of recently-discovered neo cells, which are a kind of super-duper stem cell variant which can be grown into any organ or body part.

The initial idea is to help injured and maimed soldiers with the neo cells, but power brokers quickly enter the picture, viewing the technology as an invitation to immortality. About this time, Tetsuya's ghost returns from war, with his corpse not far behind. A mechanical lightning bolt strikes the research facility, and the neo cells spontaneously generate powerful, humanoid beings intent on destroying humanity. And the neo-sapiens' leader can see the ghost of Tetsuya. After much death and carnage, Dr. Azuma dunks the corpse of his son in the neo cell bath, reviving his son as an ultra-powerful war machine ready to take on the neo-sapiens and their robot armies.

Got that?

The battles truly are spectacular, and there is an incredible amount of imagination and creativity on display on every scene. Individual episodes in the film do indeed manifest a kind of internal logic, and are quite enjoyable as such. But too many actions are seemingly bizarre and unmotivated, too many events and circumstances arbitrary and random to give the film any overall coherence.

It's beautiful at times, sometimes poetic and poignant, and always dazzling. Casshern is the cinematic equivalent of a supermodel who can discuss Kierkegaard but can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

DVDetails

DreamWorks has rapidly cornered the market on slap-dash anime releases calculated to make the quickest buck possible. There are literally no special features on the disc -- no Japanese movie trailers, no commentary, not even a Japanese making-of documentary, which you know exists somewhere simply due to the magnitude of the production.

Compare the effort put forth here to that of Disney's Studio Ghibli releases and the deficiencies are all the more glaring. The lack of an English dub is unforgivable in this day and age. There's not even a bad dub available. DreamWorks also chose to not offer a dub of their Ghost in the Shell 2 release, but fortunately for viewers, the subtitles on Casshern come off as polished and easily readable, something that can't be said for the sloppy Ghost in the Shell 2 captions.

DreamWorks should be commended, I suppose, for bringing this beautiful film to the U.S., but it's hard to generate much appreciate for a corporation with the eye so firmly set on the bottom line.

Casshern is a film that is ultimately entertaining and interesting, but not very good and certainly not engaging. Viewers interested in the eye candy aspect of live-action anime as well as those only interested in the associated battle scenes will not be disappointed. Anyone wanting more depth and substance will find Casshern falls well short of its lofty goals.

The Movie Itself: 6 out of 10

The DVD Features: 0 out of 10