Select people are resurrected immediately after death to take part in a survival “game” that has real consequences for the world. They are sent out to kill actual monsters in the cities of Japan. If they fail within the time period allotted, they are killed. If they kill enough monsters, they can choose greater weapons, to resurrect a colleague killed in the game, or to have their memories erased and leave the game.
You’d be forgiven for thinking Gantz is based on a video game; there is one now, but that came later. It started as a manga, then became an anime series. Two live action films followed which were not consistent with the other versions. And now, there’s this 3D animated version.
Don’t expect an explanation. Who is running the game? Why are they running the game? Where do the monsters come from? None of those questions are answered, but that’s surprisingly not a major problem as the characters don’t know either. This is a war and we’re thrust in the middle of it with conscripted soldiers. The focus is on the combat, and on how the characters react to combat. The fights are fast and innovative, and against some disturbing, twisted creatures. I was looking forward to each ghastly addition. Unfortunately there’s a lot of pausing while heroes pose, either to look cool or to increase tension. Instead it halts the action and left me wondering why these guys didn’t just kill their opponents instead of waiting to get killed. It is much like many kung-fu flicks and spaghetti westerns, and I don’t like it there either.
The computer animation is impressive—the best I’ve seen. We’ve passed through the uncanny valley and come out the other side. This is miles ahead of the latest Final Fantasy film. Movements and expressions look human and lighting and camera work is what I’d expect of a well shot live-action film.
The dialog seems to be wanting, but as I don’t speak Japanese, I’m stuck guessing from the subtitles. Perhaps it is brilliant in Japanese. Probably not. Certainly the dubbed version (yeah, I tried that one too) doesn’t help. Perhaps the 23-year-old mother we are supposed to love makes sense in Japanese. With the subtitles I had to assume she was a sociopath who’d been confined to a box for the last fifteen years—she doesn’t seem to believe that anyone, ever, saves anyone else. Yeah, probably not on her making sense as well.
For what it is, for a CG combat picture focused on weird monsters and swords and guns and decapitations, Gantz: 0 is top of the pack and enjoyable. Don’t ask more from it.