A fine movie about balance

Rating: Null/10 (30 November 2000)

First of all, this movie is purely science-fiction. However, one of the tenets of science-fiction is to create devices or elements which could not otherwise exist in reality, and those devices enable the story to show and reveal certain aspects humanity that deserve introspection but aren't easily as accessible under the non-science fiction genre. In fact, this whole movie speaks in metaphors. We see people getting riddled with bullets, getting torn to shreds by this or that, yet later we get a sense that even the police/army have no idea why they are doing what they are doing, and thus lies in the greater tragedy; Everyone in this film has no direction, everyone is living on this neurotic fringe surrounded by the bleak trappings of modern industrial life, and ultimately we see that everyone in this film essentially has no balance, no inner light that guides them, and I think the film wants to explore the journey that one could take to find that balance, that inner light.
This movie has directional problems. The incredible action that surrounds the movie completley destroys our notion that this movie is trying to deal with something profound, something philosophical, something that you sit down with a friend over a cup of coffee for a few hours about. The juxtaposition of intense action to intense personal drama is really not a good idea, sort of like riding a rollercoaster than trying to discuss the nature of love immediately after stumbling off.
The things which make this movie well worth seeing are
+ the "literalization" of Tetsuo's lack of balance / lack of control of his internal energy (remember, this movie is speaking in metaphors, when things go boom, take some of it with a grain of salt)
+ the friendship between Kaneda and Tetsuo, Kaneda's genuine concern and care about helping Tetsuo regain his balance
+ the incredible animation.

What this movie could have done better

this movie could stand a lot of trimming

this movie also needed some additional things to be said about balance/friendship/relationships/modern urban life to be truly "complete"

there are too many elements that require knowledge of the manga comic for this movie to stand on its own..

How to Take something from this movie
+ watch it with an open mind, think about what it is saying about internal balance
Content: 9 Efficacy: 5 Overall: 8