If you get past the make-up failures, a great humanistic sci-fi film

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2013)

I had some problems with this film but mostly it was great. It's a good adaptation of a novel that's ridiculously difficult to adapt and tells six interesting stories that wildly differ from each other. The range this film successfully portrays is great, from 70's pulp mystery to dystopian science fiction and 19th century drama in the style of Amadeus.
The visuals look amazing, the costuming and prop departments outdid themselves. The big problem was that for absolutely unnecessary reasons they tried to turn Western people into Asian people with make-up and vice versa, with unsettlingly unsuccessful and jarring results. Seriously, it looks weird. Why didn't you just give up? You didn't need to do that! If you get past that, the film is definitely worth a watch and some discussion. It's very humanistic, dealing with things like prejudice and the things one person can do to change everything. The film discusses morality through difficult topics like homosexuality and slavery. Though the film is science fiction and fantasy, its messages are broad and applicable.