My thoughts on the film..

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2005)

This film is visually stunning, and although I've only glanced once at the graphic novels from which it is inspired, the parallels in appearance and action are incredible. The characters seem to have stepped right off the page. The gory scenes hold nothing back, but still find a way to be beautiful. It is like paint is being sloshed around on a canvas, not blood all over victims. If you are not into these type of violent, action films, I would still recommend seeing it in the theater solely for visual purposes. The only other thing I would like to say is that after critiquing beautifully made, ingenious films, made solely from the film itself and raw materials, it is hard for me to feel like the filmmakers didn't cheat with this one by using state-of-the-art equipment, an unbelievable budget, and numerous experts to perfect every detail. However, it would be a shame to never see the true possibilities of today's film-making technology, and although there is something to be said for a filmmaker who makes a stunning film by himself with the money in his/her pocket, this movie is quite frankly, cool as hell.