Parasyte: Part 2
Recently, a friend of mine watched the first part of the live action Parasyte movie and invited me to catch part 2 of Parasyte together when it came out! So today I'm going to do a review! Don't worry if you haven't watched it, I made this as spoiler-free as possible!When we entered the cinema there were only a handful of other people because we watched on a weekday afternoon! This is the third time I've caught a Japanese film in cinemas. However I was late the first two times and missed the advertisements. This time however, I caught the advertisements and guess what! I saw the Shingeki no Kyojin trailer as well as a Doraemon one! It's not the usual advertisements you'd see with Hollywood movies and it made me really excited ^_^
(Before we continue, although I only posted Migi's picture out of all the Parasites, he is still a hand with an eye and mouth, which I suppose can be considered mild body horror.)
I'm sure you all know Parasyte well enough, as it is based on the manga and had an anime adaptation as well. Without further ado, here's the trailer! (Warning: body horror alert)
The first Parasyte movie sets up everything for the second movie; it introduces Shinichi as the main character, introduces us to the Parasites who promptly try to make Earth their home, and sets up the conflict which was to be resolved in the second movie!
The movie is a lot longer than I expected. However, I thought the pacing was quite well done and most of the scenes were quite crucial to the plot. If I had to point out what I would like to change about the pacing, I'd say the ending scenes were a little dragged out.
If you're squeamish, you might not like the beginning that much as it featured some suspenseful lurking and blood. There is a quick recap of the first movie, and then it's on to business. Shinichi started off as a bit of an enigma to me, maybe because I didn't watch the first movie. He makes an unorthodox protagonist in the sense that he seems to lack a certain amount of humanity. I enjoy the balance of heart over head moments (he is a surly teenager after all) and Migi, Shinichi's Parasite, is certainly very endearing! I also found the side love story relevant enough to not be annoyed by it. Meanwhile, although I did not notice a very concrete plan by the antagonists, the dynamics within the growing Parasite society is intriguing.
I was a little disappointed in the acting. Perhaps due to the manga influence, but at some points the actors were overly loud and did not sound natural at all. Most of them are also a little stiff, not just while moving but while speaking. I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the Parasites as they're supposed to be still learning how to act human, but I did not feel much chemistry between Shinichi and his love interest. Well, Shota Sometani (Shinichi's actor) did well in some scenes but was awkward in others. I think I like his solo scenes better. Plus, I find him pretty cute!
On to more technical observations, the director tried to be artistic with a lot of symmetry and strategic positioning as well as slow shots. The slow shots and symmetry were mostly okay, but the strategic positioning felt awkward. In one scene, the antagonist approaches Shinichi to talk, but she walks past him so they are back facing back. It would be fine if she continues walking forward after that, but she turns around to return to where she came from. On the other hand, I like the way the director switched back and forth between simultaneous events and the soundtrack matched well.
In a sense, Parasyte can be considered a 'thinking' movie because while we naturally root for the protagonist, we are also privy to the beliefs of the antagonist. Furthermore, the palette of the movie in terms of styling is quite muted, so the acting becomes amplified by exaggerated tones and facial expressions to bring across emotions more strongly.
Overall, I'd rate this movie as a 7.5/10. It was better than I expected with a properly fleshed out plot and satisfactory ending. It didn't overdo the philosophical bits, the cinematography seems a bit delicate but still solemn, and I feel it's a worthy live action adaptation of the manga.
Written by Nana
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