Goemon

Truly great films can be a miraculous thing to behold. They can remind you that the world is a magical place and that we are blessed to be born into its complicated splendor. They can remind you how much you love someone. They can take you to a time and place that has never existed, but is as fully realized as your daily existence. They can reawaken your sense of the seemingly antiquated notions of honor, justice and purpose. I have just witnessed such a film and its name is Goemon. I blind bought this Japanese gem based off a recent bluray review I read that lauded its imagery and stunning technical specifications. I could not be more pleased that I did. I honestly feel emotionally spent in a way that no stateside "epic" has been able to approximate in ages.

It tells the simple tale of a hero's journey. There is romance, comic relief and action like all films of this ilk attempt to bring across, but I haven't been this swept away in forever. I cared deeply about these characters. Despite the language barrier, I legitimately felt each and every one of their presences and was invested in where the story took them. The villains were as multi-layered and believable as the good guys, given real motives and understandable desires. By the end of the film, my vengeful blood lust for their comeuppance was tempered with pitied compassion, forcing me to question the act of revenge and its destructive, hollow nature. This film EARNS it messages through patience and sincerity.

Oh, but there is great humor, charm and charisma as well! The lead is outrageously likable from the first moment we encounter him, even though his only visible feature is his dancing eyes. He kicks ass to be certain, but he has true panache. Imagine Downey's Tony Stark, but not as a rich, entitled American prick. Goemon is a man of the people first and foremost, a rogue in the classic sense. His back story is masterfully meted out through gorgeously composed flashbacks, fleshing him out completely and constructing not only a great lead character, but an archetypal example of how to move beyond adversity in life and become a principled human being who genuinely cares for others, doing what is right at the expense of personal gain. Goemon is the sort of character I would want my son to look toward for inspiration and direction.

A word on the heightened reality of the computer assisted world this film swims in: If you're a slavish devotee of the summer blockbuster style of tripe like Battle LA, Transformers et al, don't even bother. Goemon, like Scott Pilgrim and Sucker Punch, uses computer effects the way they should be used. As a painterly tool to create a mystical netherworld where "looking real" has no meaning. Film is art, and computers are another tool in the artist's arsenal to realize their vision. The reality of this film stems from the strength of its story and writing, the efficacy of its performances, not the verisimilitude of its CGI. It's just plain stunning to look at, a veritable visual feast overflowing with color and beauty. The execution of the concept art through computer graphics is anchored by the pitch perfect sets and jaw dropping costume design, which brings to mind the superlative work of Eiko Ishikawa on Bram Stoker's Dracula. In short, the monumentally satisfying wonder of the film is brought to life by the technology employed in its creation as opposed to overshadowed or hamstrung by it.

Goemon has revitalized my love of Japanese cinema and inspired me to seek out not only the previous film from its director, but other entries in what is apparently a burgeoning movement. Like the Clark Nova in Cronenberg's Naked Lunch, it has mythic resonance. It will bring to mind the problems that the world is embroiled in, but far from being an oppressive reminder of the insoluble problems with which we are currently faced, it bestows hope for what humanity could be, given time, effort and a unifying purpose. It is cinema of the highest order my friends, and I wish I could be there with you when you discover it for yourself.