Sinking of Japan

Label: MVM.
Certificate: 12
Discs: 1.
Running time: 135 mins approx
Video: 16.9 anamorphic
Sound: Japanese 2.0, Japanese 5.1
Subtitles: English.
Release date: 8th March 2010
RRP: £15.99 - Amazon - Play - MVM

Brief synopsis:

When a series of closely timed earthquakes hits Japan in quick succession, intense scientific studies in to the cause reveals that rapid shifting of tectonic plates in the Pacific ocean off the coast of Japan is responsible. As this geological activity increases it comes to light that Japan’s worst nightmare is about to come true; this tectonic collapse will pull the entire nation down into the oceanic depths within the next four decades. To make matters worse, a Japanese science team uncovers the fact that this time-scale's more than just a touch on the optimistic side and that they actually has less than a single year before the entire Japanese peninsula is consigned to its watery grave. The government rapidly instigates the biggest evacuation ever seen but time is soon running short as the country begins to rip itself apart through a combination attack of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions and it quickly becomes evidently clear that, for the majority of the population, their chances of survival are deathly low. In a last ditch attempt to save their homeland a group of scientists devise a plan to drill deep into the Earth’s crust and set up a huge chain of explosions that will hopefully weaken the moving plates force them to sheer off from the devastated Japan before it’s pulled completely beneath the waves. It’s a plan that may save what little remain of this once proud nation, but will it be a case of “too little, too late”?

Comments:

There’s nothing quite like a good disaster movie. They’re great as a cathartic release and have the useful side effect of reminding the audience that no matter how crap their life is, at least it’s not as bad as those suckers up there on the silver screen. We had a real glut of planet-killers back in the late 90’s with the likes of ID4, Deep Impact and Armageddon but then in the wake of 9/11 the US - and therefore by default the rest of world as well - became a bit touchy about the whole skyscrapers being knocked down thing. Ultimately the disaster genre decided to keep it’s head down for a while (the less said about badly timed water tester The Day After Tomorrow the better) during which time we all had to survive on Will Smith vehicles and romantic comedies ‘till things blew over. Then in the late naughties came Cloverfield which distracted the audience from it’s disaster movie roots with a rather crafty viral advertising campaign and an insidious not-at-all-steady steadicam gimmick and suddenly the genre was back with a vengeance, swiftly pumped out the likes of The Day The Earth Stood Still, 2012 and that thing with Nic Cage which I’m still trying my best to forget.

So, what of this eastern offering to this recently rejuvenated genre? Well even though it’s touted as “Japan’s biggest ever disaster movie” it actually plays out more like a cut down Syfy miniseries than a Hollywood blockbuster, which isn’t always a bad thing as Syfy’s come out with same damn good stuff in the last few years. It certainly had quite a budget to play with and while much of this was spent of the CGI effects and visual set-pieces - many of which are quite simply astounding - there’s also plenty been put into location shooting and gathering a decent cast. There are a number of actors that fans of Japanese cinema will recognise such as Kou Shibasaki (Dororo; Memories Of Matsuko; Battle Royale), Mayuko Fukudo (Death Note: L Change The World; Kamikaze Girls) and Etsushi Toyokawa (20th Century Boys). On Directorial duties is Shinji Higuchi who’s probably best know for his work on a number of well known anime from studio Gainex such as Wings of Honneamise and End of Evangelion. Speaking of Evangelion, there are a number of nods to this series scattered throughout this movie for fans to spot and well as a cameo by Hideaki Anno himself. Anno’s not the only one to get in on the cameo action as there’s a number of well-known Japanese writers, actors and Seiyuu’s spread around to be spotted by eagle-eyed fans.

Script wise, this movie’s a “loose” remake of 1973’s Tidal Wave, which itself was loosely based on the novel Nihon Chinbotsu by Sakyo Komatsu. While quite a bit of the screen-time is spent on things falling down, blowing up or generally having a pretty bad day, there’s also screen time spent on the politics of trying to secure assistance from so called “friendly” countries, the logistics of re-locating and re-home the population of an entire country and the financial implications these trials would have on the stock market and Japan's overseas interests. There’s also a human-interest story involving a submersible pilot, a firewoman and an orphaned girl thrown together by the disaster. On the whole the plot’s not bad though it could have done with being trimmed down by at least 20 minutes. The science behind both Japan’s impending demise and it’s possible salvation, while not 100% plausible, isn’t too far fetched and has more of a whiff or reality about it that the majority of Hollywood’s offerings. I will say though that this film doesn’t do subtlety. You just know the hero and heroine are going to hook up within 20 seconds of them clapping eyes on each other and whenever we get the “emotional moment” music start up you know what’s coming next; there’s an emotional moment heading your way and you’d best be getting all emotional or else.While the Land of the Rising Sun may seem about as far as you can get from dear old Blighty, there are enough geological similarities for us to sit up and take note here. Both are a collection or islands hanging off of the side of a much larger land mass on one side, and one of the world’s mightiest oceans on the other - Pacific for them, Atlantic for us - and both are at the tender mercies of Mother Nature. If the recent spate of major natural disasters around the world have shown us anything, it’s that we, the great British public would do well to be anxiously watching the weather lest Mother Nature decides it’s about time to bite us soundly on the arse for real.

Extras:

None what-so-ever, which is a shame.

Sinking of Japan will be available from most high streets and on-line retailers from 8th March 2010. As usual, hunting around will find you some major discounts.