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Released by: Well Go USA
Released on: 10/19/2010
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Cast: Yoshikazu Fujiki, , Rinko Kikuchi, Meisa Kuroki, Hinako Saeki
Year: 2009
Purchase from Amazon
The Movie:
Set in a not so distant future where people have nothing to do to stimulate their lives, a virtual reality game is invented call Avalon F. In it, people become warriors and play apparently for money, fighting giant work-like creatures (sand whales) that live beneath the sand in the barren landscape the players inhabit.
Four characters are in this movie, three hot chicks and a grubby guy. Gray: she flies a shiny jet of some sort; Colonel: decked out in red, she's got some robot assault weapon cyborg thingy; Lucifer (apparently insane), in all black, can grow wings and shoots some magic ball of energy; and Jager, the grubby male who is an ace with his giant gun, eats like a pig, and walks alone looking for things to kill. They all showcase their talents and realize in order to destroy the big boss of the game, a super worm, they must pool their resources together and work as a team and split the points they will win.
That's the story and it's a pretty weak story at that. At only 70 minutes in length, they don't get much into the characters at all, and since they can't die for real, there's not much reason to care for their welfare. If they die they can come right back, since they're in a video game. But one thing the movie has going for it is the visual side. Yes, it's a CGI movie, very heavy in that respect, but there are some interesting and artistic shots to behold. Being such a short movie, and a movie on such a topic, one would expect to witness wall-to-wall action to the point of being numb to it, but the movie avoids this easy way out. Instead the filmmakers draw out many sequences, which to some people may perhaps be a bit dull, but the intent here seems to be more on creating the sense of isolation in the virtual world. They do a good job of it. There's a snail that plays some part in connecting all the characters, but what that connection is not entirely clear.
At any rate the movie is interesting to look at, has some nice photography, and three beautiful women. It really plays out more like a live action anime film, and considering the fact that it was directed by the man who directed the anime film Ghost in the Shell, its easy to draw that conclusion. It's not a bad way to spend an hour, but don't go into this expecting anything too deep.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The movie is presented here in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen and it looks pretty darn good. Probably looks fantastic in Blu-ray, but the DVD presents the film very well. Deep black levels, vibrant colors, intense whites, and proper looking skin tones. Its heavy on the computer generated images, and certainly not the upper shelf kind, but that doesn't become a distraction (well, the sand whales look kind of cartoonish). A very clear and satisfying picture that at times look quite stunning.
The audio chores are handled by 5.1 Surround Sound track which when the action is on screen provides for a good kick in the nuts. It's very loud, very heavy, and very effective. The sound is a great compliment to the visually pleasing images on screen. No disc issues to note. The entire movie is spoken in English, but the accents on the players might be difficult for some to understand so an option for subtitles is present.
Aside from trailers for other Well Go USA titles, the only extra for the feature is a trailer. It seems this movie would be a good one to have some bonus items, especially since the running time is so short.
The Final Word:
This is an entertaining enough movie, but Assault Girls doesn't really offer much by way of story. It seems mostly a visual exercise than anything else, and is quite stylistic. Great picture and nice audio but the extras are not there, which for some may cut into the value of the purchase price.
