Let me just start out by saying that I really liked the first Gantz film.  I know that a lot of fans of the Manga did not like it and that’s to be expected with film adaptations. Rarely does one live up to its literary predecessor.  Being also  a fan of Kenichi Matsuyama (“L” of Death Note), I thought he did a decent job in the first Gantz and was looking forward to seeing what Kurono was going to do with his 100 pts. in the sequel.

If you’re not familiar with the story, without giving too much away, Gantz is what they call this huge black sphere powered by this naked guy in a trance.  Random people are called to this room after “dying.” Although they’re not really dead because the room is in a high rise building in the same city.  When they appear in the room, it is actually Gantz that brings them in using some laser beam to transport them. They’re disoriented at first but soon realize that they must go on a mission to kill an alien assigned by Gantz.  Gantz provides these black suits for them to wear and weapons that are unlike any found on earth. There’s always a time limit so people need to suit up and grab a weapon fast before being flung back into the city (mostly at night) to fight the aliens.   Each kill earns them points and after they collect 100 points they can either return back to their lives or bring someone back from the dead. If they die fighting the alien or before Gantz brings them back into the room they’re dead for good or until someone gets a 100 pts. and brings them back.

In order to understand what’s going on in Gantz 2, you really need to see Gantz first so by all means, make it a double-feature because they’re both out on DVD now. (You can check out the trailer to Gantz 1 here). Everything about Gantz 2 is a progression from Gantz 1:  there are more characters, the plot gets way more complicated, more fight scenes, etc. I almost want to say there’s too much going on in Gantz 2.  I mean just look at all the people in the pic. There’s a love story, a friendship story, a subplot about loyalty to your team, something big going on with the aliens, there’s still the question of what Gantz’s deal is, a cop on their trail trying to figure it all out, and not only are they fighting aliens but each other… Ever heard the saying less is more? The sequel also seems to stray from the manga and provides its own ending to the story.

There are some great fight scenes.  The first big one on a subway train is pretty exciting as the players are equipped with hi-tech swords because their guns are too slow.  Also the aliens they’re going after this time seem so much more advanced compared to some of the ones from the first film. The players themselves are more confident and experienced as Gantz 2 happens 5 months later. All in all I have to say I think the first Gantz is better overall especially if you haven’t read the manga because the story is so innovative and the cliff-hanger leaves you really looking forward to what happens in part 2.

I, personally, take issue with final fight sequences that drag on for too long.  I had the same complaint about a couple of the Transformers. But the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (which gave it a viewer rating of 44%) were split in this regard so definitely judge for yourself. For me, Gantz 2 was not quite the Perfect Answer but it was a decent one.

The Gantz 2 DVD comes with a bonus disc which contains an interview with the director, cast profiles and trailers. Rating: B-

Gantz 2 Perfect Answer Official Movie Trailer (English Subtitles)

 

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