Having followed different paths over the years, there is friction between certain members of the group, hindering their ability to save the day. But that's all about the format: what about the film itself? Plot-wise, the film centres around the reforming of a group of nine cyborgs from the 00 series to combat mysterious acts of terrorism carried out by those that claim to hear 'His voice'. Much like that other manga/anime franchise that Kamiyama has worked on, Ghost in the Shell, '009 Re:Cyborg' is suited to a 3D format, combining futuristic action scenes in an aesthetically pleasing environment. On looks alone, the film is a nice piece of work, with the multilayers that the format offers working brilliantly, despite the need for subtitles on screen. '009 Re:Cyborg' is the first animated 3D film I have seen, and I have to admit, the best yet. My hopes, therefore, for Kenji Kamiyama's addition to the 009 Re:Cyborg manga and TV series were somewhat muted. Films have had to incorporate needless moments to try and justify the increased expense the format has brought with it or they are simply nothing more than demonstrations of three dimensions on screen, with a loose plot fitted around it. So far for me, 3D films have been a failed experiment. And the ending has to rank up there as one of the weakest and laziest bit of scripting in the history of anime.
Then there's a gunfight or some random and frequently ludicrous action sequence. To break the monotony there are frequent bouts of wordy philosophical ennui. Characters stand around staring vacantly, stating in the declarative what needs to be stated to convey information to the audience.
No, the main problem with this film is that its empty of any genuine emotional content or character interaction. As an aside though I note uncanny resemblances of two characters in particular to Tony Stark and Eric Banner will probably seem odd to Western audiences. I should add I have no emotional investment in the original series, so they can preserve or desecrate the memory of the Cyborg: 009 TV show all they want. I'll buy a lot of things, and though a 9/11-inspired story about pseudo-religious communion with "voices" that induce terrorist acts isn't really my bag, I'd be prepared to let that just drive the movie along and join the ride. The main problem with this film isn't even the overwrought and meaningless plot.
The military hardware is all rendered with fetishist detail, the backgrounds are sumptuously drawn, and all manner of computer- assisted effects enlisted. Indeed 009 Re:Cyborg is as close to "cost no object" animation as there is these days. The last anime I can think of to spend such massive resources so ineffectively from a dramatic standpoint was "Metropolis" (2001). From about 1/3 of the way in, 009 Re:Cyborg steadily goes from passable to bad to worse to horrible, eventually coming to rest at "WTF?".
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