UHM - Review - Versus

I remember reading about this movie online a while back and thinking that it sounded very cool. I never once thought that I'd be able to get my hands on it, but I'm sure as hell glad that I did, cuz this movie kicks ass. This is actually a sequel to a short direct-to-video called Down To Hell that Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura did back in ’97. Now with a bigger budget he’s able to create the vision that he wanted to do with the first film. In fact, director Ryuhei Kitamura actually brought the cast and crew back after the film's release to create an additional 10-or-so-minutes of footage. Apparently he felt certain scenes could have used more gore and action and respectfully-so.

This movie is pretty much perfect for any horror fan – there are zombies; great martial arts; lots of wicked guns; hot ass-kickin’ Asian chicks; cool characters and a hell of a lot of blood and gore! The only thing this movie doesn't have is nudity, which isn't bad considering nudity can usually ruin a film. American movie-makers should take notes from this low-budget Japanese film. The zombies were fairly unique, considering they were able to use guns and jump around. That's one of the reasons which made the film all the more original. The action sequences were amazing, like one sequence that lasted a good 15 minutes -- guys were just blasting away at the zombies and at each other; gotta love it.

The story basically follows a couple escaped convicts as they meet up with some Yakuza in the forest. After they meet, one of the convicts is shot and left for dead. Only anyone who dies in this particular forest doesn’t necessarily stay dead. Instead their corpse reanimates, leaving the Yakuza, the remaining convict, and a young women to fend against not only the zombies, but each other. This forest also happens to be the place where they buried their past victims, so now they’ve got them to deal with too. That’s not all, as it’s later revealed that this is all part of some sort of plan to gain supernatural strength and power, and the convict and girl are key to recovering this.

This film isn't strictly just a zombie movie. There are supernatural elements that also turn it towards a fantasy film. The forest is apparently able to open a gate to another realm which would grant the person great power. I enjoyed every minute of this; it’s two hours of pure enjoyment. The acting was good, there was a little humor here and there to lighten up the mood and the directing was very well done. The best way to describe this film is to think of a John Woo movie and add zombies. Some parts of the film reminded me of Anime because of some of the fighting and the way the blood would just spray out of’em. This is definitely going high on my list of favorite flicks. Since this movie was such a hit on DVD in Asia and the U.S. plans of a sequel have already been announced. Yay!

Currently the U.S. offers the Rated and Unrated Director's Cut, but eventually the release of "Ultimate Versus" will appear, which is the version I stated above with the extra gore and action. There are also more CGI shots in that version. It's the version that I'd recommend, but In the mean time I'd suggest checking the D-Cut.

OVERALL

One of the best and most entertaining Japanese films I've ever seen; simply two hours of pure entertainment. It has sweet ass action sequences with loads of gore. If you're a fan of zombies and John Woo-type action films, see this!!

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mike best :

Posted 125 days ago

im gonna buy this cause it sounds bsdass i bought a chinese horror movie in chinatown in boston called gong tao it means blackmajic its great im glad i found it

mike brst :

Posted 125 days ago

im gonna buy this cause it sounds bsdass i bought a chinese horror movie in chinatown in boston called gong tao it means blackmajic its great im glad i found it

J Roark :

Posted 129 days ago

Even though I have only seen the edited version for younger viewers, I have to say that this is the best Asian Horror movie that I have seen (besides the original Gojira). The charcters were very cool and the fight sequences were spectacular. 10/10

Dellemorte :

Posted 201 days ago

This is one of my all time favorite movies. The action is great and the story line is pretty cool, although at times doesnt make alot of sense. The gore is also top notch. This movie is a must see for any fan of action/horror/comedies.

Werewolf Hunter :

Posted 248 days ago

I expected more from this, but that's just me. The action was good, as was the gore. But like any other Japanses movie I've seen, there's just some scenes I couldn't make heads or tails of.

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