King of Thorn
I like to nerd out with an animated series
as much as the next sexual Lothario with a gargantuan penis, but these
days I find I simply haven’t got the time. Thankfully the kind folks at
Madman have found the solution: imported anime features that both look
and sound the business, packing the thematic and narrative flair of an
entire series into one two-hour wallop of animated goodness.
A worthy successor to its thematic brethren
such as the immortal Trigun: Badlands Rumble, King of Thorn
is kind of like an animated Contagion - a mysterious virus is
in the process of picking off humanity, only this time around there is
no Jude Law to fuck things up with an awkward Aussie accent. The
pandemic, known as the Medusa virus, has no known cure, and mass panic
soon ensues the world over.
So far so familiar. There, however,
comparisons with other medical disaster films must be discarded, and
King of Thorns veers into some truly unique territory. In the midst
of the global chaos, several dozen infected individuals are sent to a
government facility to be cryogenically frozen whilst a cure is in the
process of being developed. Upon awakening in the near future they find
the entire complex has become overrun with murderous, tentacle-like
vines, and as if that wasn’t bad enough the planet now seems to be
populated with a variety of toothy monsters hellbent on consuming as
much human flesh as possible.
Based on Yuji Iwahara’s well-received manga,
King of Thorns is a complex and multifaceted meditation on the
nature of fear itself. Hugely impressive visuals are bolstered by some
top-notch acting courtesy of Japan’s finest, and big-name director
Kazuyoshi Katayama (Appleseed, The Big O) once more proves
perfectly home with decidedly weighty subject matter. Sinister subplots
intermingle with cleverly designed and truly awe inspiring monsters -
animated sci-fi has never looked so good, and seldom been dealt with in
such a subtle and riveting fashion.
Audio & Video
The 16:9 transfer is truly beauteous - I
don’t believe I’ve ever been moved to employ such a word when describing
a Blu-ray transfer before, but none other will really suffice when
talking about such painterly and lushly complex visuals. It really
looks the business; sharp, detailed and spectacularly vibrant
throughout. 5.1 surround soundtracks are on offer in both English and
Japanese; not a fan of English dubs personally, but both audio tracks
are resonant, immersive and defect-free.
Bonus Features
- On stage Q & A with director Kazuyoshi
Katayama and producer Yasumasa Tsuchiya (30 mins)
- Director Interview (12 mins)
- Pilot Film (2 mins), as well as
various Trailers
