Directed by: Han Yan
Starring: LI Yi Feng, Zhou Dongyu and Michael Douglas
Animal World the movie is an adaption of the hit Japanese manga 'Ultimate Survivor Kaiji' but will this hit the spot or miss its mark.
Drifting aimlessly through life, Kaisi (Li Yi Feng: Hundred Flowers Winner Mr. Six, Guilty of Mind) has racked up debts of several million having borrowed money from his friends. Lured with the promise of writing it all off, Kaisi leaves his ailing mother and childhood sweetheart Qing (ZHOU Dongyu: Golden Horse winner Soul Mate, Under the Hawthorn Tree, The Thousand Faces of Dunjia) to board the ship Destiny and attend a gambling party controlled by the mysterious Anderson (Michael DOUGLAS: Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street). All players join the game with stars. For each game they lose, their opponent captures a star. Everyone is holding daggers behind their backs plotting dirty means by which to overcome their opponents. The game quickly deteriorates into a slaughter and Kaisi must battle to save his own skin.
This is a film that will grow on you along with the characters, if like me you don't know much about the manga it was sourced from, your probably going to be scratching your head for the first part of the film. Not that you won't be entertained the sequences with the clown slicing and dicing aliens that have just come out of 'Men in Black' is a great action sequence and its full of vibrant color.
Once you do settle in its the characters that really shine and you'll want to find out how Kaisi (played wonderfully by Li Yi Feng) will get our alive, its a film that deserves to be seen on the big screen for its bold and slapstick like assault of color on the senses, I for one will be looking forward to a sequel as Kaisi adventures look like they've only just begun.