Gantz

About the film

It wouldn't be entirely wrong to call the manga series Gantz Japan's answer to Harry Potter. The comic alone has sold millions of copies, and the animated series is enormously popular - even if it has been criticise for being far too sexually explicit, violent and sadistic. So when the first and long-awaited live action film that was built upon its universe was premiered in Japan, it unsurprisingly became a blockbuster. But this is where the comparison with Potter ends. The 'Gantz' universe is half fantasy, half sci-fi, where people, just before they are about to die, are teleported to a space where a huge black ball gives them orders to carry out missions. Dressed in kinky latex catsuits and potent weapons, they now have to defeat bizarre aliens and demons. And if the accomplish the mission, they are given points, which they can then use to acquire advantages for themselves and to ultimately bring dead Gantz warriors back to life. But what starts out as an innocent game develops into bloody seriousness. Why are they called out to these missions, who controls them, and who is the mysterious person in a coma, who is locked into the ball? The film ends with a cliff-hanger, which will keep you awake at night until you get to see the second and final part (which we of course will also be showing at the festival).