Battlefield Baseball is about Seido High baseball team that has to play against the Gedo zombie team. The Gedo team plays by their own rules and that means killing the players from every other team they face. A young guy, "Jubeh The Baseball", who has sworn off baseball due to a tragedy is the only one who can help Seido High defeat the other team.
I first thought that Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Sky High, Azumi) had directed Battlefield Baseball. Since a lot of people were saying that and also that I remember reading it somewhere. Anyway, he's not behind it, although he's did produce it.
Why I mention this is because I thought Versus was a brilliant movie and then viewing something like this that is so far from everything brilliant. Meaning, how could the same man do such a great movie and then such a shitty movie. Anyway, he's not responsible.
I expected this movie to be somewhat hilarious, it sure sounded like it would be but unfortunately it is not. Actually you could in a way compare this movie to Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies, being a Japanese over-the-top weird movie experience with horrible acting and other negative things.
 
Although it's supposed to be over-the-top and all that it still doesn't work properly and just ends up being a bad movie that could've been much better.
Let me tell you, this movie is way weird and even if you appreciate weird, this will probably be too much for you. The movie mixes genres to left and right and every now and then the characters break out in song. Yeah, it's a musical too.
It might sound good and funny but it's far from it. I remember a few moments in the movie that I actually thought were pretty cool, but to experience those few moments you have to sit through heaps of crap first.
The movie doesn't take itself seriously and that's at least one good thing. It actually feels like you're watching a Troma movie but that is Japanese, only ten times as weird. It's kinda shite though.
Back to Asian Review Archive
|
ALTERNATIVE TITLE: Jigoku kôshien
MOVIE YEAR: 2003
DIRECTOR: Yudai Yamaguchi
WRITING CREDITS: Gatarô Man
GENRE: Horror, Action, Musical
CAST: Tak Sakaguchi, Atsushi Ito, Hideo Sakaki
COUNTRY: Japan
RUNTIME: 87 min
RATING: 3/10
Battlefield Baseball Website/IMDB Click here
Battlefield Baseball Trailer Click here
|
