Home :: DVD :: Horror  

Classic Horror & Monsters
Cult Classics
Frighteningly Funny
General
Series & Sequels
Slasher Flicks
Teen Terror
Television
Things That Go Bump
Versus (Special Edition)

Versus (Special Edition)

List Price: $34.95
Your Price: $27.96
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 .. 7 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: don't believe the hype
Review: lemme begin by saying that i love every movie this movie has been referenced to by writers on this site. i am a diehard evil dead fan and love tarentino films. this movie is like neither. don't get me wrong, it's not a bad movie, just diffrent than you'd expect from what this site is saying. this movie is long and a tad boring, and unlike movies like evil dead, it isn't funny because it is trying to be bad, it's funny because it's trying to be good and fails horribly. like almost all japanese horror films this movie involves the japanese mafia. and like all movie reperesentations of the japanese mafia, there is usually one really feminine member who is annoying as can be and you hope that he gets eaten by zombies first. then, like most japanese movies, the girls get absolutely no respect whatsoever. in this movie even the protagonist (an ash wannabe) punches the girl in the face to shut her up. and o yea, the zombies know kung fu and have guns. i think that's against zombie ordinance 55, ya know, the rule that says "thou shalt not make zombies able to work guns or turn door nobs". it's not that i don't recommend this movie, if you know what kinda movie you're in for then by all means go for it, but if you've been told that it's resovoir dogs and evil dead combined, you've been lied to.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Why cant americans make films like this?
Review: Without giving too much away, this movie is a zombie/action movie at its best. Basically, a priest arranges to have his henchmen bring a man and a woman to a forest (through the course of the movie, you'll discover their special importance), because they are the crucial elements in his plan to become very powerful. The forest, however, is known as the "forest of resurrection", where many bodies have been buried in the past, and start coming back to life with the arrival of the priest.
This is Independant film making at its best. while filmed on an obviously low budget, you wouldn't know it, as it has better production values than most american films. in the tradition of great old style horror type movies, noone has a name.. not that it matters, as most of em' wont be sticking around long enough. the action is well choreographed, be warned, its pretty violent, but its in the same vein as braindead - the violence is so over the top, that not only is it a joy to watch, but really sells the fun side of the movie too. The humour is sometimes subtle, usually in the form of the characters facial expressions, and their actions, but if your paying attention (and have a good sense of humour) youll find the comedy aspect of this great film, very prominent. The soundtrack is constantly kickin - really upbeat, and helps drive the action sequences along. And one of the best things about the movie, is the unique characters. Each one is a joy to watch - a lot of thought went in to making them truely stand out. The only negative sides to this movie (if you could call them that) is the editing is sometimes pretty quick during the fight scenes (but its really nothing to worry about - it helps create a frantic atmosphere), and the movie is pretty long, due to some more "artistic" shots. To sum up, this is one of the best action/fantasy/comedy/horror movies ive seen in a long time, highly recommended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: This movie is so cheezy, it is hilarious! The over-dramatized actors and stupid plot make this the Japaneese version of Army of Darkness. I laughed through the whole movie!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Potentially cool - But ultimately disappointing
Review: Although the concept of a Zombie/Kung-Fu/Martial Arts/Shoot-em-up movie sounds freakin' awesome on paper, there were several things that held this movie back.

For starters, the version I rented didn't have subtitles, and the casting of the American voice actors was HORRIBLE! Totally didn't match up with the looks of the characters, which made it hard to get into it. Although the movie picks up pace near the end, the beginning is painfully slow. Also, since the ENITRE movie is shot in the same forest, the scenery and setting are VERY monotonous - VERY repetitive. In terms of the story, many characters were introduced with vague if any introduction, and it was difficult to figure out who/what they were.

On the plus side, some of the action scenes were cool and shot with interesting angles. Some nice camera work and unexpected wire worked helped out. However, in the end, I was ultimately dissapointed by the pace of the movie. If you're more into the low-budget comic Evil Dead sort of flick, this might be for you. But if you're lookng for an Ultra-Violent Japanese movie, check out Ichii the Killer instead.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sheer fun
Review: Take the violence, creepiness, and insanity of the Evil Dead series, the sweet battles and cool, humorous posing of a Robert Rodriguez flick ("Desperado" springs to mind), mix it with traditional samurai and yakuza elements and POW, instant cult classic! I own the director's cut so I don't know about this edition, but I don't imagine enough good stuff could be cut out to make this movie suck. Sure, there's almost no plot or meaningful dialogue, but if you're looking at this movie, I doubt that's what you were looking for to begin with. This is just pure cinematic coolness, not unlike "Kill Bill" in that sense. Sure, there's lots of cheese but it's GOOD cheese, the kind that draws attention to itself and delivers a laugh. I pity the people who take themselves so seriously that this kind of humor flies right over their head. Still, the lack of a real plot and some character inconsistencies that I can't elaborate on without terrible spoilers make me take one star away from the score. Only a truly flawless movie deserves 5 stars. Nonetheless, this movie should satisfy anybody who reads the above references and thinks "Cool!". If you think any of the above mentioned movies sucked, I suggest you take your business elsewhere.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: VERSUS - Evil Dead meets Yakuza
Review: What a classic! Like many cult classics such as Evil Dead, this movie was made with a low budget, and like many cult classics wins due to being just damn cool!

A simple story, 2 just escaped prisoners arrange to meet some dodgy gang characters to make their getaway, at the edge of a large forest. Unknown to our cast the forest contains a portal to many other times, and is a bit dangerous. The meeting goes foul and the gang members chase the escapees into the forest. The gang has previously killed and buried many former victims in this forest, but to their misfortune the portal awakens them into an onslaught of Zombies.

A magnificent blend of martial arts and gunplay, not forgetting the traditional Samurai swordplay, gives an altogether fast paced action blood fest. This film is not for the feint-hearted, but is great fun for the slasher fan!

Having already achieved worldwide cult status, a US dvd release will only help in creating an even larger fan base.

The acting is not excellent, the special effects are not the greatest, the plotline is thin, it has moments of cheese, it lacks Hollywood refinement and won't win an Oscar. For fans of this genre it will excite and bring a bit of fun onto your TV screen.

I have only seen the uncut version, therefore I cannot comment on the R-rated version which will be released.

If you are unsure, then this film is probably not for you. But don't take my word for it, search the web for other reviews of this Japanese Cult Classic and make up your own mind!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Proof a low budget action movie can work!
Review: Do you watch action movies for the intence story and deep personal relationships? I don't. But getting the money to make all the empire states building blow up takes money. So you get a producer and he says yeagh that would be sweet but we need Brad Pit and young hot chick #5 so people will come see it and I can get my money back. And if they do it in the movie even more people will come see it. Eventually everybody forgets what they are there to do: kick a whole bunch of ass.
This movie says F***k it lets kick a whole lot of ass and then find some more ass and kick that too. This movie avoids icky storylines and relationships and has the balls to simply make one of the greatest fight movies ever.
Some people call that a faul. I don't. That takes courage, guts, and a lot of blood.
This movie born of a love for fight movies and in my oppinion is a work of genius.
Get this movie and prepare to have your arse blown away.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: R-rated version, Stinks!!
Review: Watch out for the R rated Version, Why it exist? I have no idea seeing that the gore is just the same as Evil Dead, Riky Oh, or Army of darkness, it's funny. I rented the R rated version (not knowing) and it was cut.Scenes were badly clipped. It was so noticeable that it looked like a bad edited movie, thus I did not enjoy it to much. Let them shove the R rated version and avoid it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Good Japanese Film
Review: They tried hard (a little too hard in places) to be artsy and dramatic. What I liked most was that everything about it reminded me of a japanimation film-the characters especially, but also the storyline. My main complaint would be the english overdubs.

A lot of people didn't like it from the reviews I read. If they were anime fans, however, I bet they would. The Japanese have a style all their own. It takes an open mind to appreciate that in spite of our spoiled hollywood conditioning.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good wholesome fun
Review: This is a very fun and enjoyable movie. This is the type of movie that you put in the DVD player after feeling depressed after watching Schindlers List or if your having a tough time in your life. It moves fast and you don't have to put a lot of emotions into it. Just sit back and prepare to laugh at the violence that is thrown across the screen. Watching this movie reminds me of Riki-Oh or Meet the Feebles in the way that you can just relax and let all your troubles leave your mind for awhile and just let the greatness of this movie take you over.


<< 1 2 3 4 .. 7 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates