Talk about a great movie going experience. As I sat in the audience eagerly awaiting the New York premiere of Takashi Miike’s latest film, Ace Attorney, a live-action adaptation of the massively popular Nintendo DS game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, our host asked the audience how many people were fans of Miike and how many were fans of the game. I immediately learned how popular the game was when the crowd erupted following the video game question and what kind of theatrical experience I was in for that night.
Following the death of his mentor Mia Fay, Ace Attorney follows amateur lawyer Phoenix Wright as he tries to prove the prime suspect’s innocence, Mia’s sister Maya. The trial takes place in a court where lawyers have a maximum of three days to battle it out in turn based video-game style, throwing holograms at each other and yelling all the time until a decision is made by the disinterested judge. When Maya’s case closes, Phoenix dives into a case that Mia asked for his help on, the controversial DL-6 case, which somehow is linked to her death and also involves his former classmate, lawyer extraordinaire and murder suspect, Miles Edgeworth. Taking him on as a client, Phoenix must go head to head with Manfred von Karma, Miles’ mentor and a man that hasn’t lost a case in 40 years, by searching outside the courtroom for clues on how to prove his client’s innocence.
If only all law cases were as exciting and as speedy as this film, I’d probably drop everything and become a lawyer immediately. Playing out exactly like a cartoonish anime, Ace Attorney never misses a beat and proves to us why Miike is the most impressive Japanese director working today. Rather than try and fit reality into the game world, Miike brings the game into reality, paying careful attention to details like the ridiculous hair styles, wacky animated facial expressions, and humorous dumfounded cues like when people fall over from hearing something stupid. It’s the kind of stuff that you’d find in shows like Avatar or Pokémon. By fully embracing the gaming style and not changing up the characteristics of its characters and the crazy Japanese world, what we get is an extremely entertaining movie with spot on acting that gamers everywhere can truly appreciate and applaud (and I won’t even talk about the Blue Badger).
Having never played the game, I can tell you right now that this is probably the best video game film adaptation ever. Just from listening to the crowd’s reaction to various cues, including Phoenix’s “OBJECTION!” battle cry, that only the gamers would understand, you knew Miike was doing something right. Oh, and when t
he big video game nerd next to me said that was the best video game movie ever, I knew it had to be true since most of them actually suck. I also think the fans appreciated that the film manages to be both light and dark hearted and seamlessly transitions back and forth, with the result being an edge of your seat joy ride.
If I had to find something negative to say about the film I guess it would have to be its 135 minute runtime. Though I didn’t have a problem with it, I could understand why it may bother others. Just when you think the film is going to wrap up a new individual is accused of something and so rather than leave with unanswered questions, the story follows through until all the loose ends are tied, which results in a longer film.
Loud, wild, random and exactly how a Japanese video game would play out, Ace Attorney is nothing short of a ferocious and exhilarating spectacle that has finally done the video game genre justice.
Rating: Hands down the best video-game adaptation ever (8/10)
If you want a chance to see this in a theater it will be playing this Sunday at The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema aka Japan Cuts 2012 at the Japan Society in NYC. It’s sold out so you’ll have to wait on the standby line but it is totally worth it if you can get in.
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