JELLYFISH EYES Blu-ray Review

Release Date: December 8, 2015
Director: Takashi Murakami
MPAA Rating: NR
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Purchase: Amazon

Famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s film debut, Jellyfish Eyes, on one hand seems like a perfectly suited entry in Criterion’s now vast catalogue of important pieces of cinema from around the world.

The film is an astutely allegorical criticism of the Japanese government and their mishandling of the terrifying tsunami and subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant that rocked the country in 2011. It does so in the guise of a fluffy family movie about technology-obsessed kids battling monsters called F.R.I.E.N.Ds that happen to also generate clean energy through the pain and hatred of children. Okay, so maybe the government isn’t the only thing it’s criticizing.

On the other hand, the film – taken at face value – is simply not up to snuff with most of the collection’s other prestigious entries like Rosemary’s Baby, Seven Samurai, Armageddon or The Rock. The last two are obviously a joke, but seriously, as metaphorical as Jellyfish Eyes may be, it’s just not that great of a film.

The film hit theaters in Japan in 2013 but never had a proper release in the States until now, and what better way than to have the perfectionists over at Criterion to put out the most-complete, highest-quality version possible. Although I am a big fan of Murakami’s art, the creature designs in the film left a little to be desired, at least for me, and the CG animation was noticeably lacking; but the film itself is gorgeous, presented in a new high-definition digital master.

Like most Criterion Blu-rays, the disc comes housed in a numbered clear case with some of the films more prominent monsters featured on the inside cover and booklet. The booklet itself folds out to feature and essay written by film critic Glen Helfand, who has nicer and far more poignant things to say about the film than me and is a nice addition. I always love reading about how passionate people are about specific films, even if their opinions don’t mirror my own.

Special features include a new interview with Takashi Murakami, in which he discusses the inception of the film and how he drew inspiration from classic TV shows like Ultraman and The Thunderbirds, but there’s oddly no mention of Pokemon or Digimon, which I thought would surely be at least a small fraction of where the tiny-monster-fighting idea was inspired.

There are two additional featurettes that go behind the scenes with the development of the creatures themselves and the film as a whole, with the former being the most interesting of the two. It was fascinating to see the level of meticulous detail Murakami put into each of the monsters and to see the clay and silicone versions that were made for the movie.

There is also a trailer for the upcoming Jellyfish Eyes 2, picking up where the first left off and continuing the story of Masashi and his friends, which looks good enough. (The trailer for the original Jellyfish Eyes is strangely omitted.)

I appreciate Jellyfish Eyes for attempting to bring some serious subject matter into a family film that has hopefully aided children in Japan with understanding, and being able to cope with, a devastating event, but the story just didn’t land for me personally. This is an interesting film debut for a great artist who may, and should, have a bright career in the movies. Fans of Murakami should definitely give this one a look.