Japanese filmmaker Keita Amemiya’s name is
synonymous with cyborgs and monsters as witnessed by his track record of
genre efforts from CYBER NINJA and MECHANICAL VIOLATOR HAIKAIDER to
ZEIRAM and his 1998 feature, MOON OVER TAO. Besides the eccentric nature
of his science fiction, horror, and fantasy creations, Amemiya likewise
creates mythical worlds where his stories unfold. Amemiya’s films take
place either in some alternate future reality, or in a post-apocalyptic
parallel dimension. For MOON OVER TAO, the director anchors his
hyper-kinetic visions in the past—the 16th century nation
of Japan serves as the backdrop for Amemiya’s latest flight of
fantasy. MOON OVER TAO is essentially a Chambara, (or Samurai
movie) that cross-pollinates with many other genres. Not since the
DAIMAJIN films or LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES has such a feat
been attempted. Amemiya pulls it off, in his own venereal way, proving
that creativity and respect for the various genres can provide glorious
counter-programming for the bland Hollywood product of today. Earlier in
2001, Media Blaster’s Tokyo Shock label launched a line of Amemiya’s
films on DVD called the Keita Amemiya Collection. The director’s
1998 feature, MOON OVER TAO, is the latest release to emerge under this
banner. The movie boasts a superb cast of modern talents, including
Toshiyuki Nagashima, whom genre fans will recognize from GODZILLA VS.
MEGAGUIRAS, GAMERA 2, and GONIN. Hiroshi Abe scores a lead role in MOON
OVER TAO and also starred in GODZILLA 2000, YAMATO TAKERU, and the Hong
Kong monster movie, SAGA OF THE PHEONIX. Yuko Moriyama has appeared in
SAMURAI ARMAGEDDON, TOKYO RAIDERS, and is best known as the superhuman
bounty hunter, Iria, from all three ZEIRAM movies.
An old Warlord Tadaoki (Kei Tani) captures an
invincible sword from a gang of bandits. Tadaoki wants to discover the
secret of the sword so he can forge more unstoppable weapons for his
army. He hires a wizard Suikyu (Toshiyuki Nagashima) to accompany his
lead Samurai Hayata (Hiroshi Abe) on the mission to find the secret of
the sword. They trace the path of the sword back to the palace of the
leader of the bandits, Kakugyo (Takaaki Enoki) who is not only the
master of the bandits, but also a powerful sorcerer as well. The
outgoing Suikyu and the reserved Hayata form a mutual friendship as they
battle their way to their destination. Along the way, they meet the
orphan Renge (Sayaka Yoshino) who is also a target of the bandits. Renge
witnesses a battle between three female alien warriors (all played by
Yuko Moriyama), and the loser of the fight warns her that the creature
called the Makaraga is in the custody of a power-hungry Earthman who
will release this indestructible being. Before she perishes, the alien
gives Renge the ultimate weapon (called the Tao) to defeat the Makaraga.
It is Kakugyo who has possession of the sphere that is the embryo of the
Makaraga. Suikyu, Hayata, and Renge set out for Kakugyo’s palace to
stop the madness. Kakugyo’s army soon takes the heroes prisoner. The
remaining alien warrior shows up at Kakugyo’s castle to reclaim the
alien sphere. While the soldiers are fighting their unusual opponent,
this distraction allows Suikyu, Hayata, and Renge to escape. They team
up with the alien warrior to fight back the hordes of Kakugyo. But the
bloodlust of the mad wizard triggers the birth of the horrible Makaraga,
who quickly grows to enormous size from feeding on the blood of the
soldiers. That leaves our heroes to defeat this demonic creation of an
alien race, before it devours them all.
MOON OVER TAO is the atypical Keita Amemiya movie.
Just like in all his pictures, the emphasis is on characters, visuals,
and continuity. The anime influence is apparent as usual. Amemiya’s
weaknesses continue in the area of plotting and conceptual execution.
The director focuses on the characters and their growth from the opening
to fateful conclusion with the Makaraga and their own destinies. Though
the general plot has been seen before numerous times, Amemiya brings
humanity to his stock characters, like when he establishes a
father-daughter relationship between Hayata and Renge. Amemiya studied
the classic Samurai motion pictures well, and he perfectly injects the
mannerisms and banter of those movies into this multi-genre epic. The
big surprises are strong Samurai and martial arts content in MOON OVER
TAO. Hiroshi Abe swings a mean sword, so the stunt coordinators
obviously trained him well. Actor Takaaki Enoki also gets physical in
addition to his use of wizardry. Toshiyuki Nagashima is adept with his
steel pole as he is with his magical spells (which he employs by
scribbling magical symbols onto paper). The only fighting that seems out
of place is that by Yuko Moriyama, who is clearly in the POWER RANGERS
vein, while the rest of the film displays authentic swordmanship and
well choreographed battles. The monster Makaraga, described as an alien
biological weapon, is fearsome indeed. It is rendered with a combination
of CGI and an impressive makeups (which don’t always blend together
seamlessly). The creature is very unique in design, and its safe to say
there isn’t anything like it in the history of monster pictures. It
craves human blood and massacres all in sight. But like most monsters,
the Makaraga is not particularly bright.
Media Blaster’s video presentation of MOON OVER
TAO is presented in the original theatrical ratio of 1.85.1. It was shot
with high definition video cameras that are often employed for
contemporary Japanese low budget features. This provides a glossy look
for the film with fully saturated colors. It also allows imaging
technicians to fully control the computer generated effects and
environment. Media Blaster’s transfer is not 16x9 enhanced, but
overall they deliver a pleasing transfer. The image is clear and sharp,
and the source print displays no blemishes. Black levels are solid and
flesh tones are full-bodied. Keita Amemiya employs soft focus lens for
certain shots, so the fuzziness in these scenes is intentional. The
special effects for MOON OVER TAO are a huge step from those in ZEIRAM
2, and Media Blaster’s transfer successfully delivers the visual
goods. The cinematography is full of martial arts battles, roving
monsters, and bloody mayhem. Amemiya’s greatest strength is his
ability to deliver poetic images and reinvent the conventions of the
genres that he dabbles in; and the transfer does justice to his unique
vision. The English subtitles are easy to read in the lower portion of
the letterbox window. The soundtrack is Dolby Digital 2.0 which provides
stereo separation for all the explosive action scenes. Don’t expect
much in the way of true multi-channel imaging—it sounds like a solid
stereo presentation without any anomalies to distract from the visuals.
The soundtrack provides crisp fidelity for all the sword fights, battle
scenes, and monster mayhem. The bass is a little flat. Media Blaster’s
DVD contains both the original Japanese language and an English dub job,
which in my opinion makes the movie seem cheesy. But it’s great value
to have both on a single disc. In both versions, the dialog emanates
cleanly from the center channel. MOON OVER TAO also has a score by
Amemiya regulars Koichi Ohata, Shinji Kinoshita, and Hirokazu Otu. This
is too electronic to capture the vibe of the historical setting, but the
music is prominent in the sound field. The only extras on this disc are
English trailers (widescreen) for other movies in the Keita Amemiya
Collection, including ZEIRAM 2 and MECHANICAL VIOLATOR HAKAIDER, and
trailers for two other Tokyo Shock titles, REBORN FROM HELL 2, and THE
STORY OF RIKI. It’s a shame Media Blasters couldn’t strike up a deal
with Amemiya to produce some decent extras for their DVDs.
MOON OVER TAO is a collage of genre conventions
and visual delights, and thus the movie has something for everyone.
People into Chambara and martial arts flicks will surely enjoy what the
movie has to offer. Horror heads and monster fanatics will enjoy the
flashy fantasy elements and the enormous amount of blood and gore in the
picture. Though Keita Amemiya’s earlier films like ZEIRAM appeal to a
youth audience, MOON OVER TAO is clearly aimed at the adult demographic,
so keep your kids far away from this. Though clearly not for all tastes,
this is surely Amemiya’s best picture to date and it boasts the
biggest budget he’s had to work with. Media Blasters produces a nice
widescreen transfer for MOON OVER TAO, but if they can employ anamorphic
enhancement to their Shriek Show horror titles, why not the same for
their Tokyo Shock titles? This DVD is one of their best to date, but
some extras on the career of Amemiya would be ideal.
MOON
OVER TAO is available at DVDEmpire
