'Animal World' Review

Animal World based on the manga Kaiji is a Chinese language movie available on Netflix. There are already a number of adaptations to Kaiji like the 2007 anime or the 2009 Japanese live-action movie. What sets Animal World apart is that it’s less of retelling of the same story in a new medium and more of a loose adaptation.

The main theme in both Kaiji and Animal World is what cruelty people will sink too when desperate and see the chance to get something. Greed, despair, manipulation are all on display in Animal World to some great effect. The protagonist is left to re-pay a debt that someone else put on him and has to go into a shady game of Rock Paper Scissors. The protagonist of Kaiji was a lazy guy who wallowed in his own depression over not getting a job out of high school and thinks he wouldn’t come back from the game. Animal World’s main character, Zheng Kaisi, has a lot more to like; he’s a traumatized 20-something trying to provide for his comatose mother. His childhood friend is a nurse and his love interest for the movie but it’s a storyline that doesn’t play out by the time the credits roll.

Kaisi has some impulse control issues that stem from a violent incident during his 8th birthday. Now in his 20s he sometimes lapses into a hyper-styled fantasy that sees him flying through the air with a sword in each hand cutting into monsters that spew the most colourful blood ever put to film. These high paced sequences and some visual “trips” are an incredible thing to see, but don’t move the story much or give us any insight to Kaisi’s thoughts. The lapses in sanity do often result in a violent outburst that Kaisi never is held accountable for even when attacking a hospital patient.

The supporting cast are what really gives Kaisi the chance to shine. Up until the game starts, Kaisi’s mental illness keeps him making questionable decisions in his day to day life. Taken away from that life and thrown in with manipulators and thieves Kaisi’s advanced math skills keep the psychosis at bay. Running constant math and paying attention to the way his allies and enemies play keeps Kaisi in reality and his mind on the prize.

The visual flair that director Han Yan infuses into even the most mundane scenes is worth the 2 hour watch time. Colourless scenes use, counter intuitively, colours to emphasize the bleakness of the surrounding. The cinematography during Kaisi’s mental breaks is on par with the most imaginative stuff from Tim Burton. It even comes down to the lighting used to isolate two characters while they’re surrounded by people. The blend of CGI and live action is virtually seamless even when a live actor cuts through a train car of computer-generated creatures that look like Sid from Ice Age.

There are some points where the movie drags. In the beginning it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much else other than money and love troubles paired with violent fantasies featuring a clown. Although Kaisi isn’t blessed with good luck there are times that it seems he catches a break only to have the rug ripped from under his feet. The rate and consistency that these moments come can be a little tiring; but on the other hand, the moments that Kaisi triumphs are so sweet they make up for it.

Animal World is at its heart a casino movie. Quick wits, manipulation, shady players, and loosely veiled threats of violence are perfectly on brand. Add to that an absolutely insane protagonist with the imagination of Deadpool and heart of Peter Parker. What you have is a pretty good movie with some slow points but ultimately will leave you wanting the sequel.

By: Read on Reviews