The first part of the live-action Attack on Titan movie from director Shinji Higuchi didn't exactly get great reviews, even if it did open to a solid $5.1 million in Japan. Critics and fans alike tore the film apart for changing characters from the manga, inventing characters and just generally muddling the narrative beyond recognition.
It did, however, have some terrifying and impressive-looking Titans, brought to life through a combination of suitmation and CG effects. They were the film's saving grace, but it looks like the recently released Part 2, subtitled End of the World, abandons what made the first film tolerable.
The Hollywood Reporter writes:
"One of the sequel's major flaws is ditching the naked humanoids. They were the best thing about Part 1, with their imaginatively ordinary faces that made their cannibalism all the more grotesque. Irony and the uncanny was what prevented Part 1 from being just another CG-fueled monster movie. In the sequel, Higuchi narrows the fight scenes to one-on-one battles between colossal Titans, and between colossal Titans and humans."
And Kotaku isn't much kinder, writing:
"The Titan fighting in the last movie felt refreshing, but here, there are barely any smaller-sized Titans, so watching massive Titan fight after massive Titan fight didn't feel exhausting, but dull. That's probably this movie's biggest crime. It's boring. The only thing that was at stake was the filmmaker's desire to create a running time long enough to justify the second film."
And that's not even mentioning the terrible score, melodramatic acting, poor writing or the fact that a solid chunk of the already short Part 2 is dedicated to recapping the first film. Oh, and the huge (and inferior) changes to the source material that make the film confusing to fans and newcomers alike. That is still there.
The result is a film that is just as bad, if not worse, than the first, and the Japanese box office seems to prove it. Negative word of mouth hasn't helped the film win many supporters. In its opening weekend in Japan, Attack on Titan Part 2 brought in $2.7 million, almost half of what the first film did.
Not to worry, Attack on Titan fans. A promising game is on the way, as is the second season of the anime. The manga will continue on for at least three years. Attack on Titan can still be good — just not in movie form. Let's hope Higuchi's next project, the first Japanese Godzilla film in more than a decade, holds up better than this colossal disappointment.
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