6/10
A ceaseless tirade of potty humor that somehow remains charming from start to finish.
17 August 2014
I like to think of myself as above potty humor. You know what I mean? Fart jokes, clever references for the butt, an absurd interest in what goes on in the bathroom..

The world is full of giggling children who can't pronounce the word "defecate" but can use the s--t word with great effectiveness. For some reason, this type of humor never grows old to some folks, but sticks itself into the collective psyches of many adults permanently.

It was never my thing. So how did I end up watching this? Well, for starters the whole movie is a not so subtle metaphor for society in general. The idea of breaking down the advanced and intricate systems of the world and then articulating it all in overly simplified terms is always a winning movie making formula to me.

This movie is vaguely similar to a film called "Equilibrium," where the basic foundational idea of society is presented as a single statement: "Obliterate all human emotion to create the perfect society." The film then grows out of that idea. The plot grows organically as a result of trying to maintain the believability of the original idea.

In the case of this film: "All energy comes from collecting human feces; encourage the populace to defecate profusely." The idea is so simple it leaves you wondering immediately if there is more buried underneath it. Well, unfortunately there isn't. The basic plot flow of this film is not original. It has been done before in hundreds of movies. It's very formulaic really. But it still works because of the setting.

But no one is really watching for the plot. By now word has gotten around that this movie is violent as heck. It really is. Gore, explosions, torture.. it's got it all. DO NOT play a drinking game with this one, especially if you need to drink every time someone dies. There are several sexual references, so don't think this is appropriate for your kids. There's also some pretty creepy looking characters. The police Captain in particular was worthy of a cringe or two.

The voice acting is acceptable (if you are watching the English dubbed version), but not great. The animation itself is somewhat difficult to follow from time to time; characters wiggle like jello and bend like Gumby.

All told, the film holds itself together admirably and is very entertaining. It's not going to be a favorite of mine, but I do not regret watching it. It was worth a watch.

The only thing it doesn't have (surprisingly) is the actual showing of fecal matter. The mere reference to it is apparently enough.
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