After going for Burn After Reading (2008-also reviewed) I began looking for a third title for my auteur 2008 triple bill. Taking a look at his credits,I was surprised to find that I actually had the 2008 title in my must watch pile, leading to me solving Miike's puzzle.

View on the film:

Previously having taken a dip into a philosophical exploration of the galaxy with the outstanding Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006-also reviewed) the screenplay by Masa Nakamura spends the majority of the first half in adapting Shinji Kimoto's novel by weighing heavily on in-depth discussions on theories of how the universe was created. Whilst some bright sparks appear, (such as a analogy involving Beethoven's 5th Symphony ) the emphasis on rather dry quantum physics discussions, limits the character from being allowed to develop beyond the jargon.

Setting off a big bang with a drastic switch in genre mid-movie that has become a distinctive move of the film maker, Nakamura gets in a fast-pace groove by rolling the hard Sci-Fi with Disaster Movie thrills, as Motokazu finds his guitar licks and sushi-making skills to be all that stands in Saraka's doomsday creation that will prove God does not exist in the battle between science and tradition.

Aligning in a more straight direction then his Neo-Noir and Horror works, directing auteur Takashi Miike & The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003-also reviewed) cinematographer Katsumi Yanagijima slams the planets together with a fantastic continuation in building the major motifs across his work, via Miike breaking the 4th wall with on-screen pop-up questions and stylish whip-pans swinging to discoveries made during the quantum physics discussions.

Standing on the edge of the apocalypse, Miike lets rip with excellent off-beat twists that turns Ode To Joy into a Japanese Rock song, a contrasting mix of grainy digital video touching on Motokazu touching the earth in India, and a merrily off-key, soft-light Rom-Com ending for the final piece in the puzzle.

Relatively lighthearted sci-fi based on a novel picked by the producer, and thus quite a departure from Takashi Miike's usual fare. God's Puzzle gets mileage out of particle accelerator doomsday fears. In fact, it was released just before the sensational headlines about the Large Hadron Collider, so it's unfortunate that it didn't get more attention.

The film particularly appeals to armchair physicists such as myself, but there's more to it than just that. When Miike was struggling to understand the physics in the novel, he came up with the idea to have the student run off overseas and leave his not-so-intellectual identical twin brother Motokazu to take his place for roll call. Not only does this create a reason for the physics to be explained in layman's terms, it also gives us a character who's primarily a sushi chef and a wannabe rockstar. It makes for some hilarious moments as he tries to get his head around quantum physics and the Big Bang. Other intriguing elements include a roller skating security guard, website-style buttons the characters press to bring up daydreams and flashbacks, and a bowl-shaped dent in the wooden floor of Saraka's room. The latter seems to serve as a container for experiments to make you wonder what mysterious things she gets up to, but may also reflect her state of mind throughout the film.

The juxtaposition of science versus tradition is blatant. The spectacular but impractical particle accelerator towers over a rice field tended by an old lady. Motokazu and the reclusive genius Saraka team up on the research topic of creating a universe, which could arguably disprove the existence of God. But Saraka isn't interested in mere academics. With some unwitting help from his naive questions, she's on a path of destruction and capable of carrying out the experiment for real. All Motokazu has to stop her is his guitar and his sushi.

The first time I watched it I found some of the acting very jarring. There's one particular scene where Motokazu and Saraka are yelling at each other, and when they're done arguing, Motokazu keeps yelling because he's still so excited about what he's talking about. However, on subsequent viewings I enjoy the film more and more as I get to know it, and I appreciate the Japanese nuances.

This movie is about a simple-minded wannabe-rock musician doubling his twin brother as a physics student at an university, where he meets one of the smartest girl in Japan, and end up pursuing how to create a new universe.

The first half was very enjoyable for me. A lot of physics jargon mixed with light comedy that resembled the "Galileo" dorama series. I don't remember everything I learned in Physics I 3 years ago, and I learned it in English, so I was only able to recognize about half of the theories mentioned, but it was presented in layman's terms that I found to be very interesting and educational.

The second half, however... slowly turned into a story where the girl becomes a mad scientist. It was more like a really poorly made terrorist thriller, with too many WTF moments. The guitar-playing in the lab, sushi in the rain etc... it was just too crazy for me to comprehend.

Ichikawa Hayato's acting as a simple-minded guy was very convincing, but I found him to be annoying in the second half as he seemed to SCREAM out every single word even when it's totally unnecessary. Tanimura Mitsuki was solid as usual. No one in Japan can play the dark teenager roles better than her.

The movie was enjoyable overall for me, but I think it could've been a lot better with better script and direction.