What do you think of the quality of Japanese movies?

Wednesday 21st October, 04:49 AM JST

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Scallopman1973 at 02:07 AM JST - 22nd October

I can honestly say that in all the years that I have been watching Japanese films, I have never been disappointed by any. Japanese movies are very much original and they have inspired the west in a massive way in the last decade. Hollywood are doing remakes of Japanese films. A clear statement to say that they are impressed with Japanese film makers originality. One of the great Japanese film makers to be over looked is Nagisa Oshima. His films are very daring and he is not afraid to push the boundaries. Long may Japan continue to make enjoyable, entertaining and above all, original films.
bdiego at 04:32 AM JST - 22nd October

Depends on the year, but this year's been good. Just saw K-20 and it's a lot of fun, and interestingly very well technically executed. They've really caught up in a lot of ways since the days of cheesy HK style production.

Almost anything by Kurosawa though is in a different league than your usual Western flick.
kumasan1969 at 05:03 AM JST - 22nd October

It's been really, really, bad. Not just Japanese films, but Hollywood too. TV dramas are really bad too.

I miss 1970's dramas and 1980-90 cartoons. The visual effects and stuff were pretty primitive back then, but they did have good stories to tell.
telecasterplayer at 07:40 AM JST - 22nd October

I guess "Shall we dance" was good, and Miyazaki is a genius. Beyond that, it's all really bad.
The baby-faced hair-waxed leading "men" are not good at all. Like a lot of the other posters here, my favorites are the old school: Kurosawa, Suzuki, Mifune, Nakadai.. heck even Shirley Yamaguchi was a lot better than today's group.
GW at 09:48 AM JST - 22nd October

hey scallopman which ONE did you watch haha, sorry cudnt resist!

As many point out there is so much crap that I just dont want to waste my time to see if it MIGHT be ok or good so I just give it all a pass most of the time, on occassion I might watch a J-dvd the mrs wanted to watch but its rare I watch to the end JT is more entertaining than J-tv-drama-movies most of the time!
terebiko at 11:33 AM JST - 22nd October

The Japanese movie industry is the same as any other country's movie industry. Hits and misses. If you are a real movie buff, and not just looking for something to entertain you for a couple of hours, there are a lot of good Japanese movies out there. The frustrating thing for me, though my Japanese if pretty good, is that I can't rent a dvd with English subtitles, or go to the movie theater to watch a Japanese film with English subtitles. Another sad part about the movie industry here, is we don't hear about lot of the gems. Large studios make movies they think will make a lot of money, as in other countries it is after all a business, and then promote the heck out of them. The more significant movies are often lost in all the hoopla.
bobbafett at 11:38 AM JST - 22nd October

It would help if they had English subtitles.
chuckers at 11:46 AM JST - 22nd October

As has been mentioned, it is all hit or miss. Just like every other country that makes movies.

I loved Battle Royale in book form but absolutely loathe the movie with an indescribable passion. The sequal was tolerable because they at least followed the book.

I have seen the first 2 movies in the 20th Century Boys series both as the theatrical version (on a plane) and the versions they have shown on tv with all new scenes. Seeing both was enjoyable. Haven't seen the 3rd one.

I enjoyed Okuribito but honestly probably wouldn't have seen it if it hadn't got a lot of press from the Academy award win.

Ring was great. Ring II was horrid. Jyu-on (The Grudge) I&II were both good but a bit confusing.

It is all just hit and miss.
Gaijinocchio at 12:09 PM JST - 22nd October

I prefer older Japanese movies, especially black and white movies and those based on books like "Sunna no Onna" and the first "Gojira" movie even if they're low quality by today's standards.

Japanese movies now are more for making money with insipid and banal cliches and special effects instead of furthering the art. For example, "Rookies: Graduation". You don't have to act when you scream into the camera for half the movie.

I think life reflects art, and since movies are the most accessable here, after manga, it shows what Japan wants nowadays, good looks but no substance or character.
jason6 at 01:56 PM JST - 22nd October

The Japanese movie industry isn't that much different from Hollywood, few good movies in a sea of crap every year. So why is there a standard that every Japanese movie must meet? If people are watching things like "Rookies" and expecting a quality movie, they are looking in the completely wrong direction. And people who are still name-checking Ring, Battle Royale and Godzilla are missing out on more recent offerings. Unfortunately, the language barrier coupled with the lack of subtitles prevents accessibility to most movies except for the very few who are put up for awards or have international distribution. Because of otaku, anime enjoys massive amounts of support in the form of fan-dubbing, but sadly Japanese movies don't get the same treatment. Another reason to learn Japanese folks.
farcus at 02:02 PM JST - 22nd October

Japanese movies - some great - some crap. Percentage wise - I woudl say Japan has a definite edge over Hollywood which is about 85% crap.
DerekJ at 02:58 AM JST - 23rd October

Japanese horror films are pretty good for the most part. There are also many good films in other genres. As jason6 said, many Japanese films are not subbed/dubbed so you have to brush up on your Japanese. I get a lot of the films I watch through Netflix. They have a very good selection that they constantly add to.
Tommygun at 05:25 AM JST - 23rd October

A lot of touchy feeling crap that nobody but teenage girls care about. Some good movies too but they are too few compared to the teenage dramas.
bdiego at 07:02 AM JST - 23rd October

I see, you guys are comparing Japanese crap movies with what..I'll list the top movies showing in Hollywood today: Saw VI, Astroboy (based on a brilliant Japanese manga and animation), the Vampire's assistant, Where the Wild things are (go see that one!), Couples Retreat, oh and Zombieland. And I named the most popular ones before we get to the bottom of the barrel. You lose.
Blue_Tiger at 08:02 PM JST - 24th October

Japanese movies are pretty-much junk. Then again, so are most American Movies....