Movie Reviews

Film Review: Brush of the God (2024) by Keizo Murase

Published

1 year ago

July 24, 2024

Film Review: Brush of the God (2024) by Keizo Murase

A tribute to a late special effects modeler leads to fiction and reality intertwining.

Following a prolonged absence, tokusatsu veteran Keizo Murase returned to film as a sculptor for Daisuke Sato’s wonderful short film “Howl from Beyond the Fog.” Recently, he’s made his directorial debut with the independent feature “Brush of the God.” Originally conceived as a story written by the director, it has now been adapted, with a screenplay by Takeshi Nakazawa, and Sato producing and directing the special effects. With a small budget, the project would receive additional funding through donations on Motion Gallery and Kickstarter. The final product is a movie with a promising setup but underwhelming payoff.

Renowned special effects model artist Kenzo Tokimiya passes away, and a memorial service is held for him to honor his legacy. His work is on display, and his daughter is organizing the event. One of the attendees is Kenzo’s grandaughter, Akari Tokimiya, who feels torn about the event because she doesn’t have the fondest memories of her late grandfather. While there, she runs into her classmate, Takuya Kido, a big tokusatsu fan, and they discuss the artist’s legacy and what will become of his work. Then, they meet a man named Hozumi, a proclaimed acquaintance of the old master, who shows the two teens an outline for a film Tokimiya had planned but never got around to making called “Brush of the God.” He then pulls out a brush and requests that they find it and save the world from vanishing. The duo is then transferred into a fantasy world that turns out to be the fictional reality of the unfinished movie, with the script being their only major resource available. They come across numerous creatures, including a friendly winged bunny creature called Mugumugurus, yet realize that the stakes are high when they encounter the legendary monster Yamata no Orochi, an eight-headed serpent capable of devastating catastrophe.

The premise for “Brush of the God” is very promising and, on the surface, endearing. It is a passionate tribute to the special effects art form of tokusatsu while channeling the filmmaking mode of meta-cinema. There is prominent self-insertion, with Kenzo Tokimiya meant to represent Keizo Murase and reflect on his career. The work of the deceased artist within the movie humorously references Murase’s real-life contributions to the medium, including films like “Matango,” the “Daimajin” sequels, and “The Mighty Peking Man,” yet the fictional movies showcased still feel like they could exist. There’s even referencing real independent productions, prominently “Howl From Beyond the Fog.” Additionally, there are themes of family reconciliation, with Akari reflecting on who her grandfather was as a person beyond his craftsmanship, material that can make for compelling drama.

There’s undoubtedly passion behind this feature, yet “Brush of the God” fails to deliver a compelling story, largely due to lackluster direction and writing, further dampened by awkward staging. The plot is incredibly rushed with how it progresses, reliant on continuous convenient contrivances that stretch subversion. It never feels like things happen naturally, which becomes a glaring detriment when the film attempts to insert drama, primarily with Akari reflecting on her relationship with her grandfather. All the characters are forgettable, with the only attempts at development being with Akari Tokimiya, but even she feels underdeveloped, and the intended resolutions to her conflicts don’t feel earned by the end, due to the lackluster screenplay. These narrative faults are not helped by almost all the dialogue being blatant exposition, frequently spelling things out for the audience, which becomes irritating.

In addition to dull characters, the acting is generally poor here. Rio Suzuki and Takeru Narahara are distractingly subpar in their roles as Akari Tokimiya and Takuya Kido, with some especially clunky line delivery and emotional conveying. While intended to be mysterious, Takumi Saitoh looks more lost than engaged in playing Hozumi. There’s also a handful of cameos from recognizable faces in tokusatsu media, like Yumiko Shaku, Shinji Higuchi, and Shiro Sano, yet they are sadly just as wooden as the film’s leads, which can also apply to the rest of the cast here.

Another frustrating aspect of “Brush of the God” is the inconsistent production values, particularly the special effects. While this movie aims to stay true to classic tokusatsu techniques, the quality is all over the place. Granted, even with crowdfunding from Motion Gallery and Kickstarter, finances are more limited here than in a big studio production, and it’s admirable how determined Sato and the team remained. Yet, for every great visual effects moment, such as Orochi’s rampage on a city, there are numerous bad ones, with some very shoddy digital effects and green screen work. This issue also applies to the cinematography by Yoshihito Takahashi and Yoichi Sunahara, sometimes looking good while other times not so much. However, the music score by Shota Kowashi adds a nice mystical flare to the movie, and the ending theme song, “Kaiju,” performed by the pop band Dreams Come True, is an endearing tune.

Keizo Murase’s “Brush of the God” is a disappointing film, especially considering the talent the filmmakers have. There are elements to admire, yet a lot to criticize. Its heart is in the right place as an intended loving tribute to the special effects art form of tokusatsu, yet its narrative execution fumbles. For every visually stunning moment, numerous sections look incredibly poor. Keizo Murase and Daisuke Sato don’t quite capture the immersive magic here that they did with their previous and vastly superior creative collaboration, “Howl from Beyond the Fog.”

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Movie Reviews

Review | 96 Minutes: train bomb thriller forgoes excitement for life lessons

Published

5 hours ago

October 29, 2025

Press Room

Review | 96 Minutes: train bomb thriller forgoes excitement for life lessons

2/5 stars

Guilt proves to be a powerful trigger for a retired bomb disposal expert in the Taiwanese action thriller 96 Minutes, when his past mistakes prove every bit as deadly as a bomb planted on board a cross-country express train.

Austin Lin Po-hung stars as Kang-ren, still haunted by his failure to prevent a deadly department store bomb attack three years earlier, whose past catches up with him at high speed after attending a memorial service for the victims.

Travelling back to the capital with the other attendees, Captain Li (Lee Lee-zen), who was Kang-ren’s boss, receives an anonymous message warning that there is a bomb on board set to detonate in exactly 96 minutes, or if any attempt is made to stop the vehicle or unload its passengers.

Clues point to the bomber being on either their train or the one that left a few minutes prior. Both are filled with grieving relatives, scarred survivors, as well as Kang-ren’s own mother (Lu Hsueh-feng) and fiancée (Vivian Sung Yun-hua).

With the clock ticking, the police must find the device, identify the bomber and save the day before either train hurtles into Taipei station.

Movie Reviews

Review | Another World: macabre human fable is a new milestone for Hong Kong animation

Published

24 hours ago

October 28, 2025

Press Room

Review | Another World: macabre human fable is a new milestone for Hong Kong animation

4/5 stars

Hong Kong filmmakers rarely get as philosophical about the human condition as they do in the animated feature Another World, which contemplates the limits of goodness in the face of great evil, set against a vibrant action fantasy backdrop.

Adapted from Naka Saijo’s novel Sennenki: Thousand-Year Journey of an Oni with both narrative flair and visual potency, this impressive effort by first-time director Tommy Ng Kai-chung and writer-producer Polly Yeung Po-man is an anomaly in more ways than one.

Although the film’s focus on reincarnation appears to align it with Eastern religions, Another World’s belief in kindness renders it a universally engaging watch. Young children should stay away, however, as they might be scarred by some of the shockingly grisly moments in this macabre tale.

Leading us into the afterlife is one of its spirit guides, Gudo (voiced by Chung Suet-ying), who is tasked with helping deceased souls let go of their memories and escorting them past a magical waterfall into the next life – all the while making sure the “seed of evil” inside each of them, if any, does not sprout out of resentment.

His latest charge is a girl named Yuri (Christy Choi Hiu-tung), whose pure and lively character fascinates Gudo. Yuri is initially not aware that she has died and is instead persistent in her search for her younger brother, whose fate remains unknown for much of the runtime.

Movie Reviews

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t Movie Reviews Are In – And There’s One Clear Critics’ Consensus

Published

2 days ago

October 27, 2025

Press Room

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t Movie Reviews Are In – And There’s One Clear Critics’ Consensus

The first critics’ reactions to Now You See Me: Now You Don’t are finally here, and they largely agree that the Lionsgate threequel is another major hit. After being stuck in development, the highly anticipated Now You See Me Sequel will finally arrive in theaters on November 14, 2025, continuing the story of the iconic Four Horsemen, illusionists and street magicians who are experts in orchestrating elaborate heists.

In Now You See Me‘s third installment, the Four Horsemen recruit three skilled illusionists for another heist involving the world’s largest queen diamond before finding it belongs to a powerful crime syndicate. The hype surrounding the movie is poised to rise after the first wave of reactions had high praise for the project.

Critics who saw an early screening of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t in New York shared their first reactions on X. The threequel received largely positive reactions, with nearly all critics saying that it is thoroughly entertaining and fun.

Film critic Andre Saint-Albin described the film as “a sleight-of-hand masterpiece,” noting that Now You See Me 3 has an “entertaining story” and a “phenomenal diamond heist.” He also teased that the film has an “epic” third act while also praising the new casting additions:

“‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ is a sleight-of-hand masterpiece! The Four Horsemen (Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco, Fisher) return for their next trick with an entertaining story & a phenomenal diamond heist. Smith, Sessa & Greenblatt plant the seeds as Gen-Z firebrands, clashing with old-school magic. New seeds, old tricks, epic third act! Fleischer’s directs a ride so good fun you’d swear it was sorcery!”

Entertainment reporter Jonathan Sim boldly claimed that Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is a “funny, thrilling heist movie” and teased that it was “filled with surprises:”

“#NowYouSeeMe: Now You Don’t gives us the magic we’ve been waiting for. A funny, thrilling heist movie. The Horsemen are back in action with non-stop fun, tricks, and joy. The new characters are an A+ addition. Filled with surprises and just as dazzling and astonishing as ever.”

While Critics Choice’s Tony Mosello admitted that it’s more of the same, he said that fans will love Now You See Me: Now You Don’t due to its fun “twists and surprises, with elevated stakes:”

“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T proves the original Horsemen still have “it”, injecting the show with youthful energy via the newcomers and a fun, campy, and villainous Rosamund Pike. Full of twists and surprises, with elevated stakes; it’s more of the same, but fans will LOVE it.”

CinemaBlend’s Riley Utley shared that the threequel made her “smile from ear to ear,” and the movie reminded her why the first movie made her fall in love with films in the first place:

“‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ reiterates with exclamation points why the first ‘Now You See’ movie was one of the projects that made me fall in love with movies. There’s nothing better than projects that make me smile from ear to ear, blow my mind and make it clear why movies are magic.”

That Hashtag Show’s Manny Gomez praised how the latest Now You See entry allowed the original cast to “set the stage for the new magicians to shine:”

“#NowYouSeeMe is a fun addition to the franchise that allows the beloved cast to set the stage for the new magicians to shine. Loved the magic… misdirection… and twists and turns that make going to the movies fun.”

The Direct’s David Thompson was proud to declare that the “magic is back” in the Now You See Me franchise after seeing that the third installment was filled with “some satisfying twists and turns:”

“Happy to report the magic is BACK in the #NowYouSeeMe franchise — loved the new cast, a bunch of fun sequences, & some satisfying twists and turns.”

Film critic and The Film Blerds host Brandon Norwood said that fans of the series will definitely “love” Now You See Me: Now You Don’t because it is “thoroughly entertaining:”

“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T: Thoroughly entertaining! The younger cast mixes in well with the OGs. Fans of the series, you’ll love this. Really miss mid-budget studio popcorn fare like this.”

Popternative’s Christopher Gallardo enjoyed the latest Now You See Me entry and described it as a “new-gen rivals old-gen story” that has a special flair:

“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is an exciting thrill-ride with all the tricks and dazzle you’d want. It’s a ‘new-gen rivals old-gen’ story with a special flair that shines with it’s fun cast chemistry. Sessa, Greenblatt, and Smith especially rock all throughout!”

FandomWire’s PossesSEAN gave high praise to the movie’s “impressively staged set pieces,” calling the threequel a “great popcorn movie:”

“#NowYouSeeMe: NOW YOU DON’T was catnip for me — another exhilarating, funny caper with some of the most impressively staged set pieces of the year. A great blend of old and new that effectively ups the stakes and scale. What a great popcorn movie!”

Ethan Simmie of The Movie Draft Podcast admitted that Now You See Me: Now You Don’t went “full Mission: Impossible mode,” with him celebrating the fact that it was “some of the most fun” he’s had at the movies this year:

“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies all year! This entry goes full Mission: Impossible mode and is hilarious, entertaining, and perfectly meta. I could watch one of these every single year forever. We really do come to the movies for magic.”

Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is one of the 12 biggest sequels in 2025. The movie has a stacked cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco. They are joined by newcomers Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt, Dominic Sessa, and Rosamund Pike. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t ⁠⁠⁠will premiere in theaters on November 14, 2025.

Now You See Me 3’s Success Could Lead to Franchise’s Promising Future

Lionsgate

Based on the first wave of reactions, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t seems poised for success, which is good for the franchise’s future. Moreover, widespread critical praise could boost the movie’s box office returns.

The long wait for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t could be seen as an advantage because it offers a sense of nostalgia to original fans. The nine-year gap also allowed the movie’s writers to strike an ideal balance, crafting intricate heists while establishing seamless chemistry between the returning cast and new additions.

If successful, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t could lead to future installments or potential spin-offs. With prequel entries to many recognizable franchises like Alien: Earth (read more about Season 2 here) and It: Welcome to Derry finding success in streaming, the threequel’s triumph at the box office could push Lionsgate to explore a spin-off focusing on the younger versions of the Horsemen.