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Returner Movie Review

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Sci-Fi/Fantasy Comedy & Personal Dramas Action Dramas
Actors: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Anne Suzuki, Goro Kishitani
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Returner
RETURNER (Ritana) was cowritten and directed by Takashi Yamazaki in 2002.

In 2084, only a few humans hold out against the aliens that have attacked the Earth. The young Milly is sent 82 years back in time in order to find the first alien which landed on the planet and kill it. She makes the acquaintance of Miyamoto, a man who has dedicated his last years to find the mobster Mizoguchi who murdered his closest friend in order to sell his organs.

Together, Milly and Miyamoto, manage to get close to the alien and understand that it isn't unfriendly at all and that it only wants to get back to its spaceship. It seems that it was the human race who was responsible for the war against the aliens by letting the first alien die. But the alien is stolen by Mizoguchi who believes that it will bring him power. Milly and Miyamoto don't have a lot of time to recover the dying alien, to return him to its comrades and to kill Mizoguchi.

--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar



Analysis of Returner
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 40%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzle - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%



**Fantasy or Science Fiction?** - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact Yes
Time Travel: - primarily to the past
Explore plotlet: - rescue mission
Time Travel Story? Yes
To what time period? - Present (early 21st century)

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Age: - a teen
Hair color? - brunette (Black)
Hair type - (woman) medium/shoulderlng, straight
Body type - average (woman)
Events of movie makes character more... - sensitive
Ethnicity/Nationality - Japanese
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor? - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Secondary Main Character
Identity: - Male
Hair color - brunette (Brown)
Hair style - (man) short/standard straight
Body type - average build (man)
How much in movie? - 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality - Japanese

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - 60%
Hair color - blonde
Hair style - (man) short/standard straight
Body type - average (man)
Ethnicity - Japanese
Sense of humor? - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average Intelligence
Physical condition - average physique
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant

Setting
Earth setting: - 20th century (1970's to Present) - near future (later in 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Forests? Yes
Big cities? Yes
Misc settings - lab
Kind of city - Dirty, crime-ridden (like NY)

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very explicit references to deaths and torture
Tone of movie - upbeat
Non-American film? Yes
What language? - Japanese
Subtitles? - Yes
Any profanity? - None
Kinds of F/X - exploding vehicles - exotic spaceships - exotic aliens
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE... - Modern rock/pop
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