Amazon.com
There's not a single original idea in Returner, but that doesn't stop this Japanese sci-fi action thriller from being a whole lot of fun. Combining elements of (what else?) The Matrix , E.T., The Terminator, and Independence Day, plus a dash of Back to the Future (among others), the mayhem begins when scruffy survivor Milly (Anne Suzuki) uses a time portal to leap from 2084--when humans are being systematically wiped out by invading aliens--to 2002, where she hooks up with a gun-slinging maverick (Takeshi Kaneshiro) whose swirling overcoat and hair-trigger attitude make him the live-action equivalent of the quintessential anime hero. Together, they thwart a Yakuza psychopath (played with hilariously laconic nihilism by Goro Kishitani) who's attempting to steal a recovered alien spaceship to exploit its highly advanced weaponry. In its race to avoid an end-of-the-world scenario, Returner throws in just about everything from the sci-fi anime repertoire, and director Takashi Yamazaki blithely and blatantly shifts from juvenile sentiment to violent brutality, resulting in a clash of tones that makes Returner wildly entertaining but decidedly not for children. Utterly derivative but worthwhile for sci-fi and anime fans, it's a noteworthy case of clever recycling, with energy and ammunition to spare. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
DVD Description
Eighty years in the future, time is running out on mankind. The only hope rests with a brave time traveller who must return to the past to change history...and alter Earth's destiny. 2084. After decades of intense fighting, an alien invasion force is close to destroying what's left of the world. In a last-ditch effort to save the human race, a guerrilla fighter named Miri leaps into a waiting Time Shifter. With the Alien Wars set to begin in 72 hours, she tricks Miyamoto, a skilled martial arts expert and gunman, into joining her cause. Together the two launch an all-out assault on the local crime lord who's captured a spaceship - and imprisoned its extraterrestrial pilot. Now the Returner and her partner must free the captive alien before warships begin to attack the planet in this sci-fi thriller packed with dazzling special effects and blazing martial arts action.
Special Features
- Running Time: 112 minutes
- Languages: English, Japanese, Italian, Spanish
- Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portugese, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
- Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic - 1.85:1
- Disc Format: DVD9
Synopsis
Eighty years in the future, time is running out for mankind. The only hope rests with a brave timetraveler who must return to the past to change history and alter Earth's destiny.
