A schoolgirl discovers she has powers and soon finds herself involved in things she never could have imagined.
Based on a novel by Taku Mayumura and directed by Nobuhiko Ôbayashi, School in the Crosshairs is an oddity that is quite entertaining with a story that is a bit all over the place but works nonetheless. There is a ton going on in here and a lot of it will be completely forgotten 5 minutes after the movie ends and then even more a day later. This being said, it’s entertaining and the writing and direction are a big part of it. Of course, there is a bit of chaos, ok a lot of chaos, and that is where the film’s charm lays, a bit like the recently reviewed The Cat. This is one of those movies where the story is important, but the nonsense is importanter (yes, I know).
The cast for this mess of a fun film is solid in that; the performances are just right for the material they are working with. It’s not exactly award season caliber here, but an effort is put in and the cast does look like they want to do their best. Hiroko Yakushimaru, Masami Hasegawa, and Ryôichi Takayanagi are the leads here and do what they can to sell the story with all of its science fiction and fantasy elements. Are their performances top notch? No. But are they entertaining? Absolutely. The cast is what this film needs and fits the whole thing just right.
Now, something that is spectacular here, yes yes, spectacular, are the special effects because they will make any viewer go “oh, wow”. Yeah, this may be in a few different tones and intonations, but the effects sure are something here. It’s a bit nuts to look at all those effects and then the year the film was made, so they are to be given credit for at least trying. Much like a few other elements in the film, the effort is there; the results are dated and clearly not up to current standards, but full of charm.
School in the Crosshairs is one of those films that is aging with an odd charm and a boatload of fun. It’s plenty entertaining and a worthy pick up for fans of crazy films that present their nonsense in the most serious way possible. This is a fun film and one that cannot not entertain.
This new release here looks good on Blu-ray disc with a 2k restoration with sound that has a few issues here and there but nothing too terrible. The extras are a bit thin with the audio commentary by Max Robinson and the visual essay by Phillip Jeffries being the top options on this new release. The other extras are a bit generic with a poster gallery, trailers, and a slipcase with new art (which is interesting).