When a movie such as God Skin (หมัดเทวา ท้าเดิมพัน) gets to make its world premiere at Fantasia Film Festival ahead of its own native release in Thailand, I hope what’s presented is more closer to what director Paween Purijitpanya wanted than the workprint I examined ahead of time. And for a proper North American distribution, I can’t wait to see what the final print will look like. That kind of stuff can’t be rushed, especially when the homage to many fighting games are key to this film.
There’s a lot to pack into this action-video game cum MMA movie, so expectations are high. And although there’s a story behind why people are participating in this combat sport, what I was more attracted to is what this movie delivers as theories on how augmented reality fighting games should really look when the right technology is available.
There are some Fight Club style elements going on, even though the motivations for joining aren’t entirely the same. Here, Marwin (Sutthirak Subvijitra) gets mixed up in this world to make ends meet and get the money needed to help his mom recover. After a street altercation, he meets Itt (Itkron Pungkiatrussamee), an old school buddy who says he should become part of the fun at Mirage Stadium. The nickname this guy gives the hero is Win, and that’s an understatement. And pretty soon, he finds that Praewa (Phantira Pipityakorn), an old girlfriend, is working there.
Although he’s not expected to be an instant star, he becomes a local favourite when he shows he has natural fighting skill rather than relying on enhanced abilities to survive in the ring. When the combat zone is simply a basic arena where people fight in a cage match, things don’t get interesting until they get “cyber” enhanced. Various beasts manifest from within. They’re almost like Vixen from DC Comics, and when these skills are activated, that’s when the action gets visceral.
The only reason these combat “victims” can do what they do is because of the tattoos rather than the nanite pills they consume prior to battle. Without them, they only have their skills and wits to get by. But when the little machines get activated, an animal “manifests,” only visible to those wearing augmented reality glasses. When that happens, all these fighters can jump around like a manic praying mantis or scuttle about like a spider. It’s rare to see the wires helping to create the action, but when digitally cleaned up, I’m sure the action will look better. As I said before, this is a workprint.
At least some of the more obvious digital bits come when the camera holds a third-person point of view of the action, rather than switching to first-person where we see stats pop up from the fighter’s perspective.
And it seems that Itt is a scumbag. Though he doesn’t see it right away, I knew from the get-go that I’d never turn my back on him! That’s because of how self-centered his actions are. He talks about how great he’ll be to line his pockets rather than talk about how his mom is doing with the new treatments, now that he’s making money.
Although early marketing doesn’t spoil too many details, one aspect of the spiel is confusing. It’s said these enhanced abilities come from temporary tattoos imprinted on these champions. In the story, the pills are the true implants which grant the person these enhanced abilities. It’s a touch confusing, but unless there’s a lot more computer graphics to be added, my guess is that the tattoos are invisible. But once they’re activated, perhaps it’s the scars we’re supposed to recognize as an indicator of how long this gladiator has been here.
I was half expecting to see the anger in the eye of the tiger rather than hear a running commentary about the charge of a rhino when Marwin is ready to strike. And like many other Bloodsport type films, you’re watching this film for those gladiatorial moments rather than following the story. What makes this movie work is the consideration of what augmented reality should really look like. Nobody has to wear clunky headgear.
And those POV shots with Iron Man VR style graphics are a solid sell in my book. Although the subplot concerning dating an ex-girlfriend seems weak at best, perhaps there’ll be a better cut that says more about what’s going on than looking like an attached idea a la Jean Claude Van Damme’s movie from decades ago. The finale is different, and as for whether this kid can leave this world for good, that’s the gist rather than anything else. When the plot is really about not losing yourself to the anger and the rage, how Win escapes depends on not being dependent on others to achieve success, and that’s a tale worth remembering!
3½ Stars out of 5
God Skin Movie Trailer
