Jellyfish Eyes – dir. Takashi Murakami – 7.3 – Jellyfish Eyes is a perfect example of trusting the people whom you claim to trust. I would not have watched this film if it was not a Criterion release and the trailer for the film had me questioning my trust in the company. I was wrong. I admit this. My expectations for the film were twisted and mixed. It looks like a live action Pokemon-stylized, children’s movie and it was. However, watching the film I realized that there has been something lost in my life.

Nearly all of the films that I watch fill me with wonder, which is one of my baseline requirements. I realized, watching Jellyfish Eyes, that sprinkling joy on top of the wonder go the distance in fulling my emotions.

The story of Jellyfish Eyes is a group of twenty-somethings who found a portal to another realm filled with companion creatures. Negative energy is required to open the portal and they have learned that children are the best generators of the energy that they need. I really want to leave as much of story untouched as possible because the film is well worth your time.