Reviewed by Made in DNA (made_in_dna@hotmail.com)

Publisher: Napalm Films Available at: J-List Cost: $50 US Video quality: Beautiful (full wide screen) "H" factor: N/A Sex: N/A Overview: Meet the new face and pace of Japanese films

Fantastically well cast, written, and directed, this movie also boasts an incredible soundtrack. Highly recommended to everyone, and especially for fans of Ai Iijima. If there is only one Japanese film you own this year, make it this one. "There are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. These are concealed from all human beings. Somewhere in Japan exists the 444th portal. The Forest of Resurrection."

A perfect mix of mind-blowing martial arts and gun action, special effects, story, and humor, this is a movie you don't want to miss. Make no mistake. Even if you are a veteran of Japanese movies, this is nothing like you have ever seen before. Written and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and brought to us by KSS Films, this is a neo-classic to be sure.

Versus opens 500 years ago in Japan's distant past, a samurai stands his ground in a deep forest overlooking a river, surrounded by a pack of... zombies? It looks grim, but the swordsman pulls himself together and pulls through, only to meet his fate at the end of the zombie's lord and master.

Flash forward to today. Two escaped prisoners rush hurriedly through a forest to a pick up point. There they meet a menagerie of characters bent on keeping them there until the man who hired them arrives. Only one problem. One of the prisoners isn't a part of the original gang, and he isn't very appreciative of having to hang around. To make matters worse, he's got a real mouth on him. Tempers flare and he almost meets a quick end, but cooler heads and 'orders' prevail, until the men bring out a woman they have kidnapped.

Big Mouth kills one of the men and it's a chase back into the forest, only not before the dead man comes back to life and attacks his former companions! Everyone is confused and frightened. What follows is a fantastic combination of bloody horror sequences that the Friday the 13th movies have nothing on; high-flying, over-the-top action and outright belly-gripping gags. I dare say that Mr. Kitamura has created a new genre for us all: the Comedy-Horror Action flick. This is a story of a Dark Hero, destined to relive his fate again and again, wading through blood, gore and killers with supernatural powers. Can he change what is happening? Can he stop his evil "brother"?

Meet the new face and pace of Japanese films.

Filmed in wide-screen, 16:9 format. Optional English subtitles. Trailers, optional audio commentary, a 27-minute Behind Vesus segment, and a 7-minute side story titled NervouS included (*). 119 minutes.

* - the trailers, audio commentary, and both segments are in Japanese, with no optional English subtitles.