While I was away the first trailer for Takashi Miike's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney film was released, and while I adored the look of it I didn't have time to write anything about it. Now my homie Brendon Connelly at Bleeding Cool has unearthed this version of it with English subtitles, and so it seems like a perfect time to get it up here for you all to see. Phoenix Wright is based on the wacky Capcom video game, which is sortof like Street Fighter if it was set in a courtroom, and instead of hurling fireballs you filed legal briefs. Imagine the explosive, streaky cut scenes of Marvel vs. Capcom(which Phoenix appears in) everytime Phoenix Wright issues an objection. It's insane, and Miike, fresh off the heat from 13 Assassins, appears to have captured the craziness of Phoenix Wright perfectly.
The story takes place in a future Japan where an explosion in the crime rate has forced a change in the judicial system. Now the focus is on speed, and the prosecutor and defense attorneys battle it out over the course of a few days to determine guilt or innocence. Phoenix Wright(Hiroki Narimiya)is a rookie defense attorney who uses his somewhat questionable detective skills to defend his clients, usually against charges of murder. The film will hit Japan in February, but right now there are no firm US release dates. I might have to get this one imported. Check out the trailer below....
