The Old School Otaku Lounge

In a way, I can see the reasoning behind this. In another, just say no. I just don't get the thought processes of the people who want to make films sometimes. I think this tongue in cheek posting from another board I was on sums it up nicely:

"PraetorBrian Ashcraft
4/22/15 9:37am
I feel like the thought process was probably like this:

Hmm, let’s make a movie that will make lots of money. We’re pretty conservative, so it also has to be a sure thing. That means we have to make a movie based on something that is currently really popular, and then spend only as much as is absolutely necessary to ensure a profit. What’s really popular right now?
Attack on Titan.
Okay, let’s do that. Tell me about it.
It’s a manga/anime, set in early 19th century Europe...
Great, let’s base it in modern Japan. We’ll only use Asian actors too.
...well, um, hmm. Anyway, humanity has been reduced to a single huge city with 3 concentric ring walls around it. All their farming and food production and industry and everything is contained within those walls.
Great, we’re in Tokyo, we’ll base it in Tokyo.
There’s not a lot of farmland in Tokyo...
CG.
Okay.
So what’s the conflict? Where’s the drama!?
Well, these huge, non-communicative humanoid things called titans try to eat the humans, hence the walls, but the brave, adventurous, cavalier defenders of the city in the Survey Corp regularly venture outside the walls to learn more about the titans and how to defeat them. Again, this is based roughly on early 19th century Europe, so they ride horses and carry swords. The city walls are manned with cannons.
Great, let’s toss some RPGs and Stinger missiles in there, it’ll be great!"

O-K-A-Y...

Was Tokyo really established as any setting at all? I think everything is intentionally left ambiguous, AFAIK. As for Japanese actors, it makes about as much sense as Hollywood CONSTANTLY casting Caucasians for other ethnicities. The Lone Ranger and The Last Airbender are two examples I can think of, with the latter being particularly absurd and analogous to an Attack on Titan movie. Oh yeah, and that horrible Chun-Li movie in which she is depicted as a Chinese girl who grows up to be Caucasian. Bizarre.

I've actually heard that the movie is an excellent mix of CG, live-action, and tokusatsu stuff blended well. And while there are horror aspects in the original story, this movie is skewed a bit more in that direction than the manga/anime. Honestly, I had almost no interest in the movie (since live-action anime/manga adaptations are usually pretty bad), but I've been hearing great reviews from the premiere last week in Hollywood, so I want to give it a shot. (And the focus on the horror aspect also helps for me, as I'm a horror fan.)

A friend of mine compared it to the modern comic book adaptation movies coming out as of late. There's lots of differences between the movies and the original comics they're based on, but they're still enjoyable while being their own separate things. That's all I really look for in a movie adaptation of anything, really!