This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Despite advocating for the harmonious co-existence between races (a theme that crops up in conversation too many times to be coincidence), Parasyte is a testament to human selfishness, with many characters pursuing their own desires, without thinking of other people, or the potential consequences.Though friends of mine see me as an 'anime addict' my lacking knowledge of the anime this feature is based upon, did not infringe upon my experience. The beginning of the film sees multiple parasitic organisms finding their way into human society, though their origins remain unexplored. Invading the bodies of potential hosts, the parasites completely take over, and despite having an obscene appetite for human flesh, they also exhibit a dire craving for knowledge, with stereotypical plans for world domination. Imagine a combination of Slither and Supernatural Season Seven, and you're on the right track. Though infected humans like Ryoko (Eri Fukatsu) have an open mind, and attempt to find a way to coexist amongst the human populace, most of her kind do not share such peaceful agendas.Shinichi (Shota Sometani) is a high-school student, with nerdy hobbies and few friends, though his character's life before the film is rarely touched upon. During the first scene in which we are introduced to his character, a parasitic organism invades his body, taking control of his arm. Later referred to as Migi (voiced by Sadao Abe), the creature quickly acquires great intellect, and knowledge of its surroundings, despite the predicament that it was meant to seize control of Shinichi's brain. Regardless of his situation, Shinichi is seldom seen as a sympathetic character, a certain degree of humor transpiring in regards to both his nightmarish experience, and the banter that takes place between him and Migi.That being said, his mother (Nobuko Izumi), and love interest Satomi (Ai Hashimoto) are certainly depicted sympathetically, though neither of them is ever provided significant screen time to be truly memorable. Shota's mother is allocated some degree of backstory, and Ms. Izumi's talents heighten her character's motherly affections. Satomi on the other hand, is depicted as either the damsel in distress, or as an object of copulation, and is rarely treated as a mature, young woman.Other characters, including Detectives Hirama (Jun Kunimura) and Tsuji (Takashi Yamanaka) provide the viewer with information necessary to the plot, though seldom is it explained how they themselves acquired such knowledge, while characters including Goto (Tadanobu Asano) and Yamagishi (Kosuke Toyohara) appear in cameo roles, presumably with the intent to have them portray larger roles in the sequel.Much like The Thing, a film which would make any viewer paranoid about their surroundings, Parasyte is a film that will occasionally leave you wriggling in your chair at the sight of such violence. Although blood-thirsty, what is most disturbing is watching such disgusting creatures eating human flesh. This is accentuated by the effects, which are truly superb, the creatures looking incredibly imaginative, unique and realistic.Upon discovery that those around him are being taken over, Shinichi and Migi form an unlikely alliance to combat the villainous creatures. Although Parasyte is unafraid to have characters experience great tragedy, at the same time, the film is very predictable, even for someone who hasn't seen the anime, and though the acting cannot be faulted, the melodrama did take away from some of the experience. This being said, Parasyte provides the viewer with an original experience, which is as tense as it is entertaining, though lacking information and an anti-climatic finish, may leave question marks bobbing above your head.

I haven't read the manga this is based on, but I HAVE seen the anime of it which was one of my favourites in the past few years and while the plot in this movie adaptation is very sped up, it is extremely well done! The story is cohesive enough even though plot points had to be edited and the special effects are superb considering what they COULD have been... beat the socks off San Andreas which was nothing BUT one long CGI sequence. Hollywood, take note... sometimes less IS more.I can understand people who are new or haven't been exposed to the story possibly having a tough time 'getting it', but there really is enough to hang a story on... even with a giant chunk missing here and there. As for the detractors going on about how the original has been butchered, give it a rest would ya?? The anime clocked in at somewhere near 9 hours in it's entirety and yes, it was condensed from the manga, but what the heck do you need to be satisfied with a movie adaptation? Five to six full length movies? a few 3 hour movies?? get real here... there's an old saying that goes 'A movies length should be no longer than the average viewer's bladder capacity'. Get off your fandom, 'purist' snotty attitudes and accept it for what it is... a wholly ORIGINAL and satisfying experience that Hollywood could do FAR worse to emulate!

This movie is neither based on the anime or manga, the names, some of the scenes might come close to it, but in the end is a piece of... In the anime, or better in the manga - the characters are more developed, the story is more thrilling , and this > disappointment. It was a burden to watch the whole movie, with the hope at least something will be done right. No , neither Migi, Shinichi or Murano come close to the characters in the manga. Maybe Tamia , her persona is on spot. Basically - Kiseijuu part 1 is close to the story in one thing - parasites come to earth and infest humans . With the hope my favorite anime to come alive on the silver screen fading away, i am writing this as a warning to all anime fans and manga readers - watch it and in 30 minutes you'll be asking where is the story we loved ?

To be honest I never read the Japanese comic book version before but now, I think I should start reading one. Even though Parasyte Part 1 seems to have some unsettling moments going on, but at the end it all wraps up really well from its thoughtful and amusingly entertaining storytelling. All the actors here did their roles really well thanks to the script that leaves room for character development resulting in an effectively touching moment in the last act. The effects in the film is also impressive in an Asian film level and it gets really bloody, GORY, and disturbing throughout as well. I may not be able to compare it to the comic since I never read it but overall here, Parasyte Part 1 is an accomplishment in entertainment value while being able to add in thoughtful social context and creating a character where audience can actually care about. It's a film that you can be fully satisfy once the credit rolls but still make you crave for more sequel.>>A-<<