A man is about to be electrocuted in a near-future Japan. Well, he does get electrocuted, but he doesn't die. Instead he is given two choices. I forget what one is, but I think it has to do with more dying. More importantly, the second choice, the one he takes, is to be part of an experiment where he will get pretty much any food he wants, books, whatever, but he has to share one big futuristic room with another prisoner. Neither are told what the experiment is about.

Eventually, the two become at odds with one another, and the unseen observers help out the situation by turning up the heat and other irritating things. Basically the whole movie takes place in this room, and I'll say right now: I hate that. I want to see stuff. It's a movie! I don't want to be stuck with two characters in one room for two hours, and if I have to be, I want something damn compelling. What I got was damn bored.

I'm going to keep this short, because if you are a Kitamura fan, then you should probably see this movie, and it's probably great. If you just want to see a compelling story that isn't set in one room - one that doesn't take 3/4 of the movie for anything interesting to happen - that is fun to watch, then Alive isn't it.

Visually the film looks great. Kitamura knows how to create a mood and he know how to shoot action. He just doesn't know how to keep me interested at the same time.

DO NOT BUY THIS FILM IF: You are about to be executed by the electric chair (peace, by the way); you also hate one room settings for a whole movie; or you've seen Azumi and Sky High, and like me, you just don't get why these films are supposed to be good.

RECOMMENDATION: If you like director Kitamura's work, you will probably like this. However, I personally do no recommend this movie. Luckily I just rented this one, and I'm so glad because I almost bought it. Now I know not to. Go with your gut, or go with your heart, but whatever you do, go.