while purists might grumble that Prisoners of the Ghostland is not as bold or 'out there' as Sono's previous work, it is an excellent introduction to the director for anyone who hasn't dipped into his filmography
while it won't be for everyone, this truly bizarre mashup of Westerns and samurai movies, mixed with other bits and pieces, offers a visionary design as well as a thrillingly unhinged Nicolas Cage
ultimately, Prisoners of the Ghostland is an OK film by a great filmmaker who has made truly great films, most memorable for its cast and the fact he finally made an English-language movie
the production design is absolutely incredible; The impressive fight choreography gorgeously captures the abundant violence; If you like Westerns, martial arts, Japanese cinema, Nicolas Cage, or anything weird AF, then this is certainly for you
Sion Sono's action flick is a hot, beautiful mess; the movie is a highly stylized representative fable that gleefully and deliriously blends genres, themes, and images to create a unique (if at times, bizarre) experience
it's an entertaining post-apocalyptic mashup; the result is predictably excessive, noisy and more than a little exhausting. But mostly in a fun way, as long as you're not bothered by gratuitous violence, incoherence and a deep streak of silly
it alternates between too simplistic and incomprehensible; destined to be quickly forgotten, it would need to play a hardcore genre festival to find an appreciative audience of any size
combine those visuals with Chieko Matsumoto’s costumes and some pretty creative facial makeup, and Sono has effectively guaranteed that we’ll always have something interesting to look at, even as the brain struggles for meaning
a cinematic hadron collider of Sion Sono and Nicolas Cage - the result is uncompromising, unafraid. Vibrant, hyper-stylised and unadulterated in the extreme, this is pure action cinema at its best
"Prisoners of the Ghostland" is by turns brilliant and rubbish. Nicolas Cage is in his element, it has visual invention to spare, and the fight scenes are fun, but it's a shame such imagination is tethered to equally all-over-the-place storytelling
"Prisoners of the Ghostland" is an "Escape From New York"-meets-"Mad Max" ripoff that desperately wants to be a bonkers, midnight drive-in cult classic but doesn't have the camp value or the memorably off-the-wall storyline to make the cut
"Prisoners of the Ghostland" does not disappoint; the picture's pure unpredictability is consistently entertaining; it may not be Sono's best work, but it absolutely hits the spot if you're in the mood for something hypnotically berserk
by Lorry KIkta [Film Threat ]
by Sarah Bea Milner [ScreenRant ]
by Richard Roeper [Chicago Sun-Times ]
by Mike McGranaghan [Aisle Seat ]
