As far as the majority of the west is concerned, Japan's main cinematic glories have been movies containing small animated creatures or detailing the way of the Ninja/Samurai.  However, 'Space Travelers' sets out to dispel this myth by taking one of the country's biggest stars, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and propelling him onto the screens with a high quality Hollywood contender.

Three orphanage pals have always dreamed of heading for a tropical paradise but this requires one important commodity; money.  They decide to rob a bank with the intention of getting in and out as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, the situation starts to go a little pear shaped when the manager and the security guard lock themselves in the vault (along with all the money) leaving our brothers-in-arms with more than a passing dilemma.  When word spreads to the outside world of the trio's venture it is treated as a hostage situation and things go from bad to worse as the gang find themselves faced by cops, terrorists and, worst of all, angry customers.

The first thing that is instantly noticeable about this production is that there appears to have been no expense spared in making it look high quality.  Numerous pyrotechnic sequences are utilized along with some computer generated effects, the most impressive of which is the use of animated bullets that are then tracked by the camera to their destinations.  There are also some very stylized camera motions employed that give the production an animated feel which is extremely fitting considering the running theme of the film.  However, this may fool you into thinking that this is an action film but that is untrue as the focus is entirely on character interaction.

Although the premise behind this movie lies in one characters obsession with a manga cartoon series, thankfully this is not an adaptation of an animation.  In truth, this is a stylish and witty comedy that lies somewhere between a mix of 'Killing Zoe' and 'The Breakfast Club'.  My main reason for this analogy is the fact that the scenario is based around complete strangers placed in an enclosed environment and forced to bond in ways that you would never think possible.  As with the aforementioned comparisons, this approach is employed successfully and creates an entertaining outcome as we watch several different relationships blossom under the cameras watchful eye.

With a pacey script, genuine moments of amusement and some enjoyable performances from the majority of the cast, 'Space Travelers' really succeeded in surpassing my expectations.  The cover art and title lull  you into thinking this will be an action film but in fact it is a well put together and executed comedy which comes across as a sophisticated international movie for the 00's.