I saw Basilisk before so I was familiar with the plot already, but the film inspired me to go find out the actual story. I felt like the story was a little rushed but they had to get a lot in a little time.
I loved the set design and the scenery. The camera seems to do a lot of scenery pans and where I would usually complain I didn't mind at all.
Although the acting was good I didn't feel Yukie was as good as Joe. However, she performs better here than in Gokusen. All the supporting cast did really well, they had a way of making you really believe they were from that time. I love movies that just suck you in and make you want to see if maybe the end will change from what you know it to be. This is one of those movies.
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The story was quite new to me in spite of the romance being cliche. The action scenes kept me crazily engrossed. I couldn't get bored even for a moment there. The special effects are really worth watching. I didn't know Japan made such movies- it reminded me a lot of Hollywood superhero movies. Just substitute the superhero with multiple superhumans in this movie. The imagination of the writer was quite something. And of course, the cinematography was breathtaking. I call that picture perfect.
The direction and the technical stuff of the movie is great. The writing is also good but the ending was corny, which is the only reason I am not giving this movie a 10. They could have come up with a better ending. Since this movie is very reminiscent of a certain Shakespearean play, its ending was predictable.
I am not familiar with the cast except for Sawajiri Erika but I thought they all did a good job. The leads didn't have that much screentime but they managed to have good chemistry. The characterizations weren't that good but I blame that on the limited time a movie has to be able to include everything in within that time frame. It manages a satisfactory job.
The excellent music score also left an impact on me. I loved most of the score being played in the movie. That definitely earns points.
Anyway, this is still a great movie and I am glad I saw something as cool as this. It's the perfect film for lovers of action films.
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When I read the synopsis, the story looked interesting and like something I might enjoy. Sadly, for me, the synopsis was the most interesting and fun part of the movie.
The acting was nothing exceptional. Not awesome. Not terribly bad either. Just standard Japanese acting. Also, I can't really say any of the actors was better than the other because they were about the same for me. I didn't feel they made the characters come to life and, sometimes, it felt like they were just saying the lines they learned. I didn't even believe they were truly in love. But if you prefer Japanese acting above all others, it probably won't be a problem. For me, it was.
The music was also nothing especial, but it made the movie bearable. And the scenery shots were amazing.
The movie wasn't bad and I really wanted to like it. It was ninjas with powers! But I felt it could have been a lot better and I was not impressed in the least. As for re-watching this movie in the near or distant future, that will not be happening.
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Acting here was great, all the cast did well and the fight scenes were awesome (though honestly I hoped for more). It’s close to those Chinese movies were they have great fight scenes, of course this is not some kungfu flying kind, so expect that there’s less flying and less martial arts. If you like Anime, this movie is comparable to Naruto with their ‘abilities’ and Ninjas (and it’s Japan. LOL.) I will point out a few comparison, with images, later on.
If there is something I do not like here is that I felt that it was rushed. I mean this is a 1 hour and 50 minutes less movie but it felt lacking. I would have preferred if they made it a 2 hour movie and showed more of the love story between Oboro and Gennosuke. The story did not even bother showing or at least slightly explained how they fell in love being from two different clans, and their clans are even enemies to begin with.
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