Azumi A great movie and the english track is a plus. Can't wait for part 2 to be made into english.
So many great ideas, such bland application. Throughout watching this movie there were so many things I found myself saying were really great ideas. First there's the tragic ending to the initial sequence where the young ninja students "graduate" from their childhood training as assassins. The idea here is great, but I just personally think it would have been better used in a movie that took itself more seriously.
Don't get me wrong I love campy movies but here I just found that I would enjoy many parts of this film if it were done with a more serious tone. It'd be like if you took the opening scene from Suicide Circle and put it in a slapstick comedy. The impact that made that scene great would be lost.
There are more scenes like this but that one stuck out the most for me as a wasted opportunity for really great story telling.
Visually this movie looks like a fan film made by/for a bunch of teenage Otaku Renaissance Festival attendants. Again, I don't have a problem with Otaku, Ren. Fests, or fan films but I didn't buy this movie for that. I expected different, and perhaps that's why I didn't enjoy it.The director's magic comes through scene after scene! WOW! I bought "Azumi" on a lark not knowing anything about it. I was so impressed I am now writing a review! This review is based on the November 2006 release of the "Two Disc Collector's Edition" of "Azumi".
First, I have to admit I have always been a fan of the Japanese hack-and-slash movies. There is a magic in them that I can't explain. When the hero throws a dart over his shoulder, without even looking at the villain, and hits him dead center in the forehead, it sounds cheesy. In "Azumi", the way the director pulls off this kind of stunt, it is pure magic. "Azumi" is full of magic moments.
This is not a film for everyone. Do not show this flick to your under 16 year old kids. Even though it is not rated, it is for a mature audience. Almost every scene has some gore (arms flying off, heads rolling, and blood squirting). On the surface, that sounds awful and will turn lots people off instantly. In this film, the director has inserted his magic and you look past that and buy into the scene.
The conversion from Japanese to English was superb. Five minutes into the movie, you forget they are not speaking English. You watch Aya Ueto's (Azumi's) lips, and you think she is speaking English. I can't speak for the earlier US releases, but the November 2006 release is excellent.
The magic of the director comes through scene after scene. Ryuhei Kitamura (the director) is a genius. The camera angles and the speed up/stop action effects are outstanding. Stop action and live action are melted into one wild ride. The scene where the villain and the hero are fighting on a plank blows your mind. You have to see it to experience it.
"Azumi" is pure non-stop entertainment in magnificent Japanese hack-and-slash magic.
