Dororo
Madman Entertainment
R4 DVD
Dororo
is a Japanese fantasy/samurai movie based on an original Manga by Tezuka Osamu.
The film is a unique blend of action and fantasy and offers an “adult”
adventure tale. The film was shot in New Zealand, directed by Akihiko Shiota
with Ching Siu Tung as the action choreographer and features some breathtaking
photography and landscape shots as well as loads of action.
The
plot is as fascinating as it is strange; Daigo Kagemitsu is a violent warrior
who bloodied by war, makes a deal with a gaggle of demons (forty eight of them
in all) to gain the lands he requires and kingship over the world, the catch is
he must give them his unborn son. When the child is born, all forty eight
demons have taken parts of him and his is just a small living stump, rather
grotesquely portrayed as a strange deformed baby. Rather than allowing Daigo to
kill him, his mother abandons him in a river leaving his fate to the gods. He
is rescued by an old wizened healer, Jukai, who using long forgotten sorcery and healing
cures fashions for him a body made from the limbs of children killed in war.
However, as soon as the child develops, he is haunted by goblins and spirits. A
local musician passing by gives Jukai (and by default the child), a special
sword called Hyakkimaru, which is especially empowered to kill goblins. It is
from the name of the sword the child gains his name.
Hyakkimaru
now goes on a quest to regain his original body, to do so he must kill all
forty eight demons and uncover the truth about his past. Along the way he meets
the comedy interest of the film, Dororo, a petty thief who tags along for the
ride. Together they go on a sort of fantasy road trip, killing monsters,
meeting strange people, getting in and out of trouble and trying to piece
together Hyakkimaru’s past. As the film slowly develops, and it is two hours
and some twenty minutes long, there is lots of action, monster killing and
attempts at humour. It is a fairly consistent film with action right the way
through, I never found my attention waning, though I did find Dororo’s constant
attempts at comedy a little irritating, I felt the action aspects of the film
succeeded well, however, the attempts to lighten the film with humour were
rather forced and distracted from the storyline.
The
climatic conclusion is impressive as Hyakkimaru and Dororo have to come to
understand each other since Hyakkimaru’s father is the one who has killed
Dororo’s family and tribesman and Hyakkimaru must face the father who betrayed
him to the demons for fame and fortune.
The
plot is certainly convoluted but innovative enough to keep the viewers
attention. The CGI and special effects on the creatures vary, some are
extremely impressive while others are a bit too obvious, at times it reminds me
of a quirky Godzilla film.
Dororo
is a fun romp, it mixes together an eccentric script, great action, awesome
swordplay, monsters and some great large scale battle scenes, what more could
we ask for !