Has the sense of gritty, practical politics of a Japanese samurai epic combined with the high-flying stunt work and magical special effects of a Hong Kong romp. Ultimately this film by Yojiro Takita is satisfying on neither level, but not for lack of trying.
The quality of the CGI-heavy special effects is variable and Nomura's fey performance as Seimei gives his relationship with Hiromasa a distinctly homoerotic cast that may or may not be intentional, but the demon zombies and Doson's cackling familiar are crowd pleasers.
40
Village Voice
Village Voice
Succeeds in visual splendor (it was shot on location in Kyoto) but falls flat on characterization.
25
New York PostV.A. Musetto
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Every once in a while the old-fashioned costume drama comes alive, only to sink again into run-of-the-mill special effects and long periods of talkative tedium.
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The moments of action are interspersed with lengthy plot developments that are hard to follow.