Starring - Ryunosuke Kamiki (Bloody Monday, Summer Wars), Hiroyuki Miyasako (The Laughing Policeman, Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial), and Chiaki Kuriyama (Battle Royale, Kill Bill Vol. 1)
Release Date - 2005
Genre - Fantasy/Comedy/Adventure
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
When I originally received the Yokai Monsters Collection set from Arrow Video I was under the impression that it house four films from the late 60s and early 70s. I had never seen these films before but the trailer for the films looked extremely fun. That was the reason I reached out to MVD to see if I would review it. While 100 Monsters, Spook Warfare, and Along with Ghosts were exactly what I expected. I was surprised that the fourth film was more modern and was directed by legendary filmmaker Takashi Miike. The film, The Great Yokai War, was a loose remake of Spook Warfare and my favorite film in the set. It was absolutely amazing and I'm extremely grateful that it was included in the set. Once again, I want to thank MVD and Arrow Video for sending this one over.
The film follows a young boy who moves in with his grandpa in a new town. During a festival he was chosen as kirin rider which is expected to protect the yokai, a group of ancient creatures and beings. However, this could not come at the worst time as an evil man and his army of mechanical creatures ravage Japan in search of yokais that he uses to turn into his mechanical followers. It's up to the kirin rider and the surviving yokais to stop the evil man and his mechanical abominations.
The Great Yokai War is absolutely fantastic. It's a fantasy adventure film for children but I found myself loving every minute of it. It does try to capture that look and style of the original Yokai trilogy but it has a more modern influence. Regardless, I thought it was absolutely fantastic and the highlight of this set. The acting in this one is great. The characters have just as much personality as the creatures which makes the scene way more enjoyable than the previous films in the set. They are funny, full of energy, and work so well together. Honestly, I loved the entire cast and the characters they portrayed. I know there is a sequel and I seriously hope it features returning cast and characters. The story for this one is a loose remake of Spook Warfare but it adds much more to the story. As I stated earlier, this is a film aimed to children but I found it to be funny and very charming. I loved how it used Spook Warfare as the basis for the film while building so much more to it. It's a superhero movie that reminded me a lot of the Japanese super sentai shows and clones except it had Miike's touch and the Yokai Monsters influence. You never know what to expect and the film progressed and the pacing is damn near perfect. The film is over two hours long but it doesn't feel that way while watching it. The writing is smooth and not lazy as the other films. Finally, the film has plenty of make-up and practical effects along with some dated visual effects. I loved the look of the yokai and really loved the cyberpunk look of the mechanical creatures but some a good bit of the scenes used some dated visual effects that just don't hold up well now. It doesn't ruin the film but it is very noticeable. Overall, The Great Yokai War is a must see for fans of Japanese cinema and those of you that grew up with shows like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and so on. It's absolutely fantastic and you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend it.
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