Fantasia International Film Festival: Rurouni Kenshin-Kyoto Inferno

by sophie on August 5, 2014 at 6:16 pm

Posted In: Fantasia, Homepage, Montreal, Movies, Sophie, Summer Festivals

This is one movie I was greatly looking forward to. Some 12 odd years ago or so, I was introduced to the anime following one Himura Kenshin, friendly vagabond with a dark and violent past. I loved it and it`s characters for many years. Rurouni Kenshin at Fantasia International Film Festival? I had to be there.

When I saw there was a live action film, I got so excited! I didn`t know it was a sequel though… I guess now I get to enjoy a whole other film!

Regardless of it being a sequel, the movie stands alone very well, even if you are unfamiliar with the anime or manga. They manage to give enough background explanation to catch you up clearly, and not so much that it`s annoying for those who already know about it.

The Story: As is traditional in all of Kenshin`s adventures, he is reluctantly pulled out of hiding/retirement to aid the government in dealing with a dangerous rebel. He`s too strong, blah blah blah, you`re our only hope, so on and so forth. It`s a bit of a tired plot, but hey, that`s what Kenshin is! They pulled it off beautifully, and I had a blast watching it. Just the right amount of cliche, cool and interesting characters (how awesome was that old ninja guy, seriously) and a villain you love to hate.

The Action: YES! More please! Holy cow was it ever awesome! I have to say, I was skeptical at first. Kenshin is meant to be this nigh-inhuman fighter, a legend among men, an unbeatable prodigy. His fighting style and prowess is described in great detail, so I was fully expecting to see exaggerated nonsense, all up on ropes and overflowing with absolutely impossible stunts. I was happily wrong. We were presented with excellent choreography, enhanced by a reasonable amount of special effects to enhance the display of speed and skill at his disposal. The crowd was cheering and clapping!

The Actors: Were everything I had hoped they would be. Very realistically realized, which is difficult when you think about the anime/manga art style they were based on.