Dororo

An imaginitive Japanese fantasy romp
This story of outcasts, demons, and a power-mongering warlord takes place during Japan's storied Warring States period and has been through manga and anime adaptations in the late 60's (now THAT is old school) but has just now gotten the big screen live-action treatment. 'Bout time. Two sequels are on the way as well so lovers of Asian and fantasy cinema must rejoice! This movie is a lot of fun to watch and although it is uneven at times -especially the special effects- it is highly recommended to fans of the genre.

"Dororo" is the story of a child whose body was sold to demons in exchange for power before his very birth. The monsters divided him up into 48 parts, one for each of them, and left him a featureless stump of a newborn. Unwilling to allow her powermad husband to kill the wretched child, his mother sent him down the river in a basket, Moses-style. He's found by a supernaturally gifted aspiring doctor who has been studying the science of regrowing limbs. He...

Fantasy Adventure: Full of Emotional Complexity
I had no idea when I selected "Dororo" from the Comcast-on-Demand "Free Movie" section that it would become an obsession. It's a very clever combination of elements from the Biblical story of Moses, the Pinocchio fairytale, the classical Frankenstein novel and the Highlander movies. The premise is that Hyakkimaru's father, a powerful warlord, sold 48 of his body parts to 48 demons for power over his enemies before he was even born. A young man now, Hyakkimaru must kill each demon to retrieve his true body. I can truly say that I've never seen a film as bizarre as this and yet with so many emotional layers. This film upon the first viewing will leave you gaping and you'll become mesmerized by the concepts used in the movie.

The director's vision is chock full of issues surrounding abandonment, and the effect of warmongering on children, most specifically our two main characters. In the prelude to the first battle Hyakkimaru has in the movie with a demon, several caged...

A Pleasant Surprise
Let me start off by saying I have never read the original manga this movie is based on so if you are looking to see how accurate this movie is to its source material this review might not be for you.

To put it simply, if you're in the mood for a fantasy film with swords, demons, and a decent storyline look no further than Dororo.

the GOOD:
1. Storyline is entertaining.
2. the acting is solid, slightly campy but, still fun.
3. the last half of the movie (without giving away anything) is where the story really seems to come to life.

the BAD:
1. the special effects are hit and miss. Sometimes they look great and other times they look, well, just bad.
2. some of the monster costumes look like they came straight out of a Power Rangers episode.

Since you're reading this review I assume you're interested in this title anyway so do yourself a favor and pick this one up, you won't regret it.

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