About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

How does one take Dororo, a 40-year old manga story and make it fresh and exciting for today's movie audiences? Simple. Add some attractive actors, toss in some steampunk sci-fi and top it off with lots of special effects. Yes, it's far-fetched and some of the computer-generated demons look more fake than frightening, but Dororo is still a fun, entertaining flick.

Dororo does stray from Tezuka's original story in a few places, but for the most part, it's faithful to the original.

However, with a few spoilers in the story, I'd recommend reading the rest of Vertical's Dororo manga edition before watching this flick.

Publisher's Site

Pros

• Computer-generated special effects bring the wildest elements of this fantasy adventure to life
• Action-packed feature film adaptation delivers the essential plot points of Tezuka's manga
• Updates this 40-year old manga story with flashy fight sequences and steampunk sci-fi twists
• Satoshi Tsumabuki plays tormented Hyakkimaru close to the original character

Cons

• Has lots of exaggerated samurai movie acting and melodrama
• With Shibasaki as Dororo, a key spoiler is revealed to readers who haven't read all of the manga
• Some of the CGI demons look more fake than frightening

Description

• Original Title:Dororo (Japan)
• Based on the original Japanese manga, Dororo by Osamu Tezuka
  
• Starring:
  • Satoshi Tsumabuki as Hyakkimaru
  • Kou Shibasaki as Dororo
  • Kiichi Nakai as Daigo Kagemitsu
• Director:Akihiko Shiota
  Distributor (US/Canada):Universal Pictures
• Theatrical Release Dates:
  • January 6, 2007 (Japanese Theatrical Release)
  • Not yet announced(U.S./Canada DVD Release)

• Movie Genres:
  • Action / Adventure
  • Fantasy
  • Samurai Action
• Movie Rating: Not rated, but includes violent fight and death scenes
  
• Movie length: 139 minutes
  Format: Japanese, with English subtitles
• More Manga by Osamu Tezuka:
  • Dororo
  • Apollo's Song
  • Astro Boy
  • Phoenix

Guide Review - Dororo (2007)

It took 40 years to make a live action version of Dororo, Osamu Tezuka's 1967 surreal samural fantasy adventure. There have been anime, and even video games inspired by this story, but Dororo's wildly imaginative plot twists made it almost impossible to adapt into a feature film. Enter modern movie technology, which is finally able to keep up with Tezuka's wildly imaginative vision and present his tale as a live action film.

Director Akihiko Shiota reportedly budgeted $16.7 million for this flick. That's small potatoes compared to your typical Hollywood blockbuster, but still plenty to give his film some epic, post-apocalyptic scenery, a rousing soundtrack, a solid cast and some Hollywood-worthy special effects monsters. Yes, much of the story is far-fetched and some of the computer-generated demons look more fake than frightening, but it's still an entertaining adventure flick that puts a surreal, entertaining twist on the traditional samurai movie.

Satoshi Tsumabaki cuts a fine figure as the brave, yet tormented Hyakkimaru. Kou Shibasaki, while older than the original Dororo, brings a lot of enthusiasm to her role that make her a joy to watch.

Dororo the movie does stray from Tezuka's original story in a few places – for example, turning warlord Kagemitsu's fortress into an ominous steampunk castle. The comical touch of having the defeated demons die in an explosion of red goo that almost inevitably splatters all over Dororo is also purely an invention of the movie version. But for the most part, Dororo is faithful to the spirit of the original.

Readers of the manga version will notice many familiar scenes here. However, with a few spoilers in this movie, I'd recommend reading the rest of the manga before watching this flick for maximum enjoyment. Worth seeking out if you're a fan, or if merely curious, wait for its US release.

Publisher's Site