Review for Naruto Shippuden The Movie (Review)
Sunday, 18th July 2010, 16:24

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Extras
The disc gets a static menu and jacket picture, as is normal for anime discs these days. The extras on disc are minimal, but you may have an appreciation of a 6-minute Japanese movie trailer reel (although this lacks subtitles). You'll also find the Line Art Gallery with some 30 images, as well as the trailer for the Shippuden series.

In the series, prior to the film's release, the opening and closing credit sequences were altered to publicise the forthcoming film's release. These special movie versions of the credit sequences are here on this disc, Hero Come Back - Special Movie Version, and Michi - Special Movie Version.

Conclusion
Can Naruto save the priestess, save the world, and change his own destiny?

What do you think? Seriously, what were the writers thinking when they came up with a lethal prophecy for the title character to defy? There is an ongoing series you know, there's a whole find Sasuke, defeat Akatsuki story to resolve. Trying to sell a movie on the potential vulnerability of the title character, when you know full well that not only will he be alive and well, but that the events of this film will never even be acknowledged in the series, is sheer lunacy. It is a filler story after all, and our characters will be no different at the end compared to where they were at the beginning. It's all about the guest character and their story, and really how well that is fleshed out in the film's runtime.

You'll find nothing that different from this Naruto film compared to the three that have come before. True the characters are older, and true we get to see more in the way of ninja action from them, but in terms of the film's structure and story, it's nigh on identical to that which has come before. Naruto has to help a guest star, in this case the priestess Shion, overcome powerful adversity. Once again, the guest star starts out as something of an obnoxious brat that invariably rubs Naruto the wrong way, but over the course of the film, he learns that both he and she have much in common. And through sheer force of Naruto's personality and his perseverance in the face of desperate odds, she becomes a better person. The only twist to this version of the Naruto movie tale is Shion's fortune telling ability, but that is rendered moot of course, by the inevitability of Naruto's survival.

But Naruto Shippuden The Movie is a well-told tale, with interesting characters and a lively pace. It also plays to an audience that has grown up with the show, and consequently can take the story into darker places. The earlier movies certainly didn't have such a focus on mortality, which is what Shion's ability results in. Of course the script has the dumb logic of a shonen action film, with Naruto determined to fight because his death has been prophesied. But action fans won't be disappointed, with not only Naruto, but also Rock Lee, Neji, and Sakura in action. Rock Lee unleashes his trademark hyperspeed kung fu, and there's an all too brief burst of drunken style as well that is bound to put a smile on many a face. Neji breaks out his trademark 64 palms technique, while perhaps the biggest treat for me is to see Sakura in action. In the first series she was often the observer while the boys did all the fighting, and it's long overdue for her to deliver a smackdown or two.

Of course it's wise not to use any brain cells for this movie. Or else you'll wind up asking why events as profound and as world changing as two attempts to take over the world by the demon Moryo, as devastating as two world wars, are never referenced in the series. From what we see in the film, with the size and power of Moryo, and the scale of the Ghost Army, these are events that make the Nine-Tailed Fox attack look like a fracas in a pub. Naruto Shippuden The Movie is fun entertainment, perfect for the Naruto fan that wants to see some large-scale ninja action, but without the story development that takes fifty or so episodes. But it is ultimately disposable fare.

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