Onmyôji

If your looking for martial arts this isn't your movie. But, being the Vincent Price/Boris Karloff scorcerer fight fan that I am, It's a fun movie to watch. The scorcerer chants are enthralling. The special effects are pretty good about 70% of the time but fall short to sometimes quite poor here and there. I'd give it a 6.5 to 7 outta 10. Worth the rent if your into magic ;)

This film could have been fabulous, but rather weak direction and a mediocre budget drops it to the "Good" category in my book.

Its chief attraction is the wonderful world of Buddhist sorcery that it conjures up, sorcerers chanting macabre spells in contest with each other in chants of increasing tension and beauty. Central to the plot is the relationship of the enigmatic magician Abe no Seimei (Holmes) and his young "ii otoko" apprentice Minamoto no Hiromaki, strolling around Heian Kyoto solving mysterious magical crimes.

Abe no Seimei and all his graceful rituals is a joy to watch and hear. Mansai Nomura really get top acting chops here for creating a wonderfully wierd and brilliant magician with an unforgettable grin like a sly fox. His contests with the equally well acted Doson (Hiroyuki Sanada) are the heights of the film in my opinion.

There is so much wonderful magic in this film, it is hard to say why it is not totally satisfying. The costumes are brilliant, but many of the sets look a bit shoddy. The story starts out complex and mysterious but then sort of falls into one dimensional "end of the world" boredom. Nomura and Sanada are brilliant, but many of the other actors can be amateurish. Overall it was hard to put my finger on, but I blamed the direction and cinematography most. There just was so much here that could have made a masterpiece, but one left with mixed feelings.

Highly recommended though despite its flaws. If the idea of seeing 11th century Kyoto YinYang master magicians duel it out in all their occult glory fascinates you, don't miss this.

This movie's plot is difficult to follow. If you rent the movie sit back and let the costumes, sets, imagination, and special effects take you away.

I think the director just had an idea to do a costume movie about wizards with special powers. He got everything but a compelling story

Contrary to some of the more unfavorable comments, this is Japanese movie, has nothing to do with the Chinese genre of wuxia or martial hero movie, and does not prominently feature martial arts. Instead, it is a movie about an Onmyoji or Master or Yin and Yang, an ancient Japanese master of the occult arts, including exorcism, necromancy, foreknowledge, etc. The recreation of these arts is quite authentic and the movie is suitable for use in the classroom to help students understand the jumble of Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism that made up Chinese esoteric learning for the early Japanese. The hero, Abe no Seimei, is played by a noted Noh actor. His style is arresting, so mannered that it might seem artificial. But in this performance it gives Seimei an otherworldly, superhuman air that ads mystery to the character. If you rent it on DVD, be sure to choose to hear it in Japanese with subtitles rather than in the dubbed version. Much of the magic depends on chants and spells and I can't imagine how they could have dubbed those. THis movie requires close attention to follow the story, but it is worth it. An engrossing story of a totally different world, where the fate of nations is determined by sorcerers and wrathful spirits, and imperial forces rely as much on exorcists and priests as on generals. Highly recommended.

A fantasy martial arts film set in feudal Japan, Onmyoji uses a good cast of characters and a mystical setting to keep the audiences entertained.

When I caught this film on TV (Showtime, I believe), I was immediately drawn in. There are demons, Shinto-like priests, curses, spells, and impressive costume designs to entertain.

The story is basic-- a young well-to-do member of the court finds himself relying on help from an half-demon Onmyoji priest to protect the kingdom-- but the world of Onmyoji is fascinating and fun to watch. It's not everyday you get to watch people battle it out with chants and prayers, evil demons, and people can fly.

Despite a previous bad review, I recommend this film to anyone who has the opportunity to see it. It's a fantasy film, but the world of Onmyoji is compelling and will draw you in.