Yamato Takeru

I saw this film in the form of a DVD with the title "Orochi: The Eight Headed Dragon," and found it very entertaining. The comment below about a mix of styles is apropos. To me, it almost seems like different directors and/or art directors were in charge at various times. Approximately the first 1/4 of the film is exquisitely stylish, with beautifully composed shots in which color is delicately harmonized, (an upward shot of the hero Prince Yamato with cherry blossoms in full bloom overhead, a procession of people in pastel-hued costumes zigzagging up a path on a green hill, Prince Yamato at the edge of a brook in the middle of a forest), and the costumes and interiors are of strikingly beautiful design. As the scope and action of the film picks up it seems to take on a garish, cartoon-like look, and becomes more reminiscent of the old Ray Harryhausen monster and magic films. Near the end, it seemed to me to take on a more familiar Japanese monster style, with huge puppets and actors in rubber or plastic suits. The special effects are also an oddly mixed bag. Most of them seemed dated by today's standards, but nevertheless pretty to see. There were, however, two or three morphing effects that were obviously done by CGI.

The stylistic schizophrenia aside, I found the whole thing quite enjoyable. Not being too familiar with the Japanese sword and sorcery genre, I can only take others at their word that this sort of thing has been done better in Japan, but I had a good time seeing it and found more than one point of reference to more familiar genres.

This is one of the best sword & sorcery movies I've ever seen, with an unusually high production value for a movie so little discussed and an extremely satisfying ending that is something you'd only see from Japan. Keeps up a very good pacing with a lot of variety in the action scenes, it feels like a lot of inspiration and care went into the making of this movie. Anyone who is into fantasy, sword & sorcery, or Japanese films should absolutely watch this.

A very great movie and easily the biggest disparity I know of between quality and popularity. I have no idea why it's unknown or has a low score here, it doesn't make a scrap of sense to me.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, and am frankly surprised that the few reviews I have seen of it have been so harsh. It's beautiful, filled with action and imagination, and fun to watch. Rather than taking itself seriously, as some of the reviews have said, it is perhaps innocent instead of cynical. The story begins with the creation of the universe, then quickly moves to the birth of a future hero, one of a pair of twin princes who must somehow surmount a whole series of harsh circumstances, ruthless enemies and, with the help of the woman he loves, eventually defeat a returning god! I found it well-done, visually enjoyable and fun. It has everything - handsome heroes, evil villains, handsome evil gods, beautiful heroines, sword fighting, cool special effects, mythological creatures, giant monsters, honor, love, sacrifice and triumph. Though for easy reference I called it a Japanese 'Clash of the Titans', I enjoyed it a great deal more than 'Clash'.

Orochi, the Eight Headed Dragon drags a bit for the first half-hour, but it gets more action-focused around the halfway mark and becomes a good deal more entertaining. After that, it drags a little again, and then picks up immensely for its gonzo ending. It's not always the most smooth-sailing of films, but it's worth sticking with to see all the spectacle and wildness on offer near the end.

Much of Orochi, the Eight Headed Dragon feels like a classic fantasy/adventure movie, and then the final 20-ish minutes takes on the feel of a kaiju movie with a more fantastical slant than science fiction. It doesn't combine such things in a way that feels anywhere close to seamless, but during its better moments, it's hard to care too much.

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It had some really nice special effects. It was a fun fantasy movie in the same vein as the US Sinbad movies complete with a Dragon. I first saw this as a Japanese import with English subtitles and was glad when it was released here in the US last year on video with English dubbing. The US video title is "Orochi: The Eight Headed Dragon". A fun way to waste a few hours and get lost in your imagination.