Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Here's where the rubber meets the road and you find out whether you're a fan of Japanese films, action films, kung-fu, swordplay, Crouching Tiger, epic journeys, and monster movies, or if you're just a snob. Me? I thought I was a snob, jaded, yawning - turns out I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed DORORO. It's a great combination of those genres I mentioned, and it takes a great chef to make a tasty stew. Not too much of this or that. It's not sardonic, sneering, or snarky, even if the heroine (or is she a "hero"?) is. It's played straight, and the fact that the demons seem to be directly out of Power Rangers has no bearing on it, because you will LOVE the agile spider demon, at the very least. The family conflicts are real, and even heartfelt, and the resolutions meaty, though of course not Ingmar Bergman or Akira Kurosawa meaty.Some wordplay on DORORO - "doro" kinda means "muddy" which is our heroine's face, but "dororo" kinda means "little monster" which is our hero, and I guess our heroine also. Speaking of our hero (about time!), he's a bit like Pinocchio, isn't he, but also his quest takes on Lord of the Rings proportions. There is Jacob and Esau also, who got the blessing. Like I said, plenty to take in here. Fast-paced when it wants to be, slow and meditative at other points. There is a good bit of decent philosophy and wisdom to ponder, magic mixed with technology to gawk at, and high-flying martial arts with many a cool move!

This was excellent, a film about a young man who inherits immortality by his father making a deal with a demon to rule the world. Although his son Kyakkimaru (Satoshi Sumabuki) was abandoned. A lone sorcerer uses his vast powers to give this abandoned young boy new body parts. 48 in all. His father made the deal where the demons would inherit his body parts when he was a baby. This gave him absolute power of his province, but at a high cost. Seeing as his empire was not becoming what it should be, his other son Tahomaru (Eita) would succeed him at the throne. During Kyakkimarus travels to look for his original body parts, a lone wolf woman Dororo (Ko Shibasaki) joins him in the effort to aid his journey. Her belief is that she is a man until the time comes to be a full fledged woman. Besides this, an old music man who ventures into the plains somehow manages to find and hear their sordid tales. And plays his Koto during times of battle between Kyakkimaru and the demons. With the news about his past, he then realizes that revenge is not the way to happiness, and his father Kagemitsu Daigo (Kiichi Nakai) clashes with his abandoned son to settle the matter. Yet during this strange turn of events, his father succumbs to grief and suddenly understands that both of his sons are equally special. With the last blow from Kyakkimaru, he wounds his father when a demon takes over his body. It is the last stage for his journey, at lest on the family side. I thought this was a great movie, about dark magic, swords, apocalyptic times where the gun is not the dominant way of the samurai. There is humour, sadness, family bonds, and above all, a hero that sends back the demons who do not belong here. With his brother Tahomaru finally putting aside the sword for the better changes to happen, he waits until his older brother Kyakkimaru will return to take over the throne. Nice effects, strange looking demons, and all out fun between good and evil. A recommended film who read the Manga series.

Film adaption of Osamu Tezuka's comic about a swordsman who's father sold 48 of his body parts to various demons for help in taking over the country and the world. As the swordsman kills the various demons he gets the parts back. He travels with a young thief named Dororo whom he picks up along the way. As the story progresses the pair encounters many demons and move ever closer to the revenge Hyakkimaru, the swordsman, desires.Its an okay adaption of the comic (just now being published in the US), with several changes to the story (Hyakkimaru's father is wounded in battle and angry at his Lord when he makes the deal with the demons not just desirous of power, the creation of Hyakkimaru's prosthetic body is something out of Frankenstein instead of carved from wood, the source of one of the swords that serve as arms has been changed and it appears that how and what our hero can see has changed), the film travels close to episodic nature of the comic in spirit if not in actuality. This presents a problem since much of the first half of the film is exposition, setting up back stories and who these characters are.Its okay but it doesn't allow for things to really take off until the second half (which angles towards two promised sequels). There is also a weird shifting of tone from action to comedy to drama to horror in a way that doesn't quite work. (It doesn't help that there is an over abundance of CGI that often makes things seem less real) I like the film but I don't love it. Its not because I'm really enjoying the comic and the film doesn't match it, rather its just that the film is long winded and doesn't work for its own reasons. Frankly the almost two and a half running time is too much for a film that is too episodic to fully buildup momentum (perhaps the next two films will play better with the need for set up removed). The look of the film is often breath taking and the action is quite good and over all the film is worth seeing if you are willing to allow for its flaws. I don't know if I'd pay to see this at 10 bucks a head (a possibility since this has been popping in and out of theaters) but I would rent it or wait for a cable appearance should a station actually purchase the broadcast rights.6.5 out of 10.--------- Addendum: I recently spoke with a representative from Vertical Publishing who is putting out the comic. He said that there will be no sequels because the Tezuka estate dislikes this film enough to stop production.

I do not usually comment movies regardless of how good or bad I feel about other comments on it, but I think this piece deserves my time. Dororo might not be the greatest fantasy movie of all time, but it's story telling, visuals and wonderful acting deserve their place amongst the best. I have never seen the original comics it is based upon and I am not going to compare it to other popular fantasy titles either. It is a movie that stands on its own, represents perfectly Japanese style of cinematography and gives the western audience an opportunity to have a good look on eastern mythology themes. If you can close one eye over few lower cost effects, there is absolutely nothing you will find lacking except the next two episodes to be available much sooner :)Pretty please, if you can not find a good word for anything that is not made in US, then do not watch. This movie does not deserve you and you do not deserve it.P.S.: I would like to send the best regards to the reviewer who turned the movie down while admitting he did not understand a word from it. I might next try to watch movie ala Forrest Gump with muted sound and rate it as bad comedy. But perhaps it would be better if you stick to rating Japanese porn movies. I believe there should not be much problem if you do not get what they are talking about ;)