It’s time to head back to Gegege Forest for the second
feature length adaptation of Mizuki Shigeru's popular manga series. Kitaro and
friends hopped aboard the magic carpet in 2007 with a blockbuster live-action
movie that made over 2.3 billion yen (US$25 million) at the box office. Kitaro
and the Millennium Curse, once again directed by Motoki Katsuhide, followed close behind
in 2008. Eiji Wentz reprises his role as half-human, half-yokai hero Kitaro,
and the rest of the cast return too.
Which means Catgirl (Rena Tanaka) is back to light up the
screen with her feline ferocity, and we also have to endure more of Ratman, but
maybe he’s learnt a little something about restraint this time around. Then
again maybe not - farting is still funny, right? While the first instalment of Kitaro was aimed at a younger
audience, the sequel takes the familiar action fantasy route of darker and more
adult friendly. The storyline is more sinister in tone, adult themes are
explored at greater length, and the film benefits from better effects and more
rounded performances.
This time round Kitaro and his friends are investigating a
series of mysterious disappearances; young women are vanishing one after
another in the pouring rain. It’s up to Kitaro and his friends to save a young
girl called Kaede (Kie Kitano), a high school student with a matter of days to
live. They stumble upon a yokai conspiracy and a cursed cycle that dates back 1000
years. To save Kaede they must gather five ancient musical instruments and
perform a ritual that will seal the evil yokai once and for all. Who knows,
maybe they’ll also discover a cure for Ratman’s flatulence, and when I say flatulence,
I mean comedy gold. Obviously.
The Millennium Curse is almost 30 minutes longer than the
original movie, but Kitaro 2 doesn’t waste any time out of the blocks. It races
along, hardly pausing for breath as it reintroduces the major players and sets
the scene for the rest of the movie. The first hour is all over the place,
occasionally muddled and a little bit rushed, but at times it can be lots of
fun too. Even Ratman is less aggravating this time around, probably because he
has less of a part to play, but he still gets to make his odious mark on
proceedings.
Eiji Wentz came under fire after the first outing for being
a little bit bland. His performance is no more enticing here, but luckily he
has a large array of supporting characters to fall back on, so you barely notice
just how boring his interpretation of the titular character is. Isamu Tanonaka
is still a standout though, benefiting greatly from improved special effects,
and new additions to the franchise - like Yasha - are very welcome indeed.
The Millennium Curse presents us with a stronger villain
than part one; a character not entirely evil, just a little bit misunderstood.
Her turbulent past gives the movie more depth than you might expect, and Kaede’s
sympathetic turn adds dramatic weight to a final act that really didn’t need to
bother. The man-in-suit mentality of the first film has - for better or for
worse - been dispensed with, and CGI takes centre stage in Kitaro 2. Motoki
handles proceedings well enough, never allowing the yo-yo-ing script to get away
from him, whilst creating a visually appealing world for his characters to play
in.
So is The Millennium Curse a superior movie to the first
one? I would say so, yes. Fans of the original manga will still have their
issues, but fans of the original movie will find plenty to enjoy. It’s
essentially more of the same, but the effects are tighter and the cast is
certainly more comfortable this time out. Kitaro And The Millennium Curse is a
fast paced fantasy adventure that improves upon the original in every way.
Family films are rarely as accessible to adults as this, and
family films based on Japanese manga have an even harder time on this side of
the world. The fact that Kitaro 2 remains an enjoyable ride for children and
grown-ups alike is something of an achievement, and I for one would love to see
another chapter in the series. Gegege No Kitaro: Death Of A Dirty Rat, perhaps.
Failing that, Gegege No Kitaro: Catnip And Curves. That sounds like a better
prospect to me. AW
No comments:
Post a Comment