Ninja, dragons, samurai, wizards, giant spiders, kaiju, evil sorcerers, lots of fights and a substantial (but largely bloodless) body count- what more could you want!? "The Magic Serpent"* is a fast moving, imaginative, and fun example of Japanese fantasy films. In a classic 'hero myth' story: a young prince, robbed of his birthright by an evil usurper and his sorcerer accomplice, trains in the arts of war and magic with an old wizard before returning for revenge and justice. Along his journey, he deals with constant attempts on his life, befriends the children of an unjustly executed farmer, and meets a young woman with a mysterious past who is also on a quest. The special effects are quite good, 'suit-mation' and puppetry are combined to bring the titular dragon to life, there are odd but imaginative animated inclusions (such as the fireball (?) the hero rides at one point), and some of the stunts during the numerous battles use 'wire work' to allow the hero and villain to make prodigious jumps. The scene where the hero is trapped by a wall of spinning doors is especially clever and well executed. The acting is fine for a samurai-sword and sorcery epic, with the hero heroic and the villain villainous, and the film touches on the merits of unquestioning obedience and filial loyalty a number of times. Despite not being a Toho production, the distinctive roars of various Toho kaiju (including Godzilla) were added to the American version. A must see for fans of pre-CGI fantasy films. *I watched an English-dubbed version of "Kairyu daikessen"
Review of Magic Serpent
