The Score: Chainsaw Man—The Movie: Reze Arc

 

Well, this year is a great year for anime movies! Before I dive into the review for this one, I think I should cover two things:

1) This review will have SPOILERS. This movie is amazing, and the arc is much better if you go in blind. You should watch the first season of the anime, but aside from that, try to avoid advertising and reviews. I read the manga blind, and it is so good at handling the rollercoaster of a plot. I will refrain from giving spoilers from the rest of the manga in this review, but just know that, having read the rest of the story, this arc only gets better upon looking back at it and seeing its impact. So if my score seems very high, bear in mind I can't explain all the set-ups that eventually get paid off.

2) I plan to eventually write my opinion of Chainsaw Man as a Christian. This film is not one that I would recommend to a broad audience. It is violent (with a good deal of blood and gore), and it contains a lot of sexual imagery and themes (skinny dipping and lingerie in this film). While the skinny dipping is very, very slightly censored (you won't see any nipples or close shots of genitalia), it does show the forms of both a guy and a girl very clearly, and the whole scene is extensive (4 minutes). So, this needs a big content warning. More than anything else I've reviewed. That being said, I firmly believe that this story is excellent in how it handles sexual themes, and it does it in a way that is very impactful and effective. I would need to write a whole long post to explain what I think of this element of Chainsaw Man, and it is an integral part of the themes and writing of the story, but if you are not comfortable putting these things in front of you, I'd encourage you to sit this one out. Your thought life and mental purity are worth more than your entertainment. That being said, I have found this story to be, sincerely, edifying from my position. So I do not think it is a story that is wrong to enjoy. It is, however, something one should interact with carefully.

With that out of the way, let me get to my review!

The Score: Demon Slayer-Infinity Castle

 

Yesterday I went to see the first of the three upcoming Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba. I will refer to the franchise as KNY) movies. I have read the manga (and I really enjoyed it. It and Fullmetal Alchemist are my top two favorite manga/comics I've read), so I was excited to see this part adapted. My expectations were sky-high, and I have been eager to write this review. I will avoid spoilers for the manga in this score, but I should note that knowing what comes next and what set-up is being done by this film makes me even more impressed.

The Score: How To Train Your Dragon (2025)

I went to see the new HTTYD live-action remake (HTTYDLAR), and I am going to review it here. I would review it on my old blog, but hopefully this format will work better for it. 

HTTYD Live Action Remake Teaser

This is a repost from my HTTYD Blog, but it fit here as well.

Well, the teaser trailer for the HTTYD live-action remake (HTTYDLAR? Idk) dropped and, I have thoughts. Honestly, I didn't want to come back to this blog in a negative way, but as it is my HTTYD fan blog, I think this is the most appropriate place to cover this topic.

Recent Media Diet: July 2024

 

I felt it would be fun to give a bit of a spoiler free blurb about what media I've been watching/reading over the last half a year or so. Below I will give a tiny bit of input on what I think of them (or think so far).

The Score: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

With the sequel having been released this year, I wanted to go back and review an animated film that absolutely blew me away back in 2018. This film's impact has been tangible on the 3D animation industry with other studios being emboldened to take much riskier, more experimental, and more artistic visual styles. I rewatched this film to see how I would feel about it now, and I am pleased to say that it is still a film I would strongly recommend. I will this film first and probably review the second film shortly after.

The Score: Godzilla Minus One (2023)

 

Yesterday I went and saw Godzilla Minus One in IMAX. I am pleased to say that I loved the film. Since it is very new, I am going to do a spoiler free review before the page-break. 

Godzilla Minus One returns the legendary King of Monsters to his classic role as the antagonist of the story. The setting is a post World War II Japan, and this is used to great effect. The narrative uses this to explore several interesting themes and is a much more thought provoking film than you might expect. Overall, the film also looks good, sounds great, and is well acted and paced. The protagonist of this film is probably the best human protagonist I have seen in a Godzilla film, and he and his costar have good chemistry. I would also like to note that the supporting cast is endearing and many of the characters are decently well characterized, established, and given good payoffs. There are multiple action scenes that worked very well. While the story has many bleak elements to it, I would argue it has many uplifting themes as well. For a story about a giant laser breathing monster, it does a fantastic job grappling with the value of a human life. 

Overall, even if you are not a huge Godzilla fan, I would highly recommend checking this film out in theaters. It made me think, grieve, beam with joy, and rejoice in triumph.

From this point forward, there will be SPOILERS: