DVD Review: Fist of the North Star Movie

[Chris Beveridge]

Review by Chris Beveridge

Mania Grade: B+
* Audio Rating: B+
* Video Rating: A-
* Packaging Rating: B
* Menus Rating: B
* Extras Rating: B-
* Age Rating: 13 and Up
* Region: 1 - North America
* Released By: Discotek
* MSRP: 29.95
* Running time: 100
* Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
* Disc Resolution: 480i/p
* Disc Encoding: MPEG-2
* Series: Fist of the North Star

In Summary:
After having a severe disliking for this franchise for years, it’s interesting to go back to my first exposure to it with a new view on it and see it this way. As much as I enjoyed the manga, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to get into the movie. While it’s not a masterpiece, I found myself very engaged with it and enjoying just about every minute of it as it played out. With this great looking presentation and a fun layered storyline with lots of characters running about brutally killing each other, it appeals to very base instincts but does it with a certain kind of style. I honestly wish that they’d try to do something serious again when it comes to a live action adaptation where it has a budget and honors the source material itself by playing it largely straight. It’d be something with potential, but I doubt it’ll ever happen since it’d be another Drgaonball: Evolution experience. That said, I cannot recommend this movie enough as a piece of classic anime history done right and for a story that’s fun, violent and well structured as it explores a post-apocalyptic world.