Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
The Review
What can I say about the Naruto series as a whole? Well, it’s an anime alright. From beginning to end, it shows that it stays true to the anime nature and provides us with several arcs worth of entertainment. Like with many anime, the Naruto series is adapted from a manga series. And like most manga adapted series, Naruto needs to stretch things out like a motherf … euh … you know, like one of those in order to stay behind of the Manga, which was still running at the time.
But, here we have Naruto the movie. It’s an original story set within the Naruto universe, using a few locations and characters from the series. Here we see a movie that has an actual budget, and it shows really well. So if you aren’t a fan of the series, should you take a gander at the movie?
Story
Team 7 of the Village hidden in the leaves had received a new A-ranked mission. In preparation, the team leader: Kakashi, had sent Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura to do research. The movie they were sent to watch was of an unlucky princess named Fuun who was fighting her arch nemesis, Mao.
The mission they had been given was to protect the actress playing princess Fuun as they travel to the Land of Snow where they were going to shoot their next assignment. After having forced an unwilling actress on board a ship towards the Land of Snow, they quickly realize that there is more going on that first presumed. The actress playing the princess was in fact a real princess of the Land of Snow, who had been forced to flee from her country after a coup of a rogue ninja named Doto. The man still has some unfinished business with the princess and Team 7 suddenly has a dangerous group of enemies they have to fight against.
Naruto the Movie has the same amount of content as an entire filler arc in the Naruto series. Though most of the character development went to the people Team 7 was supposed to protect and their enemies, there is still a fair amount of development to be found. Meaning that the movie is a condensed filler arc, so to speak, set somewhere after episode 101 of the series. Where the series would pad things out beyond belief, the movie goes through it in just a few minutes, giving it a solid pace.
Like with the filler arcs though, the story is both deep as shallow at the same. It gives the right amount of drama for the viewer to feel with the characters, but it doesn’t do enough for you to start caring for them as if they were a part of the main cast in the series. Also like with the filler arcs, the main characters of the Naruto series are given little to no personal development. Although we do get more information on Kakashi Sensei’s past as an ANBU Black Ops member.
Characters
If it weren’t for the fact that the name of the Naruto franchise was slapped on to this movie, it might just as well have been about four random twats. Kakashi does his usual shtick of being a mentor and general badass, whilst Sasuke and Sakura are there just to tag along and chip in now and then. They have the same jobs as they did in the series. Like I said about Kakashi, he’s a mentor and a badass. Sasuke is a powerhouse, but not the main character so he’s basically being shoved aside all the time. And then there’s Sakura. Yeah … then there’s Sakura.
Luckily the movie is set at a time where Naruto is more matu … grown … euh … He’s more serious … at times. He’s not as obnoxiously stupid all the time and more funny when he’s acting stupid. In this movie he serves the same purpose as he did in the first act of the series. He’s the stereotypical main character that really shouldn’t be able to be the hero of the day if he wasn’t the main character. He’s just a kid with a loud mouth and a childish attitude most of the time who suddenly turns in to a badass when the need arises. And when things get tough, Naruto pulls out the usual speech of having friends and not being alone and never giving up. Yadayadayada. Bada-bing-bada-boom, he’s mustered the strength to overcome an obstacle. However, in the Naruto timeline, Naruto has trained enough and has gone through a fair amount of character development where it’s believable he is able to do all that shit.
It’s not just these characters alone that are standard, but the others are very standard as well. There’s the main supporting lead, the actress/princess. She’s someone who has lost all hope, is a drunk and has daddy issues. The villain is a cardboard villain. His lackey’s are stereotypical lackeys only with a brain. The crew of the movie they were supposed to shoot are typical. I mean, you’ve all seen these characters before.
STILL, the characters are done in such a way that they feel fresh and unique. And the characters you already know do their job well and make you laugh just like they do in the series.
Most importantly though, even if you haven’t seen the series at all, there’s nothing that’s stopping you from just watching this movie. Sure, you won’t get the full experience because you don’t understand the significanse of let’s say the Rasengan attack, but you’ll still be able to follow everything.
Voice Acting
The version that I watched was the Japanese one with English subtitles. Whilst the sudden switch in language was a bit jarring, it eventually didn’t bother me at all and I found that the Japanese voice actors did their job very well. Usually I’m very wary when it comes to voice acting other than English. In my birth language, dutch, voice over work usually sounds either completely ridiculous or incomprehensible. Or then there’s French or German which doesn’t seem to match the characters at all. Plus it sounds utterly stupid.
But I actually like the Japanese version a lot. What I found to be surprising was how much the Japanese voices sounded like their English counterparts. Scary, really.
Though I laughed intensely at the fact that the Japanese seem to have a far harsher language in their version. If the subtitles translate what’s said correctly, that is.
Visuals
In the series I tended to enjoy those moments where the action was uninterrupted and up close and personal. Although these moments were far and inbetween the padding. That’s what I like about this movie, the action is exactly what I wanted it to be. Plus, because the animation has been given a significant upgrade, it looks quite amazing.
Like I said, the visuals have been given an upgrade if you compare it to the series. There’s a lot more details to be found in the usual things like the Hidden Leaf Village and the characters, but there’s also a few new and improved locations. Take for example a simple street with a clothes shop. Whilst in the series it would be all basic colors and a blue window, the movie has different colors and shading and more details to the surface. Then there would be the window which is see through and has a store and a manequin with clothes on behind it. It’s a simple example but it really added a lot to the experience. Makes things feel bigger and better.
It’s still Anime though, so if that isn’t your thing …
Sound
The music used in the movie contains a lot of familiar tunes from in the series. Those who have never heard it before will experience it for the first time, but those familiar with it will get this goofy grin on their face, or whatever emotion needs to be summoned, from all the emotions that they have experienced during the series. It’s of the same quality as in the series but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.
Closing
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow is an entertaining movie. It’s a Naruto filler arc lengthened to a full movie and given a significant pimping to be bigger, badder and better. Definitely worth a watch, even if you aren’t a fan of the series. It’s easy to follow and doesn’t require a lot of background knowledge.
8/10
But, here we have Naruto the movie. It’s an original story set within the Naruto universe, using a few locations and characters from the series. Here we see a movie that has an actual budget, and it shows really well. So if you aren’t a fan of the series, should you take a gander at the movie?
Story
Team 7 of the Village hidden in the leaves had received a new A-ranked mission. In preparation, the team leader: Kakashi, had sent Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura to do research. The movie they were sent to watch was of an unlucky princess named Fuun who was fighting her arch nemesis, Mao.
The mission they had been given was to protect the actress playing princess Fuun as they travel to the Land of Snow where they were going to shoot their next assignment. After having forced an unwilling actress on board a ship towards the Land of Snow, they quickly realize that there is more going on that first presumed. The actress playing the princess was in fact a real princess of the Land of Snow, who had been forced to flee from her country after a coup of a rogue ninja named Doto. The man still has some unfinished business with the princess and Team 7 suddenly has a dangerous group of enemies they have to fight against.
Naruto the Movie has the same amount of content as an entire filler arc in the Naruto series. Though most of the character development went to the people Team 7 was supposed to protect and their enemies, there is still a fair amount of development to be found. Meaning that the movie is a condensed filler arc, so to speak, set somewhere after episode 101 of the series. Where the series would pad things out beyond belief, the movie goes through it in just a few minutes, giving it a solid pace.
Like with the filler arcs though, the story is both deep as shallow at the same. It gives the right amount of drama for the viewer to feel with the characters, but it doesn’t do enough for you to start caring for them as if they were a part of the main cast in the series. Also like with the filler arcs, the main characters of the Naruto series are given little to no personal development. Although we do get more information on Kakashi Sensei’s past as an ANBU Black Ops member.
Characters
If it weren’t for the fact that the name of the Naruto franchise was slapped on to this movie, it might just as well have been about four random twats. Kakashi does his usual shtick of being a mentor and general badass, whilst Sasuke and Sakura are there just to tag along and chip in now and then. They have the same jobs as they did in the series. Like I said about Kakashi, he’s a mentor and a badass. Sasuke is a powerhouse, but not the main character so he’s basically being shoved aside all the time. And then there’s Sakura. Yeah … then there’s Sakura.
Luckily the movie is set at a time where Naruto is more matu … grown … euh … He’s more serious … at times. He’s not as obnoxiously stupid all the time and more funny when he’s acting stupid. In this movie he serves the same purpose as he did in the first act of the series. He’s the stereotypical main character that really shouldn’t be able to be the hero of the day if he wasn’t the main character. He’s just a kid with a loud mouth and a childish attitude most of the time who suddenly turns in to a badass when the need arises. And when things get tough, Naruto pulls out the usual speech of having friends and not being alone and never giving up. Yadayadayada. Bada-bing-bada-boom, he’s mustered the strength to overcome an obstacle. However, in the Naruto timeline, Naruto has trained enough and has gone through a fair amount of character development where it’s believable he is able to do all that shit.
It’s not just these characters alone that are standard, but the others are very standard as well. There’s the main supporting lead, the actress/princess. She’s someone who has lost all hope, is a drunk and has daddy issues. The villain is a cardboard villain. His lackey’s are stereotypical lackeys only with a brain. The crew of the movie they were supposed to shoot are typical. I mean, you’ve all seen these characters before.
STILL, the characters are done in such a way that they feel fresh and unique. And the characters you already know do their job well and make you laugh just like they do in the series.
Most importantly though, even if you haven’t seen the series at all, there’s nothing that’s stopping you from just watching this movie. Sure, you won’t get the full experience because you don’t understand the significanse of let’s say the Rasengan attack, but you’ll still be able to follow everything.
Voice Acting
The version that I watched was the Japanese one with English subtitles. Whilst the sudden switch in language was a bit jarring, it eventually didn’t bother me at all and I found that the Japanese voice actors did their job very well. Usually I’m very wary when it comes to voice acting other than English. In my birth language, dutch, voice over work usually sounds either completely ridiculous or incomprehensible. Or then there’s French or German which doesn’t seem to match the characters at all. Plus it sounds utterly stupid.
But I actually like the Japanese version a lot. What I found to be surprising was how much the Japanese voices sounded like their English counterparts. Scary, really.
Though I laughed intensely at the fact that the Japanese seem to have a far harsher language in their version. If the subtitles translate what’s said correctly, that is.
Visuals
In the series I tended to enjoy those moments where the action was uninterrupted and up close and personal. Although these moments were far and inbetween the padding. That’s what I like about this movie, the action is exactly what I wanted it to be. Plus, because the animation has been given a significant upgrade, it looks quite amazing.
Like I said, the visuals have been given an upgrade if you compare it to the series. There’s a lot more details to be found in the usual things like the Hidden Leaf Village and the characters, but there’s also a few new and improved locations. Take for example a simple street with a clothes shop. Whilst in the series it would be all basic colors and a blue window, the movie has different colors and shading and more details to the surface. Then there would be the window which is see through and has a store and a manequin with clothes on behind it. It’s a simple example but it really added a lot to the experience. Makes things feel bigger and better.
It’s still Anime though, so if that isn’t your thing …
Sound
The music used in the movie contains a lot of familiar tunes from in the series. Those who have never heard it before will experience it for the first time, but those familiar with it will get this goofy grin on their face, or whatever emotion needs to be summoned, from all the emotions that they have experienced during the series. It’s of the same quality as in the series but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.
Closing
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow is an entertaining movie. It’s a Naruto filler arc lengthened to a full movie and given a significant pimping to be bigger, badder and better. Definitely worth a watch, even if you aren’t a fan of the series. It’s easy to follow and doesn’t require a lot of background knowledge.
8/10
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