Afro Samurai: Resurrection (Review)
Everything you loved from the anime series… but more of it.
Takashi Okazaki’s Afro Samurai returns in this original film from director Fuminori Kizaki. While this movie isn’t based off the original manga, it captures the essence of the series as it blends ancient Japanese swordplay and themes with modern Western elements.
To a certain extent, this film builds on these concepts, and in some ways it even surpasses the original anime. However, the overall story falls short of its predecessor. It can’t be argued that Afro Samurai wasn’t free of clichés, but those clichés played more like an homage to the samurai classics of yesteryear. This new installment still maintains the revenge-driven action, but feels a bit awkward as it stumbles toward its finale.
Afro Samurai (Samuel L. Jackson) is forced to return to the demon’s path once again when he’s attacked by his old friend turned rival, Jinno (Yuri Lowenthal). This time, though, the teddy bear-wielding psycho is joined by his sultry sister, Sio (Lucy Liu), who is hellbent on getting revenge on Afro. The deadly duo beat Afro, not only stealing the No. 1 headband, but also defile the corpse of his father, stealing a portion in order to clone the dead warrior.
With this new threat facing him, Afro must set out to reclaim the No. 2 headband and defeat his enemies. Luckily, the silent swordsman is joined by his loud-mouthed buddy, Ninja Ninja (also voiced by Samuel L. Jackson).
Afro Samurai: Resurrection sports some beautiful animation. Not only is the film filled with incredible detail, but it also sports rivers of blood (which some fans might see as an improvement over the anime it’s based on). The film proves to be an exercise in gratuitousness, as it features gory swordplay, nudity and even some sex scenes. Sometimes it feels as though there’s no point in including a few of these sequences; however, these parts are few and far between. The only real issue is that the movie thinks that this constitutes maturity, which is seldom the case. Despite this, though, the artistic improvements are warmly welcomed and should please those who enjoyed the original, especially because the fights are just as epic as anyone would expect from the puffy-haired swordsman.
Returning with Jackson is The RZA, who composes the soundtrack for Resurrection. While he gained fame for his work on the anime series, he outdoes himself this time around. He provides the perfect soundscape to complement the thematic elements of the movie. While his music is as modern as it comes, it doesn’t feel out of place in the blood- and honor-filled world the samurai walks through. Joining these veterans of the series are the likes of Mark Hamill, Liam O’Brien and Zachary Gordon, who all lend their voices perfectly to the film.
Afro Samurai: Resurrection is far from perfect, but it is a worthy followup to the original series. While it might not be easy to create any sort of empathetic bond with the characters, Afro Samurai’s appeal is not in how relatable he is to the audience, but in how incredible his skills are. And this film shows us everything he’s capable of. That being said, there is no real depth to the anime. But when there’s this much blood and violence, who cares?
