Last night eight of us went to go see the latest film about Zatoichi at the Dendy. I don’t think many people (including myself) had heard much about the long legacy of this blind swordsman. Including the first movie released in 1962, Zatoichi has featured in 26 films and over 100 television episodes. Needless to say the latest remake adds another to that list.

When we all emerged from the cinema, much to my surprise only four out of the eight of us actually liked the movie. Perhaps it was the weird amalgamation of action, arthouse, slapstick, and some frankly bizarre scenes made it a difficult movie for the other four to sit through. I think the quote of the night has to go to Ben who said, “The movie was like an anime film, except it was made with people instead of traditional animation”.

I definitely recommend this movie for viewing (at least for something out of the ordinary). Although the story was a little disjoint and I noticed a few errors in the minor details (such as the sheathing of a sword with blood on it – a definite no-no) I still think it offers great entertainment value.

(On a side note, I don’t recommend eating at Aurora’s although their microbrews are pretty good).