Orochi, the Eight-Headed Drago

Steeped in Japanese mythology and legend, Orochi begins with the Japanese story of creation. Millions of years later a Japanese emperor has twin sons. A powerful shaman warns that the second twin is evil and should be put to death. But the child is rescued by the White Bird of Heaven and raised in a shrine dedicated to the goddess of the Earth. The young prince grows to manhood under the shadow of a prophesy that says he will be a warrior of the gods.

The plot continues to thicken as the Shaman continues to speak against the young prince and the Shaman's motives begin to become suspect. The shaman was spawned by an evil god who tried to destroy the world eons ago. That god was exiled by the father of the gods but was soon to return. Prince Yamato Takeru is charged with stopping the Earth's destruction. Aided by the White Bird of Heaven and by his lady love, the prince confronts the newly-returned god. The god transforms into a giant dragon and begins his reign of destruction and enters the final battle.

This tale is one of Japan's greatest legends and is a superb movie. The marketing was obviously aimed at fans of monster movies but that is not the thrust of the film. Instead the viewer is immersed in the fascinatingly rich mythology and legends of Japan. Beautiful cinematography and acting that is superior to any monster movie add to the story line to tell a rich and fascinating tale. This is definitely one to watch.

The film beigns by giving the history of the Gods of ancient Japan, which becomes a central point later in the film. After the intro, twin sons are born to an emperor. The second son, Yanto, is believed to be evil by his father and is ordered to be killed. Tsuokinowa (the emperpor's priest/advisor) attempts to throw Yanto over a cliff. However, Yanto is saved by a golden bird which carries him to the priestess of Amerterasu. She raises him as her own until he returns to his father as a young man, at the request of his birth mother.

While back at his fathers palace, Yanto's birth mother becomes ill, and Yanto is believed to be the source of her death, due to his curse.(it includes him turning into a demon like creature with magical powers when he is in danger) Yanto is also accused of killing his bother in a scuffle they have over their mother's death. Yanto's father finally decides to send him away on a quest to quell a Barbaric King (Kumaso)to the west. Along the way, Yanto meets Oto, a young woman who is a keeper at a shrine for the bird goddess Amerterasu. She devots herself to Yanto and believes that she will die for him one day. They defeat the king, as well as his god,(a creature made of rock and lava) who Oto is alsmost sacrificed too. Eventually, Yanto's seregate mother, reveals that Tsukuyami will return to the earth in order to get his revenge on his sister,(the goddess Amerterasu) and his father, Izanagi. Apparently Tsukuyami had been kicked off the Earth by his father, and wonders around space trapped in a giant ice prison.(whcih looks a lttle like a spacecraft)He had been kicked off for his evil ways which is when he became the Orochi the first time on earth.

Before they take on Tsukuyumi, they must battle a sea creature in order to gain a sword from it. During the encounter, Yanto is almost killed, and Oto sacrifices herself to save him. Later however, she is resurrected. Her death transforms her, and gives her the power of the goddess Amerterasu. After this, they are ready to take on Tsukuyami. In order to defeat Tsukuyami, Yanto and Oto must team up and become one with the help of the goddess Amerterasu.(the flying bird) After a human battle the two sides resort to giant monster type forms where they battle it out. Tsukuyami becomes the 8 headed dragon again, and Yanto and Oto become a figure which reminded me a lot of the anime version of Voltron.

Orochi, was a decent film, and included a lot of action to keep the stroy moving. In fact, it reminded me of a Sinbad film at times until the end. Yanto and Oto do a good job with their roles as did Tsukuyomi. Yanto uses both sowrds and magic to aid him, and Oto uses magic most of the time while battling the foes. The sets and costuming were well made, and the special effects, for the most part, were good.

The down side, is the creatures, which were the weakest of the special effects in the film. All resembled models, or men in rubber suits from the early Kaiju monster movie days of Godzilla and the like. And the Voltron-like being that is used at the end is very chezzy. A hint of the Power Rangers crossed my mind when I saw it. Had it not been for him, I might have given another star. The two exceptions on the creatures were the flying bird, which looked passable, and the Orochi with its fire spewing breath. I think that all the creatures would have benefitted from being in an anime format, where outlandishness goes well.

The release company on this film is ADV and they include both a Japanese and English dubbed version of the film.(the dub is done fairly well). They also include some trailers of other films.

This film will probally not peek the interest of everyone unless you fit into one of these catergoires. 1 You like Kaiju films like Godzilla. 2 You are interested in Japanese cinema. 3 You like anime films. 4 You have seen and enjoyed the Sinbad movies or films like Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts. This is not a martial arts film in anyway, so if you're looking for that, look elsewhere. Other than that, try to rent it if you can, it's good for a change of venue outside of Hollywood. I doubt it's really a keeper, so only buy it if it's a really good deal.