It probably would’ve helped if I’d seen the TV series that spawned his film. I’ve had a little background from my clued up daughter, but really I’m going in cold. We’re at the cinema though, this is the first film I’ve seen on a big screen in nearly two years. It needs to be seen on a big screen really, it’s all about the spectacle. This is a shame seeing as it’s only screening for one day in the UK. The plot. It’s pretty straightforward. There are demons, that are bad and demon slayers, that are good. Some young slayers including Tanjiro, his sister who’s in a box with a muzzle because she’s a demon (but a good one) and a dude wearing a boar mask (I thought he was a boar for a large part of the film) are boarding a train to meet and learn from a Hashira who’s some kind of demon slayer master who doesn’t blink. He’s there though to protect the passengers from a demon on board, who seems styled on one of Tim Burton’s fantasies, with a detachable hand with its own mouth that’s reminiscent of Thing from the Addams Family. It’s very trippy, our heroes attacked in their dreams as they’re put to sleep, the demon taking over the train in a weird flubber meets The Abyss tendrils, with millions of eyes that pop out of nowhere. It looks very cool. There is an odd mix of animation styles though, from quite simple flat comic book stuff to scenes with beautiful depth. The fight scenes though of which there are many are where it excels. The pace is blistering, the screen awash with colour as as techno rock score blasts away. It’s pretty frenetic and to be honest the story is very simple at its core. It’s fun though, but I’m not sure I’ll be getting into the TV show. I’ve already missed three seasons. So it’s good guys killing bad guys, moral codes, fighting with honour. I feel like I’ve missed a lot of the back story, but it still works as a stand-alone film.
6/10
