About the film (courtesy of Crunchyroll):
Following the tragic transformation of his sister Nezuko into a demon, Tanjiro Kamado joins the Demon Slayer Corps, an elite group of demon hunters. Throughout his journey, he strengthens his skills and bonds with fellow slayers Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, battling various demons and even fighting alongside the esteemed Hashira, the corps’ highest-ranking swordsmen.
After a period of intense training to prepare for a final conflict, Tanjiro and the Hashira are suddenly thrust into a mysterious space—the demons’ stronghold known as the Infinity Castle. This sets the stage for the climactic final battle between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demon forces.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is a hard hitting and impactful entry into the series in what promises to be its last arc and first of three farewell movies. While an incredible display of animation and story telling, this movie IS NOT a good starting on point for people who have not seen the rest of the story leading up to it. As a standalone experience it is serviceable. The plot is cohesive and enough is explained to get a first time viewer interested in the world.
To summarize as spoiler-free as possible before analyzing further… Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is an amazing visual spectacle with awesome music that fits every scene. The voice acting (coming from a dub only viewer) is stellar! The emotional “oomph” that the lines are delivered with is enough to make anyone want to give “Subbed” a try. But these particular positive points are not without their drawbacks. The movie suffers from drawn out flashbacks and a runtime that doesn’t seem to respect the viewers schedule with much in return at some parts. It is a long watch in it of itself that will also more than likely command a rewatch but is worth it!
Now… minor spoilers. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle picks up where the show left off. Muzan had just escaped from the master’s mansion after killing him and has been transported to the depths of his home. The Infinity Castle. This setting is fantastic! The fact that this is a feature length film meant that the studio (ufotable) was able to go as far as they could with the animation and it shows! The way that the castle is presented with its constantly moving halls and consistently shifting structures creates a sense of awe and peril that few other movies have captured in such a beautiful way. This backdrop is also woven seamlessly into many of the film’s action sequences whether it be a particular character being hurled through one of its walls or an obstacle is formed from nowhere that the main cast must overcome.
In an Avengers-esque manner, most of the ensemble that you would expect to take part in this final showdown make an appearance in some form or another. However, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle did seem to struggle with balancing screentime for a lot of the cast, as there are simply too many characters to present properly given the length of the film. Though the spotlight is expected to shift in the future movies. It can be a lot for a first time viewer to juggle adequately and does prompt the question of why some characters were transported and others were not without a solid answer being given.
Then, once within Muzan’s home enough good things cannot be said about the amazing animation that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has to offer. With its shifts from the common 2D anime art style to a subtle shift to 3D for some scenes it flows perfectly and every strike feels visceral. This is a film that definitely benefits from being on the big screen. The fights and action are definitely where this movie shines when it isn’t being held down with an at times excessive amount of exposition through lengthy flashbacks.
Overall, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and series is certainly worth a watch though it does follow some pretty common and recognizable Shonen tropes. Catch the first leg of this trilogy only in theaters starting Friday, September 12th.
