Plot: What’s it about?
Japan has become a dark, imposing place of late, a nation where freedom and individual rights have been abandoned. The government has moved into the trade of repression, in order to serve its own interests and control its citizens. As always, some residents followed behind their leaders in the government, just to avoid a conflict. But some weren’t so eager to surrender their freedoms, so rebellions soon surfaced. Even as these rebels and other rogue forces cause chaos throughout the lands, the government fights a bitter war to keep them under control, which is not a fruitful effort. The House of Takemikazuchi was a band of assassins who served the government, taking out key rebel figureheads and ending some standoffs. But the lure of added riches and a better cause soon forced a rift between the two factions. Now the House of Takemikazuchi runs as a freelance service, one which has a traitor in its ranks. Yuki (Yomiku Shaku) is a beautiful young woman that works with the group, but she is not just a pretty girl, instead she is one of the most lethal assassins in their stable. Now she is given the task of revealing the traitor, then dealing with the scoundrel in vicious fashion. But as she delves deeper into the assignment, she must battle not only her enemies, but also her own past…
I had heard a lot of positive hype on The Princess Blade, so I was eager to check out this release from ADV Films. The case seems to promise action overload, with more sword battles than you shake a katana at, which sounded good to me. And with a hot chick in the lead role, the slice and dice action could only be that much cooler. As it turns out, The Princess Blade is not the wild, non stop slash festival some claim, instead it is a slow moving drama bookended with two wicked, epic battle sequences. I have no problem with a slow pace, but this movie begs to be cut loose and comes off as dull at times. The focus should have been placed on the action, as whenever the heat is cranked up, the movie is ten times more enjoyable. I could understand if the drama was well crafted and woven into the action theme, but that isn’t the case. Instead, the film grinds to a halt whenever the drama kicks in, which is a real disappointment. The acting is more than solid, but this just seems like two productions thrown into one picture. When it is good, The Princess Blade is very good, but it is unable to maintain that level of entertainment. I wouldn’t call this a bad movie, as it has some great moments, but this could have been much better. ADV Films has revisited The Princess Blade with this new two disc Special Edition, which adds in some terrific supplements. But the bad news is that the same lackluster visual presentation is present, which means some fans might still want to import an anamorphic widescreen version. But even so, this new edition is worthwhile and for those who don’t want to import, this version is worth the investment.
Video: How does it look?
The Princess Blade is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. As this is the second release, I expected an improved, anamorphic presentation, but this is the same transfer as the previous disc. This results in a soft, unrefined visual presentation and that is a let down. The image is still more than reasonable, but lacks the crisp and sharp presence of imported versions. The colors and contrast seem in good order, though blacks levels are lessened by the overall softness. I do think ADV Films has given us a solid treatment, given the lack of original elements, but I think fans would have rather waited until those elements were available, in order to have an improved visual effort.
Audio: How does it sound?
The original release had a misprint that claimed the original Japanese option was 2.0, when in fact the audio was Dolby Digital 5.1, quite a mistake. This slipped past even I, who only sampled the dub option for comparison. My original statements hold true however, as the original Japanese option isn’t as dynamic as I would like. The surrounds have ample presence, but a few scenes need an extra kick that never arrives. Even so, the audio is smooth and well handled, just underpowered in a handful of instances. The English track is atrocious, some of the worst dubbing I’ve ever heard, no doubt about it. In the end, the audio is up to the task, but I think perhaps a DTS option could have put this over the top. In case you don’t speak Japanese, you can enable English subtitles, but they’re optional, not forced.
Supplements: What are the extras?
In addition to a brief behind the scenes featurette, you can also check out two more in depth production pieces. One focuses on the special effects seen in the film, while the other is a more general look at how The Princess Blade was created. I found these to be quite good and better than the usual promotional fluff, to be sure. This release also includes some outtakes, cast & crew interviews, an interview with Donnie Yen on the film’s action sequences, a selection of deleted scenes, and the film’s promotional trailer.
