Onmyoji (2001)
50 %
Reviews Counted: 14 Fresh: 7 Rotten:7 Average Rating: 5.2/10
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Theatrical Release: Apr 25, 2003 Limited
Synopsis:
This Heian period (A.D. 794-1185) epic stars Mansai Nomura as Seimei, Kyoto's court Onmyoji (a kind of fortune teller in commune with the spirits). When a young samurai named Hiromasa comes to Seimei to discuss a possible plot against the government, the two discover that the court's... [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Ito
Director: Yojiro Takita
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
1 - 14 (sorted by date)
Certainly there are dueling wizards, torchlight swordfights and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon effects. But the moments of action are interspersed with lengthy plot developments that are hard to follow.
05/02/03 03:47 PM
Top Critic
Should strike a strong chord among fans of Japanese period films, particularly those with a mythical, mystical bent like Ugetsu and Kwaidan.
05/02/03 03:44 PM
Goofy and campy and unabashedly old-fashioned, from the silent-era acting technique to the overwrought direction.
05/02/03 11:16 AM
Rarely solemn or dull, and Takita holds its disparate parts together fairly well.
05/01/03 01:37 PM
Top Critic What's missing is conviction, a sense that these are real people instead of actors in ornate costumes stepping gingerly through antique sets.
04/30/03 05:29 PM
Top Critic For Americans, accustomed to more polished effects and far more violent action, Onmyoji is bound to appear tame and a tiny bit precious.
04/25/03 07:24 PM
Top Critic The quality of the CGI-heavy special effects is variable ... but the demon zombies and Doson's cackling familiar are crowd pleasers.
04/24/03 07:12 PM
Top Critic An epic tale of love, sacrifice and redemption that attains a Shakespearean aura of grandeur and nobility of spirit.
04/24/03 05:13 PM
Top Critic Unless one is Japanese or seriously devoted to its culture, history and lore, a viewer will get immediately lost in this tale of supernatural phenomena.
04/22/03 05:08 PM
Top Critic Succeeds in visual splendor (it was shot on location in Kyoto) but falls flat on characterization.
04/22/03 01:47 PM
Top Critic1 - 14 (sorted by date)
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