Customer Reviews

Samurai Princess

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

From the creator of "Tokyo Gore Police" and "Machine Girl", Yoshihiro Nishimura joins director/writer Kengo Kaji (Ultra-Seven X) as action director in this latest GORE-RIFFIC Japanese spectacle "SAMURAI PRINCESS" (aka. Devil Princess). One thing I have to say is that this film is NOT for everyone and is aimed at a very specific audience namely those who love Japanese "grind house" cinema and Gore-hounds. It stars J-AV stars Aino Kishi as the heroine and Mihiro Taniguchi (Cruel Restaurant) as the villainess--so do I have your attention yet?!

In an unknown place and an unknown time, when the creation of mechas (human-like androids) are outlawed by both the laws of Buddha and the Shogun; a pair of mad killers (played by Kentarou Shimazu and Mihiro) enhanced by mysticism and machinery are committing rape and murder throughout the land for the sake of making macabre art. Among their victims are Godohimo (Aino Kishi), who after her other 11 friends are raped and killed, is left for dead. Godohimo is found by a mad scientist called Kyoraku (Mituru Karahashi) who excels in making human-like machines and a kind-hearted Buddhist nun. Godohimo is resurrected in a new body made up of the body parts of her dead friends and their souls to hunt down and exact revenge on those responsible. Joined by a mysterious stranger named Gekko (Dai Mizuno), Godohimo is now known as "Samurai Princess"; a half-human, half-machine tech-warrior bent on revenge...

The film's plot is a tad uninspired and quite frankly pretty straightforward. "Samurai Princess" is a film about revenge and redemption. It also carries the elements of atonement and regret; coupled with a hint of mysticism. The characters in the film are outrageous from rubber suits to anime/manga-inspired garb; the film exudes that silly and goofy atmosphere at times. Some viewers may become a tad confused, as the setting seems to be the samurai period (because of the costumes) at first glance, then you see modern buildings, a hairy cellphone, an electric guitar, guns, bazookas, rocket-propelled chainsaws and entrails that spew out maggots. The weaponry is as outrageous as the costumes; and while most people may see this as negatives, those used to this type of Japanese filmmaking would be right at home.

What makes "Samurai Princess" succeed is the extreme excesses of BLOOD and GORE. True, it is not as awesome as "Tokyo Gore Police" but it will do. Body parts are quickly dismembered, brains are turned into gooey matter in an interrogation scene, heads are sliced, chainsaws are used extensively, there are "flying guillotine breasts", torso buzz saws, rocket boots and much more; they are all accompanied by the excessive bloody arterial spray that is the trademark of Japanese cinema. Gorehounds would be right at home with the film. There is a small amount of CGI in one scene and most of the visual effects are made of your old-fashioned prosthetics and a lot of red ink. The action scenes are decent and have that anime-like exaggerated style. However, due to the film's low budget, the quality of the action scenes are a little inconsistent. Some are decent while others may appear to be very mediocre. Action junkies may be a little disappointed, but honestly, this film isn't so much on action but more on crazy "pink violence".

The characters and the plot in "Samurai Princess" are developed in the form of flashbacks. It appears to be that the lead characters are pretty much all about revenge and redemption. Dai Mizuno's "Gekko" appears to be a reject from "Detroit Metal City" while Kyoraku appears to be a reject from one of those Japanese TV series. They do fit the film's tone; they are outrageous and the film is outrageous...what can we expect? We don't even need to discuss acting abilities in this type of film. Aino Kishi does also get to be in the nude and in a love scene. Kishi exhibits that gentle charisma but when she becomes a "mecha" consider her as a Barbie-like Frankenstein. I was a little disappointed that the villains Shaohi and Kochio weren't as fully developed as Kyoraku. Mihiro Taniguchi fans, sorry...but you don't get to see her in her birthday suit in this film.

Granted, "Samurai Princess" may not match the low-budget charm and action of "Tokyo Gore Police" and "Machine Girl" but it is still a whole lot of fun if you're a fan of silly, Japanese fantasy films. The elements in the film aren't anything we haven't seen before but it is still a great exercise in the glorification of blood, guts and gore. (did I just say that?) I guess the film can be better compared to "Meatball Machine". Again, this is a film NOT to be taken seriously and more for the fun factor than anything else. If you are into "pink violence" and Grindhouse quality filmmaking then you are in for a treat.

Recommended! [3 ½ Stars]

The U.S. Unrated DVD has both English (defaulted) and 2.0 Japanese Language tracks with good subtitles. The 1.78 ratio anamorphic widescreen picture quality may have some grain on some scenes but it is a part of its low budget charm; it is a pretty good transfer. It is pretty much a barebones release that only has the trailer and some photos.

Kengo Kaji directs without much style in this wanna be Machine Girl / Tokyo Gore Police offering. I love these type of gore filled, silly and wacky Japanese horror flicks and though this film has some of the same crew as the films I mentioned above, it really is a weak offering to this genre. Aino Kishi who plays the samurai princess lacks the charisma to hold the film up and play the lead and the characters in this movie lack depth and background, so you really don't feel or care for any of the characters or can't even relate as you can to Tokyo Gore Police and Machine Girl. It just lacks the fun and energy that this genre offers. I am not sure if it is because of the obvious low budget, amateur acting/directing, god-awful costumes or what, but I can give the movie a lot of credit for some good old fashioned prop special effects and gore - well done and fun to watch. I think if this came out prior to the release of Machine Girl and GOre Police I would have liked it much more, but it seems to me like a step back and can only say it is okay at best.

Allow me to be the voice of reason on this movie. It sucks. Ignoring the passion for certain genres and objectively looking at a really bad movie is difficult. Most watch this sort of movie because there is genuine appreciation for the source and the style. Unfortunately, this movie lacks a lot of the latter, despite the former.

The quick synopsis gives us a mad scientist, with the help of a nun and two horrible actresses who speak in unison, finds a beautiful young girl who witnessed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of her eleven friends. Discovered at the bottom of a grisly pile of bloody body parts, her friends' body parts, she's in bad shape. With a desire for revenge, the girl asks the scientist to transform her into what amounts to a modern Japanese Frankenstein, a mixture of her girlfriends' body parts and bizarre attachments, making her mostly human, but wholly Mecha: an outlawed combination of human and machine.

Both gore and action are ubiquitous, but done so poorly they are hardly entertaining. This film obviously had a low budget, because the gore looks like tomato juice, and the excuses for body parts are not worth mentioning. Additionally hamstringing this movie is the acting, or lack thereof. A cast of Keanu Reeves, Hayden Christiansen, and the kids from Twilight would put together a more moving performance. I'm talking wooden and outrageous overacting, with nearly nothing in between.

It is an absolute must to not only be a hardcore fan of this stuff, but also a forgiving movie critic to fight through the entire movie. There is just too much bad going on for any of the good to stand out. If you must watch this, heed this recommendation: drink a little beforehand and use it as an opportunity to crack jokes, MST3K style. Otherwise, you'll want to turn it off before the groan-worthy end with the mangled combination of Barbie Doll and He Man figurine that will remind you of the doll nightmare from Toy Story (trust me).

This is one of the best new-breed samurai films out there on the market today. It combines spectacular choreograph, using swords and guns, with a very bizarre storyline. For the new-breed of samurai films, this is a must see. Though it is not for everyone.

This film combines action with a lot of Japanese style horror. This is a warning because if your are a fan of the old school of samurai film, or you are looking to see the sexy girl on the DVD cover, you will probably shut this movie off about ten or fifteen minutes in. The girl doesn't wear the costume on the cover and there is a lot of blood.

If you are a fan of horror films, particularly Japanese horror films, then this one is for you.

In many way this film is reminiscent of the old Japanese low-budget horror films that came out during the 1970's. I am sure the directors Yoshihiro Nishimura, who is probably most well know for his film Tokyo Gore Police, and Kengo Kaji did this on purpose, because there is obviously a large budget behind this film. They just make the movie look like a low-budget horror movie. The combination of these two elements, budget and unique gore storyline really work for this movie.

If you like blood, if you horror, if you like samurai action, then watch this DVD.

For those knowledgeable when it comes to strange and innovative independent Asian horror, Samurai Princes falls in beside the likes of, say, Tokoyo Gore Police, Meatball Machine, Machine Girl, etc. All fantastic films, to be sure. If you like any of the films just mentioned, you would probably enjoy Samurai Princess as well. There's plenty of strangeness, gore, violence, fantasy, more strangeness, and more gore. Basically, the film takes place in a distant Japan, where, in the post-apocalyptic wilderness, anatomically altered subhuman outlaws called Meccas stalk and kill the so-called "normals," who remain unaltered. One such Mecca, Samurai Princess herself, was a victim of the other Meccas, along with a handful of her close friends. A buddhist monk saves the girl by taking her to a scientist/surgeon who works on and creates Mecca. Now, altered and hellbent on revenge, Samurai Princess goes through the outlaw wilderness hacking and slashign and kicking...and of course utilizing other physical modifications, such as breast bombs, a cerebral download/upload cord that she jacks into others' brains, rocket feet, and other things. Check it out.

For the men out there: Aino Kishi on the BD/DVD cover, dressed so provocatively, is truly an attraction to draw the potential viewer in, but take note...she NEVER wears this apparel in the film--NOT ONCE! Aino is beautiful and has a great figure, but we are pretty much kept from seeing her clad in anything more than silly red, pink, yellow, purple, and black striped clothing, head to toe. Literally, head to toe. So don't be fooled by the cover. I have always found women from Japan to be the most attractive of Asian women, and in "Samurai Princess" there is no shortage. They are ALL gorgeous, simply exquisite, works of art.

For the women out there: There aren't many of you, I know, who are into Japanese, blood/gore-type, grindhouse samurai cinema. But if you are, your needs will be satisfied.

Pros: In general, "Tokyo Gore Police" this is not, comes close, but never really rises to the level of awesomeness achieved in that movie. The budget was clearly very limited here. Most of the movie is filmed in the woods (Forest of Infinity). While this may be a detriment, the colorful clothing, outfits, and makeup against the tree-strewn, woodsy backdrop makes for a diverse and colorful feast for the senses. As already mentioned, almost all the actresses here are gorgeous, mysterious, elegant, and striking.

Cons: The story can be a bit confusing if you don't hone in on exactly what's going on from one moment to the next. It's not really deep and involved. It's more about how it's presented that causes a small level of puzzlement. The dialogue is the biggest detriment; it seems to have been written by a sixth grader. I believe, though, that involved and enrapturing dialogue wasn't what the creators were trying to achieve here. It was merely a bridge to traverse from one fight scene to the next.

Overall, being a fan of such movies, I was entertained, and my attention was held steadfast from beginning to end. But first, it would have been nice to have seen Miss Kishi kicking butt in the outfit she was wearing while posing for the BD/DVD artwork. And secondly, the story could have been more fluid, and the dialogue could have used a major overhaul. Could have been better, should have been better, but it could have been worse. 3.75 stars.

Not a very good movie. If you like a tacky "B" rated movie then get if not then don't waste your money. Cover looks good but that is about it. The story line if boring at best and if you are looking for great action then this is not the movie to get. Would recommend you spend your money on something else. After watching this I gave it away.

My wife & I have both passed the 1/2 century mark. We love the Zatoichi movies & TV series and enjoy the flavor of Japanese movies like Wolf & Cub etc. This movie was fun. The best part was my wife saw the cover and she had no idea what was coming. We laughed a lot throughout the movie and it has surprises all the way through. It's entertaining.

I love swordplay and martial arts movies. I'll watch anything remotely associated with the samurai, sword arts or martial arts in general. It doesn't have to be particularly GOOD for me to tolerate it. Then along comes a movie like Samurai Princess and I am suddenly questioning the wisdom of this affinity.

Samurai Princess, a Japanese sci-fi/horror absurdity, draws on the great and rich Japanese tradition of Kabuki theater. By that I mean the story is absurd, the costumes are garish, and the acting is exaggerated beyond belief. Except here it's done in the worst, most overblown, most ANNOYING way possible on a budget of around $49.00. This movie is so bad in so many ways, it's difficult to know where to start. Even the title is stupid because the heroine is in no way a samurai nor princess. The premise is essentially this: In a post-apocalyptic world a mad scientist pieces together "mechs"- people/machine hybrids which go insane and wreck havoc on the sparse, struggling population. One such cyborg-ish being is Samurai Princess, a girl pieced together after being brutalized by a group of marauding bad-guys. She sets out on a quest to avenge her 11 friends who lost their lives in the attack. There's lots and lots and LOTS of gore, blood-spray, and CGI dismemberment with an array of silly weapons (bladed prosthetics, a parasol with a spear tip, detachable, thrown boobs, intestines, a magic electric guitar and so forth). One villain even attacks with his mutated, sharp-toothed and growling genitals. Yea. The filmmakers were on acid. And meth. And PCP. Opium-laced saki even. But I digress.

The only way this movie can be even remotely entertaining is to make a drinking game of it. Like do a shot every time a villain licked something. Or blood sprayed. Or the heroine threw her boobs at someone. 10 minutes into this stinking waste of time and resources, you won't CARE that the fight scenes are terrible and that NONE of the combatants actually know any martial arts. I love bad movies. But I despised this one with every molecule in my body. Don't waste your time. Really. I'm serious.

If you don't know what Japanese splatter films are.....this is the perfect place to start. Everyone dies and each death is delivered in new and more disgusting ways, including choping a person into a blood squirting fountain! The plot is simple, REVENGE!!!! After being raped and killd a young girl becomes a killing machine bent on finding her murderers. She will kill every bad guy in her way. If you are into excessive amounts of blood, guts and gore thn this is the movie for you.-One word of warning...The cover art in no way represents the movie.