The Great Yokai War: Guardians Blu Ray Review (SRS Cinema)

The Great Yokai War: Guardians (aKa Yokai Daisenso Gâdianzu) is a 2021 science fiction film directed by Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition, Blade of the Immortal, First Love, Sukiyaki Western Django, Zebraman franchise, The Great Yokai War, Three… Extremes, One Missed Call, Dead or Alive franchise, Gozu, Visitor Q, and 13 Assassins). It was written by Yûsuke Watanabe (Gantz franchise, Attack on Titan franchise, Gacchaman, and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods). It was produced by Misako Saka (First Love, Terra Formars, Blade of the Immortal, Over Your Dead Body, and Yakuza Apocalypse). It’s a sequel to 2005’s The Great Yokai War which was a remake to the original 1968 film. In the year 20xx, cities have been destroyed by what it appears to be a storm or an earthquake. Destruction is near in Beijing, Yokai from around the world they all come together for an international conference. They discover that Yokai monsters formed from ancient underwater fossils have combined into one giant Yokai and are moving toward the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese Yokai are asked to handle the situation. Two leaders of the group, Nurarihyon (played by: Nao Ômori from Ichi the Killer, 1-Ichi, Kubi, Outrage Coda, First Love, and Tormented) and Inugami Gyobui (played by: Takao Osawa from Ichi, Wolf Children, Kingdom franchise, Jin, and Into the Sun) step up to take matters into their own hands. The Yokai resurrects the legendary God of War Bushin to confront the Yokai monsters. They get help from Tsuna Watanabe (played by: Kazuki Kitamura from Kill Bill, The Raid 2, Killers, Azumi, Blade of the Immortal, Dead or Alive, and Kera), Kei (played by: Kokoro Terada from The Imaginary, From Five to Nine, and Our House), and Dai (played by: Rei Inomata from Don’t Call it a Mystery) with all this chaos during this great adventure!!!! The Great Yokai War is one of the biggest franchises that cult director Takashi Miike has had the opportunity to work on during his long career. He is usually known for smaller and obsecure projects but this production actually has a solid budget. I love how crazy his movies are but Guardians was made for a larger audience. Takashi Miike still adds his bizarre and odd cinema charm to this science fiction feature. The Great Yokai War: Guardians is a nice follow up to the first film and it amps everything up for this wild sequel. It has a community that is forced to fight back against some powerful monsters or their whole world will be destroyed. The Great Yokai War: Guardians is packed with all kinds of unique and interesting characters that really stand out. The leads for this monster flick includes Nao Ômori, Takao Osawa, Kazuki Kitamura, Kokoro Terada, and Rei Inomata. They all hold their own with their bigger roles here. They are put into some chaotic scenarios but they never give up. The supporting cast includes Hana Sugisaki (Blade of the Immortal), Renji Ishibashi (Audition), Ken’ichi Endô (Visitor Q), Nanako Matsushima (Ringu), Sakura Andô (Godzilla Minus One), Takahiro Miura (Shin Godzilla), Ryûnosuke Kamiki (The Great Yokai War), Tarô Suwa (Battle Royale), and Etsuko Kozakura (Pokémon). The iconic Daimajin has a really cool cameo in Guardians. I’m familiar with most of known Kaiju stuff but it’s awesome to experience some of the more obscure stuff at least in the states. It has a very strong opening and ending, the middle has some issues but I still enjoyed it. The Great Yokai War: Guardians is mainly aimed for kids to be honest but it’s still works for adults also. It has some creepy and weird characters that usually wouldn’t be in this type of film. The special and visual fx are on point, they really elevate the entire production. It had some intense action and suspenseful moments but like I said before it’s more of a family friendly fantasy. Takashi Miike proves once again that he can direct any genre and still make it very interesting. The first The Great Yokai War was a little better but Guardians is still a darkly fun and entertaining effort. Japanese cinema is just so different and I love their style, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from SRS Cinema! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer looks great on blu ray. The Great Yokai War: Guardians is a very stylish and it’s crazy visuals really pop on the screen. It has an Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the disc. There’s plenty of explosive and loud scenes in this science fiction feature. All of the dialogue is very clean, the monster madness is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English subtitles. It has the little over 13 minute “Making Of”. It shows plenty of clips from the movie with some narration added to it. It has some of the cast and crew members at the premiere answering questions about the production. It’s in Japanese with English subtitles. It has the little over 7 minute “About Yokai”. It features a fan talking about the entire franchise and highlighting some other related home video releases. It has a “Trailer” for The Great Yokai War: Guardians. It has a variety of SRS Cinema related “Trailers”. It has various Kaiju “Trailers”. This might be the highest quality and biggest movie that I ever remember SRS releasing on home video. It’s a must own for any The Great Yokai War and Takashi Miike fans. The original release was limited but this is wide home video release that’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!