The result is that Blood Prison's animation mostly feels passable, with only a few decent moments to tide you over until its grand denouement. That holding back for a sudden onslaught of action does mean that the rest of the film is visually unremarkable - drab, even, although that is at least fitting of its prison locale. This grandiose climax might break the film's narrative and reduce it to rubble in a moment which actually had me swearing at my television in irritation, but at least it uses that rubble as a springboard for some visual finery and good old-fashioned ninja combat action.
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The film is also very well-paced and never threatens to outstay its welcome, making sure that the plot always moves forward without getting bogged down in exposition and technicalities.Īlthough this isn't the most action-packed of Naruto Shippuden movies, it also does a good job of keeping its powder dry and then unleashing it to full effect - it feels like virtually the entire film's animation budget is saved for one massive action set piece, and the pay-off is worthwhile to give the fans something to marvel over once Naruto's relative solitude is broken. Thankfully the meat within these rather dry slices of narrative bread actually works pretty well - compared to other Shounen Jump films Blood Prison is surprisingly tight in its focus thanks to the way it throws Naruto in at the deep end on his own, and watching him do things his own way without the rest of the show's traditional cast to back him up proves to be pretty enjoyable.
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If you're looking for a smart, well-written story, then this is not the movie for you. If the whole "protagonist is framed for a crime he didn't commit and thrown into prison" plot sounds like something that you've heard a million times before, then you'd be right, and incredibly this isn't even the clumsiest aspect of Blood Prison's script - the reason for Naruto being tossed into the clink is ultimately explained via a twist in the tale that feels even more forced than the half-baked idea that precipitated it. Thus, he sets about trying to escape in his own inimitable style using sheer brute force, although when this seems set to fail it appears that he's lucky enough to have some useful allies within the prison walls who can set him on the right path to freedom, justice and the true reason for his incarceration. With the prison's head, Mui, capable of using an ability which prevents the inmates from using their chakra (or bursting into flame if they do) and with raging seas all around, escape appears to be impossible - not that "impossible" is a word that can be found in Naruto's dictionary. Needless to say, Naruto is quick to argue his innocence, but it seems that nothing will sway Tsunade and company, and before we know it our titular hero is shipped off to a rather menacing prison known as Hozuki Castle. however, this seems to be exactly what he's up to as the film begins, and it isn't too long before descriptions are circulating and his comrades within his own village are pointing fingers. Okay, so on DVD and Blu-ray technically speaking, but let's talk about that later shall we?Īlthough we know that Naruto can be a troublemaker at the best of times, he isn't exactly the type to sneak around attempting to kill high-ranking members of other ninja villages. Naruto's adventures in manga form might have come to an end in Japan (for the time being at least), but we're still some way off seeing the last of our instantly recognisable ninja friend in animated form, particular on home video - a thought reinforced by the arrival of the fifth Naruto Shippuden movie, Blood Prison, on DVD.