ANIME REVIEW | Romance Explodes in Chaotically Beautiful "Chainsaw Man" Film
How many different film genres can Chainsaw Man fit into 100 minutes? If you’re as crazy as its creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, then you could stuff just about any amount of storytelling into it. Adapting the fifth and sixth volumes of the hit Shonen Jump series, Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc takes everything fans love about Denji and Pochita’s tale, and injects it with more heart than it has every right to have. Oh, and did I mention that it has some truly hardcore violence attached to it?
As odd as it sounds, Chainsaw Man’s debut on the big screen is a perfect date film. For the ladies, there are the beautiful bonding moments between Denji (Ryan Colt Levy) and Reze (Alexis Tipton), with every scene of their blossoming relationship framed like one of Richard Linklater’s Before films. There are fun discussions in coffee shops, a fireworks viewing in a secluded area of a festival, and a quest to help a guy find meaning outside of his job. On top of that, there’s conflict in Denji’s Pochita-sized heart, as his feelings for Makima (Suzie Yeung) continue to overtake the love he starts to have for Reze.
Perhaps the most beautiful part involves a dip in an abandoned pool. Here, we see Denji and Reze truly bond with one another, with the Chainsaw Man looking more free than he ever has. The animation is gorgeous, and the mood — amplified by Kensuke Ushio’s pitch-perfect soundtrack — truly captures the sensation of teens embracing life for what it has to offer. It’s just a shame that those rose-colored glasses have to come off halfway through the film.
Yes, as we need to remind you, this is a Chainsaw Man movie. That means that things are going to get bloody, miserable, or both things at the same time. And poor Denji yet again has to deal with something so damn awful and heartbreaking when Reze reveals her true self. Just like in the most dramatic romance films, this girl wants to tear Denji’s heart out. Only here, it’s literal, and when that happens, it's the guys' turn for their movie date fun!
When it goes full throttle, Reze Arc goes all in on the bonkers action and the kooky dialogue. Add on a new take of a land shark via Beam (Derick Snow), and you’ve suddenly got a buddy cop comedy with schlockbuster-quality catchphrases and zany gore. Even the pairing of Aki (Reagan Murdock) and Angel Devil (Casey Mongillo) has some solid moments of both drama and humor, especially with the former’s trauma-filled past being the fuel he needs to protect the latter. As for Power (Sarah Wiedenheft), the poor girl’s left to the curb early on in the film and is barely seen again. (Considering Meowy gets more screen time than her, that’s gotta sting!)
Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc is both a good time and a bad time at the movies. On one hand, it delivers so many different styles of films into one sitting, all of them succeeding in creating the moods they aim to present. On the other hand, poor Denji just can’t catch a break when it comes to women, so many viewers will no doubt feel sad about that. I’d say that things get better on the romantic side for Chainsaw Man, but as someone who’s read the manga…erm, no, it certainly doesn’t.
Still, for a Shonen Jump property, Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc is unique as heck! It entertains every part of your soul, even if it’ll shatter your heart by the film’s end. Considering it took three years for this Chainsaw Man continuation to arrive, one hopes it won’t be long before the next arc is brought to life by MAPPA and its talented animation team. Until then, chalk up Reze Arc as one of the stronger Shonen Jump films of recent memory, in a way that Denji won’t mistake it for a simple math problem.
FINAL GRADE:
English dub observed for review. In theaters now!
