Azumi 2 [DVD]

This 2005 sequel [with automatic English subtitles] carries on almost exactly after the first movie as we see Azumi attempt to complete her ‘mission’, the assassination of the last lord who sided with the Toyotomis. As they try to outrun the latest ninja’ sent after them, they soon encounter a group of bandits and some allied Ninja’, but who exactly are the ‘good guys’ and will the mission ever be completed?Firstly, it’s not essential to see the first film, but it will help or the flashback scenes may seem irrelevant in places. The dropped in scenery may be a little blurred in places and the pace a bit relaxed at the beginning, but this soon gets into gear as they head off. The gushing squirty blood remains but the fight scenes are somewhat smaller –but equally impressive as the first, with more formidable opponents thrown into the mix. The comic book style remains equally engrossing while the morality of the ‘quest’ is often questioned as the characters start relating to the world and people around them–something sadly lacking in most adventure films.The disc offers play, set-up [original stereo/5.1], scenes, extras [trailer, making of] and other releases. It should be noted this is the UK version which is actually 4 minutes longer. Rated 18 due to the over the top action gore the basic plot is rather obvious but it still entertains even though the ‘soul’ searching may elude many viewers. It’s not the same style as the first, but that simply makes it different and still gets a grudging *****.

If you enjoyed the original then you'll definitely enjoy this sequel, which carries on the story immediately after the events of the first film. There are a few cheesy/corny moments in the film, particularly bringing back her deceased friend/boyfriend from the original film as a lookalike new character, but there's also plenty of story & action to get your teeth into as well. Actress Aya Ueto is still as sweet, awesome & convincing in the lead role as she was in the original, however, she meets her match here in perhaps one of the sexiest villainesses ever put on screen (played by veteran actress Reiko Takashima) who just oozes charisma, menace & sex appeal whenever she's on screen. Overall, if you loved Azumi then you'll undoubtedly enjoy this sequel as well.

If you have seen the first film you will know what to expect. The body count keeps rising. Aya again pulls off the beautiful assassin role with ease.

Despite the generally negative reviews and poor reception this film has received I actually think it's a great sequel, not as good as the original film admittedly, but far better than most sequels. It actually continues the story very well and the action sequences are just as good. I also love the variety of bizarre, almost supernatural, characters, especially the big guy with the double-ended blade weapon which he throws like a giant propeller, and the strange monkey guy with the razor-wire - these make the fight sequences that little bit different and more interesting. In fact the film reminds me of the anime 'Ninja Scroll' as there are a lot of similarities with some of the characters. Aya Ueto as Azumi is as gorgeous as ever, and it was nice to see Chiaki Kuriyama of Kill Bill fame in a small but equally evil role. It would be great to see a third Azumi film to round up the story and make a great samurai trilogy.

i did not mind the movie.it was diffrent to see a girl hero.

Where the heck is Ryuhei Kitamura? There is nothing in the universe he could be working on more important than this.The first Azumi was a stunning, brilliant and beautiful film. After seeing this i am both disappointed and mortified. Director Shusuki Kaniko does not even compare. He lacks imagination, originality and seems to have no passion for this story. Ryuhei Kitamura used his skills and inventive ideas to bring forth jaw-dropping cinema. Watching the documentary on the first DVD shows us he was not happy with just average. He pushed everything to its limits, including the fight scenes, special effects and actors. He had huge passion for this story and it showed. So why did they settle for this other guy?It seems that they had their budget halved since the last film, as the set pieces look like they were all shot in the same place. The whole story is in a forest. The first film had stunning villages, mountains, ships, castles and ghost-like towns. The cameras here are wobbly and look like their trying to mask something. There are no vertical rotating cameras or huge roars and explosions, just plain old slash ... slice ... slash... *yawn*The cast is okay. The actors do nothing wrong, but most are actors who played roles in the first film playing different parts. It's like they didn't even audition them.Let's compare the films. The great thing about Azumi was it had a great storyline and dialogue. Azumi 2 feels like it was quickly jotted down on a piece of toilet paper. Azumi had a great array of bad-guys, who we were able to both fear and hate...especially the brilliant Bijomaru. The enemies here are more like cartoon characters, and are not menacing at all. Azumi 1 boasted great fight scenes, especially the mind-blowing finale. The sequel has average fights, and the finale is a total yawn fest, very anti-climactic. You would hope they aimed to top the original film. I was looking for bigger expolsions, set pieces and more sword fodder. But it feels like the creators didn't even watch the first one. Another strength of the original is the storyline, dislogue and acting were both stunning, brutal and able to shock and startle you. By the end of the first film you feel quite emotional. In some parts I was very sad. The only emotion I felt after watching the sequel was anger.Optimum have also done a poor job in releasing the DVD when it somes to extras. We get trailers. And a making of. "What's wrong?" i hear you say. Well. If you don't speak japanese, the making of is useless. They couldn't even be bothered to subtitle it.If there is ever going to be an Azumi 3, i have only one request:WHERE IS RYUHEI KITAMURA??? GET HIM NOW!!! GIVE HIM EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING HE WANTS, WHATEVER THE COST!!!That will be a good film. He never lets an audience down.

big fan of AZUMI films wish ther were more in the making,still good things and little packages,must see these films if you like action,great filming it all looks so real and scenery excellent all round top film,cant wait for 47 ronin

thanks

ich liebe Japanische Filme.Viel Blut, knallharte Schwertkämpfe & dazu eine schöne Frau.

J'ai cherché partout et j'étais très content de le retrouver et je suis très satisfait du produit

menuda decepcion.... bastante mejor el dvd de manga...... para empezar, es el mismo master, solo transferida a blu ray, titulos de credito eliminados cortando el final bruscamente,pero...lo peor es la imagen ya que en muchas ocasiones se ve tan difuminado que ni se distinguen las caras de los actores,... tiene bastante grano, y el sonido 2.0 cutre y con fallos....total , que no se la recomiendo ni siquiera aunque no la tengais en ningun formato.UN SALUDO

The picture in the ad is for the English version of the movie. In the really small print, it's actually the French version of the movie. The cover isn't even the same...

En mi opinion imagen muy muy justita, apenas se ve mejor que el dvd, y los subtitulos en castellano se ven muy pequeños.