Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Legend of the Millennium Dragon Blu-ray Movie Review

Fair animation and a good story make for an intriguing Anime release from Sony.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 4, 2011

Have the courage to do the right thing.

Life has a crazy way of making things far more complicated than they need to be. Things are rarely as they seem, and while the world predictably keeps on turning, the manmade misrepresentations, uncertainties, and flat out lies that define every revolution on the planet's axis and its journey around the sun make existing so much more difficult than it needs to be. Life isn't just about eating and breathing and sleeping and reproducing and making an honest living, whether it should be or not. Nope, life has a way of throwing one curveball after another to gum up the works, to make black and white melt into a shade of foggy gray, all in the name of some ulterior manmade motive meant to manipulate and take advantage of others. Life's uncertainties, man's dishonesty, and the dense fog that masks the truth make up the dynamics of Legend of the Millennium Dragon (Onigamiden), an exciting and smartly-structured story about a young boy who must choose sides in a deadly ancient war, but as the old Knight once said, he must choose wisely, for the very future he knows, and all of life itself, hangs in the balance.

Let the battle begin.

A young, clumsy, but goodhearted boy named Jun Tendo -- who bears an unusual birthmark on his chest -- is suddenly pulled away from the comforts and convenience and false histories of the modern era and is plopped into the middle of an ancient conflict between man and a group of deadly demons that are proving to be enemies that are too strong for regular men to handle. Hence Jun's unplanned trip to ancient times; he's believed to be a savior and the one that can defeat the demons -- known as the "Oni" -- and summon the powerful aid of a mystical dragon Orochi to help the cause. But little does Jun know that there's more to the conflict than meets the eye, and more than his new friends are letting on. As Jun unravels the ancient mysteries and pieces together the secrets of the old world -- which is brand new to him -- he must choose sides, shape his destiny, and determine the very fate of civilization.

For the sake of an easy comparison, Legend of the Millennium Dragon's basic premise is awfully similar to that of the recent Jet Li/Jackie Chan Kung Fu flick The Forbidden Kingdom, that film also the story of a modern-day boy flung far backwards in time to do battle. But Legend of the Millennium Dragon is, from the perspective of its plot, the superior of the two films thanks to a more involved storyline that's built around difficult choices, the need to filter out an overload of background noise, and the vast importance of deciphering the true identities of two sides of a warring conflict and pick the right one, and all through the eyes and within the mind of a preteen boy. It's not anything complicated or even absolutely original, but the dynamics are interesting and the plot structure is incredibly effective in the way it constructs the story and slowly unfolds from Jun's perspective. Sure there's action aplenty but Legend of the Millennium Dragon is definitely a story-first kind of movie, and its attention to detail and mystery make it a far smarter and more satisfying experience than a more straightforward movie with no real dramatic dynamics to enhance the action.

On the other side of the coin and supporting the quality plot line is the film's animation, which is both a strength and a weakness. The artists have gone to great lengths to create some truly gorgeous backdrops that wonderfully set the scene, whether in the film's ancient locales which dominate the film, or in those few scenes that take place in the more modern era (and not just the present). Unfortunately, the gorgeous backdrops are often wasted by unimaginative character renderings that are flat, dull, and exude zero life. It's certainly not enough to ruin the movie -- the plot is too strong -- but it definitely makes what could have been a top-tier film drop a notch or two. Fortunately, Legend of the Millennium Dragon is an otherwise strongly-produced, nicely voice acted, and seamlessly directed picture. Hirotsugu Kawasaki does a fine job of balancing out the story, action, and character development angles, effortlessly integrating all three into a cohesive whole. This isn't the pinnacle of Anime, but it's an easy and entertaining picture that should satisfy genre fans or serve as a building block to entice relative newcomers to the genre to check out the wider world it has to offer.

Legend of the Millennium Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Legend of the Millennium Dragon features a fantastic 1080p transfer. Although there's some errant banding scattered here and there throughout the movie, the problem is neither excessive nor all that troublesome. Otherwise, this one looks as good as the animation allows. Fine detailing is excellent; those well-designed backgrounds look great in high definition, whether the wear and tear on an old statue or the texture on a series of wooden planks. However, faces appear flat and devoid of any sort of complex detailing, particularly at any longer distance. Fortunately, colors excel throughout on both foreground and background objects alike. Bright green vegetation, dull earth hues, and bright clothing are all equally attractive and natural. Shadow detail is excellent, and black levels are spot-on. The image yields a fair bit of depth in its background imagery, and clarity is perhaps the transfer's single best asset. There's no sign of blocky backgrounds or other eyesores away from the intermittent and light banding. This is another in the ever-growing line of high quality transfers from Sony.

Legend of the Millennium Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Legend of the Millennium Dragon features plenty of soundtracks, most of which are lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 offerings, but the two primary tracks are of the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless variety in both the original Japanese and a dubbed English version. There's not much of a noticeable difference between the lossless tracks, aside from the obvious change in language. Both make excellent use of the surround speakers and both yield dynamic and natural directional effects, from side to side and front to back alike. The tracks also handle distinct effects quite well, no matter their place in the soundstage. Natural ambience is light but effective. Bass is strong but not excessively or obnoxiously so, but action scenes do seem to lack just that last little oomph even at reference volume. Dialogue is clear and accurate as it flows from the center channel, no matter the lossless option. Music delivery is smooth, spacious, and clear. It's not the perfect soundtrack -- it could use a little more raw power -- but for the most part, this is an excellent presentation.

Legend of the Millennium Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Legend of the Millennium Dragon contains only BD-Live functionality and a Concept Art Gallery (1080p). A DVD copy is included on a separate disc.

Legend of the Millennium Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Legend of the Millennium Dragon offers plot-first audiences a solid story that's built on a good foundation and an intriguing dynamic. The picture's animation is hit-or-miss, but the quality plot, fine voice acting, and good direction round it into a winner that should please long time genre fans or grab the attention of relative Anime newcomers. Sony's Blu-ray release of Legend of the Millennium Dragon features great video, solid audio, but only one extra of substance. Anime fans will want to add this to their collection, and all others would be smart to give it a rent.