Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Samurai Reincarnation Blu-ray Movie Review

Samurai Reincarnation is an outstanding fantasy-horror feature with a supernatural element that adds a lot to the film. Samurai Reincarnation is based on the novel by Fûtarô Yamada. Distributed by the Toei Company, Samurai Reincarnation was released in Japan on June 6^th, 1981. Samurai Reincarnation was nominated for three awards at the Japanese Academy Awards. The feature-film won best art direction. Executive produced by Haruki Kadokawa (Neo Tokyo, The Dagger of Kamui), Samurai Reincarnation co-stars Kenji Sawada, Akiko Kana, Ken Ogata, and Hiroyuki Sanada. An essential horror-fantasy and one Chiba fans won’t want to miss.

The afterlife isn’t always as simple as it sounds. The spirit world can be one that is asunder in dangers unknown. The land of the lost is one where demons sometimes reside. One such demon finds he is brought back from the dead. With a new mission, the demon must assemble a brand-new team of ghostly samurai warriors from the realm of the forgotten – the ghosts of the past. Now with a ghost army assembled and ready to unleash a fury onto the world, only one person has the strength to take them all on: Jubei Yagyu (Shin'ichi Chiba).

The film sets itself apart from some of the other Chiba films by being a horror-fantasy. This plays a role in the performance, too. Chiba adds a lot to the film with an outstanding performance that is a strong part of the equation. The performance elevates the material at times and the sheer power of the role adds to the experience.

The production has some outstanding design elements – these elements contribute a great deal to the film. The production design by Yoshikazu Sano is ambitious and epic in scope. The fantastical designs certainly provide an eerie and gothic style that is unlike many Chiba films. The horror genre setting certainly establishes a different tone from most Chiba films. The art direction by Norimichi Igawa (Yagyu Clan Conspiracy, Shogun’s Shadow) is haunting and ambitious with a sense of epic scope that makes the experience all the more rewarding. There is plenty to appreciate about the filmmaking and what the art director brought to the table – creating a setting that made the haunting imagery all the more effective.

The cinematography by Kiyoshi Hasegawa (The Inugami Family, The Makioka Sisters) is one of the best elements of the film. The visual wonderment of the cinematography shines through in spades. An incredible work of cinematography the production is all the more rewarding as a result. There is an enormous amount of ambition to the film and the visual style by Hasegawa. Hasegawa makes an important move as the cinematographer – stylizing the film is a sophisticated way, frame-by-frame.

Edited by Isamu Ichida (Four Days of Snow and Blood, Carmen 1945), Samurai Reincarnation is a well- paced film and the sense of ambitious style to the film is enhanced by the editing. The editing was essential to the storytelling. Ichida did a great job here – bringing elements together for a strong, melancholic sense of horror.

The score composed by Hozan Yamamoto (Devil’s Flute, Oedipus no yaiba) is evocative and adds to the sense of mystery in the filmmaking. The music is a good accompaniment to the fantasy-horror story elements. There is plenty to appreciate about the music and the role in the filmmaking. Superb.

Written by Kinji Fukasaku and co-screenwriter Tatsuo Nogami (White Snake Enchantment, Yagyu Clan Conspiracy), the script is one of the most compelling and essential parts of the film. The script has a engaging sense of storytelling finesse and it has some intriguing contemplations about life and the otherworldly aspects of the story. The writing is a step above some horror films and combines the classical qualities of Japanese historical dramas with supernatural elements of the story at play.

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale, Virus: The End), Samurai Reincarnation is an ambitious production and one that is beautiful to see. The sense of artistry in the filmmaking is enormous. Outstanding detail by director Fukasaku. The performances are superb and the director did a great job bringing out the best of the cast. Shot-by-shot, the visual sensibility of the film adds a lot to the fantasy and makes it stand out as a must-see film.

Samurai Reincarnation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, Samurai Reincarnation is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The transfer provided on the release is exceptional. The print quality looks superb throughout the video presentation. The naturally filmic transfer of Samurai Reincarnation has a lot of fine detail in the presentation – with outstanding color reproduction and clarity to the transfer. The transfer benefits from an impressive scan. The transfer is free from egregious issues with print damage (such as scratches, dirt, and other print deficiencies).

Samurai Reincarnation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding on the release sounds excellent on the release. The film's sound direction by Shigeji Nakayama (The Return of the Streetfighter, The Streetfighter's Last Revenge) is well reproduced. An excellent sound design that was nominated at the Japanese Academy Awards. Though it was not the winner of the award, the sound design is significant and plays a major role in the presentation of the feature-film and it is well- reproduced on the release. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand.

Samurai Reincarnation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Theatrical Trailer

Samurai Reincarnation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Samurai Reincarnation is an impressive fantasy-horror film with an outstanding sense of style. The film is ambitious in spades. The art direction and production design are noteworthy for the immense sense of scale added to the film. The performances are excellent, too. The Blu-ray release provides a solid presentation with a quality high-definition transfer and lossless audio. Highly recommended.