Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

Good but not extraordinary I watched it yesterday, and movies like this deserve no less than an IMAX experience. Having said that, I walked out with a mixed experience. I felt that they tried to squeeze too many side stories in one movie. In the first 2/3 of the movie, you keep going back and forth from fight scenes to side stories, which breaks the tempo. It was not well executed, and I would have preferred if they just finished one side story and then come back to the fight scenes to finish it. Also, many side stories were finished in rush, which did not add much context of emotions. Overall, the actions sequences and sound effects were great. I think they have 2 more movies linked up to finale, and hope they conclude the story in a more meaningful way.

This latest series of adventures sees “Tanjiro” and “Nezuko” drawn into the equivalent of an animated Escher drawing as both they and the Hashira have to face a formidable array of Upper Rank demons as they sink lower and lower into this perfectly detailed, fluid, abyss of a construction. With the ultimate battle against “Muzan” getting ever closer, they must first face the mighty “Akaza” who has not only a remarkable arsenal of quirks and skills, but also something hitherto unseen by our intrepid “Tanjiro” - bit how to defeat it? It’s a film that starts as we are used to, with end to end combat scenes but around the midway point, we flip the vinyl over and enter onto an altogether more informative path. We are being told of the tragedies that touched the life of “Akaza” before his demonic days. We learn of a time when he was capable of love and affection, but was in turn subject to the most heinous of betrayals that left his soul vulnerable to the temptations of a life where revenge on those who offended him (think “Anakin Skywalker” a little bit) when offered to him. It is good to see little more in-depth characterisation going on in this film, it helps us to balance the forces of good and evil and there is more than plenty action to keep the pace moving and avoid that backstory becoming too melancholic. The setting within the aptly named “Infinity Castle” challenges linear perspectives effectively with an effective sense of the multi-dimensional that allows the artists (and the CGI) to assume something gossamer-like as solid structures melt and what is down becomes up and gravity takes a back seat. It has some gore to it, and some scenes aren’t for the faint-hearted, but it’s the best yet of the “Demon Slayer” movies and stands alone, well.