Naruto the Movie 1: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

**THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN A FEW SPOILERS** Ahhh Naruto, I used to be the biggest fanboy of the anime. I would buy all the action figures, video games, and pretty much all the merchandise but ever since I was able to view anime in a more critical perspective I started to notice that it had so many flaws and this is also including Naruto: Shippuden. The anime has a huge amount plot holes, the pacing in it is terrible, the setting doesn't know what it wants to be, there is gigantic amounts of filler, deus ex machinas, contains many underdeveloped one dimensional characters, and the wholeidea of being ninjas is thrown out the window with the absurd amount of power the characters obtain. So whenever I look back at all the Naruto stuff I have, all I can do is cringe. Does this movie in any way help the anime? Nope. Will this movie convince anybody to see the anime? Not at all. Story: (3/10) The story of Naruto Movie 1 begins with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watching a movie at a movie theater with Naruto starting to really like the lead actress of the movie. Kakashi then assigns them to go on a mission to escort the lead actress named Kazehana Koyuki to the land of the snow to film a new movie but at the land of snow old enemies start to rise and cause problems. From the get go I already found the story to be very predictable. Naruto and his team meet new enemies and fight them, main character of the movie gets kidnapped, the team then goes to rescue her, and finally Naruto is able to beat the main villain by using the power of not giving up and friendship. I have seen this type of thing happen all the time in the anime and the creators could of at least put a spin on it to make it seem different but that did not happen. There were many moments in the movie that didn't make any sense and were always answered by using the power of not giving up. Another problem I had with the story was how it would show modern things like a movie theater, a film studio and filming supplies, and as well as a blimp which doesn't make any sense to have in the type of setting that the anime establishes. Art and Animation: (5/10) The art in this movie is fine at best. The backgrounds are okay, the character designs are okay but would look off model at times, and the special attack visuals are good. The animation in the movie is good and is much better than the animation in the anime. Sound: (4/10) The soundtrack in the movie is very generic and forgettable with only the ending song of the movie being good. The voice actors did a fine job with the characters but no one stood out. Characters: (3/10) The characters are definitely the worst part of the movie. Naruto is still his stupid self that is the typical main character that is able to defeat every villain through nakama power even though he is the second weakest member of his team. Sasuke is still his not caring about anything self and he is barely in the movie with him only being in scenes whenever the group needs to fight. Sakura is still the character that does not contribute anything to the story and she is in the movie even less than Sasuke was. Koyuki, the main character, is not likable at all. All she does in the movie is be angry and whiny at what anybody says to her and suddenly changes her personality at the end of the movie. The villains in the movie are all very underdeveloped and one dimensional and this just makes them look like their whole purpose of being villains is to be villains. Enjoyment: (3/10) The only enjoyment I got out of the movie is how the action scenes were animated. Overall: (3/10) Naruto Movie 1: Dai Katsugeki!! Yuki Hime Shinobu Houjou Dattebayo! is a movie that would only be found decent by the fans of the anime and anybody else looking to watch it should stay far away from it.

The first Naruto movie may not be a memorable one, but it's certainly enjoyable at the least. The story doesn't stand out to be anything that great at all. In fact it's actually quite predictable, that doesn't mean it wasn't decent though. While it is a typical Naruto story there's still some enjoyment in the action scenes and the emotional dialogue scenes. The conclusion also was in typical Naruto fashion which as always was a nice touch. The animation worked as always, and was enhanced for the movie making the environments and characters look and move around better. The sound was crisp and clean andthe soundtrack comprised of original songs and tracks from the anime worked as well. The characters are a mix of the main protagonists from the series, some new ones as well as new antagonists as well. This is a bit disappointing though, considering the villains were made out to look fairly strong in the first encounter with our heroes but were defeated fairly easily in the next fight. I do like the concept of the Hidden Snow Village, it was kinda cool but we didn't see much of them. The story revolved around a princess, she was a typical predictable character at best. She had her moments and she was functional, but you can't help but notice the typical scenario of the rogue personality type who eventually finds the good in herself blah blah. Like i said though, she was functional and worked in the story. The main villain wasn't that interesting, after his plan was revealed there wasn't really a sense of urgency because the story doesn't do anything to make you believe he can really execute his plan. He and his allies do show off some cool Jutsu, and watching them fight with team Kakashi was pretty cool because of the unique jutsu of the snow ninja and the better animation. If the story had a bit more depth it would've made the movie as a whole better. Still, like i said, the movie did have its moments and by the end i wasn't completely dissapointed. In all the story is nothing great, it's predictable and the story itself is nothing great. I still enjoyed it however, the snow ninja and action sequences are cool. The animation and sound are good quality as always and the ending is lighthearted and a nice touch. The conclusion is actually one of the highlights in my opinion, but anyway if you're a fan of Naruto you'll like the movie. It could've been better but i enjoyed it anyway. 7/10. Hope this helped (:

I recognize the effort put into trying to make this movie good, but while I applaud the attempt, it doesn’t quite get there for me. I think it mostly has to do with the conflicting elements this film has. It was jarring for me to see some modern features added to Naruto, which I always thought to be situated in older times. Even the clothes of some of the new characters contrast with the more traditional attire of our main characters, and it just looks uneven. The film also has a sci-fi-esque quality to it, with the Land of Snow’s emphasis on technology, and itfeels a little out of place in the world of Naruto. The presence of the camera crew also ruins a lot of the mood for me, turning dramatic moments into something bizarre. I know the main series always combines lightheartedness with deeper and more serious themes, but the film’s silly movie premise not only manages to make these two clash, but renders them ineffective as well. I do, however, appreciate how experimental they are with some parts of this movie, even though it doesn’t work out that well and the main plot line is fairly uninspired and involves the usual story beats. It’s also interesting to experience a different location aside from the usual villages. Sakura does some fighting here, which is something I always look forward to, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi are their usual selves. It’s not completely bad, but neither is it something I recommend.