also know a the big spook war . the great yokai war be miike attempt at a family film and damn fine job he do as well . the problem be that i can not imagine many parent want to subject their child to this movie . the best kid movie be the one that be scary or have mildly disturbing imagery and neverending story and return to oz spring to mind and but in the case of the great yokai war miike probably take thing a little too far . in fact at the screening i be at the person introduce the movie reiterate to the two family there that it be probably not very suitable . the film kick off with the young hero of the piece introduce himself and explain about his current family problem . this brief moment of mundanity be sharply break a a cow give birth to a calf with the face of a human whom scream that something horrendous be come before fall dead like the abomination it be ( it be quite possible that the sheer hideousness of the creature be some bizarre quato homage ) . follow an incredible introduction for main baddie kato and and his henchwoman agi ( a surprisingly attractive chiaki kuriyami ) and by way of an apocalyptic army raising . the story revert to normal for a while and but it doesn not take long before any and all logic go down the drain and the young boy team up with a group of miyazaki reject to take out the evil sorcerer . the plot of the movie be fairly basic and surprisingly hackneyed at time and the entire chosen one just seem completely out of place in a movie which so regularly breaks clichés and but be aid by a simple awe inspire vision of a magical world . this really be a miyazaki movie make into a live action movie and albeit a much seedy and more vicious than usual miyazaki movie . the film be simply a joy to look at the design of the yokai be colourful and and largely practical and while the evil robotic monstrosity while not display the best cgi in the world have a practicality and menace to them which give them far more of a palpable threat than you would imagine . the cast be uniformly excellent and they just make their character seem perfectly natural which be commendable when you consider that most of them be in full body makeup or latex suit . even agi lumber with a ridiculous beehive come across a sultry and deadly thanks to surprisingly excellent act from kuriyami . while the film do have many element which put it firmly into family movie territory while cute creature and junior hero and a thoroughly evil villain and a sense of mischief and adventure and and a telling lack of violence . there be element which make you question whether miike should have direct such a movie . the robot army be a genuinely terrify menace everyday item warp into monstrous beast that look like t 101 sans skin and with added chainsaw . these beast rip character to piece while suck creature into their blood stain mouth and and abduct child from their home by swipe them right from under their parent nose before indulge in a little patricide . the creation of the creature be equally arduous for young mind . the yokai and essentially the hero and be fee into a giant furnace full of a liquidised form of hate which corrode the yokai flesh and force their angry soul to possess lump of metal . if kid think smoulder anakin be bad wait til they see a man size hedgehog burn to death in a vat of molten hatred for a minute before be turn into an abomination of a motorcycle . there be also limb severing and in one case a severed hand twitch in front of the camera drip with blood and a fair amount of sexual energy ( agi wear one dress design specifically for fan service and seem to only have sleep with kato a motivation and while the princess of the river wear next to nothing and get her thigh grope by the young hero in several scene ) and and general humour which will go right over the head of those that this technicolour wonder be seemingly design for . spoiler an example of this be that the yokai only become interested in the final battle when they think it be a big party . the subsequent battle more of a festival than anything and complete with beer and crowd surfing and moshing . also a scene where agi beat the tar out of a cute furry creature seem design to appeal to the mass jade by pokemon overkill . end spoiler at the end of the day the great yokai war be easily on of miike stronger recent film . while it lack some of the perverse charm of say gozu or ichi it be just continually push the audience down a road of general insanity . in fact this be easily miike most deranged movie in that he embrace the sheer magic of the subject so wholeheartedly . well worth a watch just for the occasional flash of gogo arse .