Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

GazerRise Fantastic!

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Julian R. White Well, I must say the design for Orochi was pretty nice. The movie however? Not so much. I felt more like I was watching a historical fiction, then I felt like I was watching an episode of power rangers. The movie focused too much on the "evil gods" and "sacred powers" and such much more than the creature. The movie had three main monsters (not including the phoenix) which included a Lava creature, a sea monster, and of course Orochi, the eight headed dragon. The movie title and even the cover of my VHS copy (call me old school) focus on the dragon, but the dragon doesn't even make his appearance until after 80% or more of the film is already over. Not to mention the fact that when Yamato takes his Godly giant samurai robot thing form, he finishes the dragon off within all of 2 minutes. I mean, this movie is extremely hard to come by these days and I was interested in seeing it ever since I was a kid. It was a real disappointment for me, but hey, that's not to say for everyone. I will mention though that this movie drags, oh god does it drag, it was one of the longest Toho films I think I've seen. Well, maybe it just felt longer because I was bored. Who knows?

FilmExpertWannabe Yamato Takeru (known to Americans and Canadians as Orochi, the Eight Headed Dragon) was an expensive special effects production for Toho, yet was directed by Takao Okawara, who had directed some successful films like 1993's Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla and 1992's Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth. However, Yamato Takeru suffers from something of a hallow feel and though still somewhat enjoyable, suffers from some problem areas.The basic story is good, but the film fails to explain some things to the audience and just silently transitions at some points with characters not acting the way you'd think they would. In one scene in particular, when Yamato Takeru is accused of stealing an important sword, Yamato just runs right passed his accuser (who is surrounded by guards). He mumbled to himself, then sends the guards after him. The action scenes are generally well done enough, but there are sequences that definitely could've looked better. And when it comes to probably the best known part of the film, the final battle with Orochi (the eight headed dragon!), the battle is anticlimactic. Yamato Takeru struggles against the dragon, then becomes a sort of giant armored knight, and then just pummels the dragon easily. Not very exciting for the viewer, but perhaps they were limited in what they could do, seeing as how stiff and borderline immobile both the dragon suit/prop and the giant knight looked. But in terms of design, everything looks pretty good, although Orochi itself looks like a giant red slug with modified King Ghidorah heads.The original plan was for a trilogy of films, with this being the first. Sadly, this fantasy epic did not perform well at the box office in Japan, causing a delay and eventually cancellation in the second film, which was never started. Not having seen the first Toho adaptation of these legends, The Three Treasures (1959), I cannot say which is the better film. But while the eye candy is plentiful in this movie with nice props and monsters galore, as an entire film the movie is rather dull.*A word on buying this movie if you are interested: ADV Films released a DVD version of this movie in the region one market (United States, Canada). However, this was about a decade ago and with ADV no longer with us the DVD is long since out of print. You can still attempt to track down a new copy online, but it will cost you. So if you are having trouble finding it, this is why. A VHS release was also offered.

Chung Mo A real mix of styles. Part imitation magic kung fu epic, part Ultraman episode, part samurai drama. The budget is good and there are a number of excellent parts but the whole affair is very uneven and paced poorly. The fight scenes go from pretty good to oddly slow. The hydra is a great Ghidrah-like monster but the final fight takes place on the moon with the hero turning into a giant robot!Good for a light viewing but there are a few moments when the film has some gory stabbings that are not recommended for young children. The film makers could have left these out.

Gigan64 This movie starts out with a great plot and lots of action, it has good special effects, character development isn't all that good. But you still seem to get a bit of "presence" toward each character. This movie would have been one of the best movies I have ever seen, that is if it didn't fall into a "slump". This "slump" beginning after the return from their quest, the movie takes a unseen turn into space, and starts going downhill from there. But still a great movie.