Afro Samurai: Resurrection
Afro Samurai: Resurrection
NR | 16 October 2009 (USA)
Afro Samurai: Resurrection Trailers

Afro Samurai avenged his father and found a life of peace. But the legendary master is forced back into the game by a beautiful and deadly woman from his past. The sparks of violence dropped along Afro’s bloody path now burn out of control – and nowhere are the flames of hatred more intense than in the eyes of Sio.

Reviews
Andrew Medley

I thought Afro Samurai was a Fantastic Idea for a Anime/Animation Movie. as in the way Of Violence & Revenge as well as the Storyline based on such Early Times of the Samurai Generation. I would Love to see this Animated Movie As well as the Original as a Movie.. I believe the Settings, Storyline & Characters would be Fantastic to see on the Big Screen, by Bringing A Comic Animation Book To Animated Movie Life not to mention the Movie Screen is something these days not shown as much as Earlier Years.. Samuel.L.Jackson is Great as Afro's Helpful Helper along the way LOL.. The Revenge Story/Saga Could be based around or as close to the Kill Bill Story Movie Saga.

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hydrafang14

The original 5 episode miniseries covered just about everything in the series' lore. Sure there were a few loose ends, however, they were uninteresting enough that the series could have ended on that note and I would have been relatively satisfied. So this sequel, or follow up, felt wholly unnecessary. Many of the problems that plagued the miniseries (Bland story with a highly linear plot, Afro developed in no way, boring at times, mindless at others,little character development) are still present here. Strangely, the most fleshing out of the characters came in the form of our "Villains". Afro, has few (if any) redeeming qualities and the writers made no effort to showcase his growth. Which means, you guessed it, Afro is very shallow. A few of the lines from Shichogoro and the actions of Jinno and Sio in the finale, made me think even less of him. Visually, the film is great. However, since I've seen the miniseries, that is to be expected at this point, So the awe and wonder had worn off and I was seeking more exploration in terms of Afro and his companion Ninja Ninja (Who is actually a far more interesting character, even though he is Afro essentially). As both a huge Anime and Hip-Hop fan, I love RZA and the entire Wu-Tang collective, but the soundtrack was meh. A few songs here and there, but overall, I wasn't that impressed. The ending as mentioned by others, IS NOT SATISFYING. It simply reinforces what I stated earlier about the protagonist being shallow and linear. The entire series, hinges on a cycle of revenge. One that could easily be broken (which at this point, will not be if it's up to Afro).This series is pretty obviously influenced by Samurai Champloo. Which is not an issue, but what is, is how it shamelessly takes that formula, and kicks it into mindless overdrive. If you like this mash up style, check out Samurai Champloo. It is much better and the soundtrack is amazing.

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chaos-rampant

Brooding, laconic badass Afro Samurai and his wisecracking alter ego Ninja Ninja (both voiced by Samuel Jackson) once again return to walk the path of demons as a sultry villainess (voiced by Lucy Liu) steals Afro's Number One headband and plots her revenge that involves resurrecting Afro's dead father. The refreshing and intriguing combination of blaxploitation, samurai culture, anime and hip hop (soundtrack by usual suspect RZA) that made the first one such an infectiously cool hack-and-slash yarn is pretty much of the same standards but this time it's let down by a silly story and disappointing ending that was clearly not very well thought out. How easy Afro loses his headband at the beginning of the film left me scratching my head in disbelief but Teddy Bear's change of heart at the end was downright lame. Whereas the first worked so well exactly because of the very simple revenge story - Afro, wearing the Number Two headband, looking for the man who killed his father, all the while having to defend his headband from an assortment of colourful villains, not very different to a video game logic and very enjoyable for that matter - Afro Samurai: Resurrection throws everything and the kitchen sink in the plot and hopes it all makes sense somehow. I also had the impression the gore and blood geysers were less this go around. Fans of the first will probably have a good time as the funky and bloody style are good enough for 90 minutes of brainless fun but take it any more serious and you might be in for a let down.

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dee.reid

"Afro Samurai: Resurrection" has finally landed on DVD!As a fan of Japanese animation (Anime'), hip-hop, future-tense technology, martial arts movies, samurai movies and (sometimes) blaxploitation flicks, I was instantly enthralled by the 2007 pseudo-style Anime' "Afro Samurai" two years ago when I was able to catch parts of it during its short run on Spike TV. Like its predecessor, I missed the first of many sequels, "Afro Samurai: Resurrection," during its run on Spike TV."Afro Samurai" and its sequel remain strong personal favorites because they blend all of hip-hop, Anime', future-tense technology, martial arts movies, samurai movies, and blaxploitation flicks into one explosively entertaining and violent piece of Japanese Anime'-style slice-'em-up.As you remember from the first series, Afro Samurai (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) had embarked on a lonely, lifelong quest of vengeance to obtain the Number-One Headband, after witnessing his father die in a fight against newly-crowned Number-One Justice (voiced in that series by Ron Perlman). Well, Afro eventually cut down his adversary, after being trained years earlier by a legendary sword master and obtaining the Number-Two Headband.In "Afro Samurai: Resurrection," Afro's reign as Number-One is cut short when he is ambushed by Sio (voiced by Lucy Liu), a shapely assassin who is on her own crusade of vengeance against Afro because he killed members of her family while on his mission to become Number-One. Together with the diabolically twisted Professor Dharman, her older brother, the teddy bear-headed cyborg swordsman Kuma (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal), their three cyber-enhanced siblings and a slew of disposable, bargain-basement ninjas, Sio plans to resurrect Afro's slain father, for an apocalyptic final battle between father and son. So Afro, together with his sidekick Ninja Ninja (also voiced by Jackson), must again walk the path of the warrior, the path of violence and bloodshed, and once again become Number-One.Now here is a sequel that lives up to its predecessor, and doesn't disappoint in delivering full-on, animated samurai action. Unlike most sequels, it actually lives up to expectations in being a great follow-up to a recent classic. Most importantly, it's a sequel that's on equal grounds with its predecessor; a few marks in terms of storytelling and characterization keep this second entry from being superior. And it's still way too concerned with style over substance. However, these are only minor grievances in what is a mostly superior second outing.But there is a lot to like in "Afro Samurai: Resurrection." Series creator Takashi Okazaki expands greatly on the futuristic, feudal Japanese world he unveiled for the first time two years ago. Director Fuminori Kizaki has greatly improved the animation from the first film, which here, more heavily combines elements of Japanese culture and hip-hop culture. Here, both the animation and picture are also very crisp and crystal-clear, giving the "Afro Samurai" universe a few eerie, beautiful shades of vibrant color that reminds one of looking at a Japanese painting.I've always thought that because Afro Samurai is such a stoic, one-dimensional character, the baddies are usually far more interesting, and here they don't disappoint. "Afro Samurai" and "Afro Samurai: Resurrection" are most notable for having one of the most impressive rogues' galleries in any animated piece I've seen from Japan. There is absolutely nothing sexier than Lucy Liu's purple-eyed Sio, who is not only very deadly in her own right, but she also displays enough ample cleavage that it's a wonder her chest doesn't bust out of her kimono at any given moment. And then there's also her tragic brother Kuma, now more machine than man, doing his best Darth Vader impersonation as a tragic and sympathetic villain wielding two swords, instead of one, and riding around on the most awesomely bad-ass chopper I've ever seen in this series.The last great thing about "Afro Samurai: Resurrection" is its soundtrack. Like the soundtrack to its predecessor, it was produced by hip-hop producer The RZA (also co-founder of the Wu-Tang Clan). It blares up during the most intense action, and features songs by legendary hip-hop greats such as Ghostface Killah and Inspectah Deck (both of the Wu-Tang Clan), Kool G. Rap, Rah Digga, Wu-Tang Clan affiliates such as Christ Bearer, Killah Priest and Prodigal Sunn, and finally The RZA himself. There's also more music from R & B crooners Stone Mecca, Thea van Seijen, and the legendary Sly Stone. And don't ask how or why, but an appearance on one track by System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian rounds out this killer soundtrack.To sum it up, "Afro Samurai: Resurrection" is not better than its predecessor, but is on equal grounds with it. It successfully expands on the universe created in "Afro Samurai," one that's full of colorful characters, animation, great hip-hop songs, and vicious violence.At the end of the day, Afro Samurai is still just a lil' dude wit' a head full of hair.10/10

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