I do not understand why this movie is rated so low here on IMDb. Maybe it is unknowingly associated with the Disney kiddy movie by the same name, not to mentioned that 7 out of 8 videos. On the page for Ryuhei's film are actually from Disney's, someone should get that corrected.The movie is about a madman, Kudo, that is trying to summon a demon by way of cutting out the hearts of some girls. One of these girls ends up being the fiancé, Mina, of detective Kanzaki.It is a really good story and plot. It doesn't have plot holes nor is it a vague movie with horror and fighting. This movie isn't really a "horror" movie as I have seen it classified and considered. It's more of an action drama movie. It blends a good story with good action. Something I rarely see.

Ryuhei Kitamura's films seem to be built entirely on the strength of his visual style. Unfortunately, neither I, nor anyone I know, find that style all that interesting. His fight scenes always manage to look stiff and artificial (not fantastic, just artificial), yet he always shoves them in front of plot. I figured I'd had enough after checking out Versus, Alive, and Azumi, ready to write Kitamura off as a perpetual B-Movie factory.Just by chance I happened upon a cheap copy of Sky High at the local FYE, and the synopsis piqued my interest. I'm glad I picked it up, because it corrects a lot of the problems that have continuously plagued the director's work. He restrains himself from the campy action scenes of the aforementioned films, instead presenting competently staged fights that didn't entirely leap beyond plausibility. Best of all, the movie actually has a complete plot, and not one that seems regurgitated from a 70s martial arts exploitation flick. For the first time, I found his story to be engrossing and actually cared about his characters.This film has bought Ryuhei Kitamura a new respect in my eyes, because I know now that he can make a real film. I hope he continues on in the direction displayed here, and resists relapsing into cliché.

It's like a cross between Ghost (the Patrick Swayze movie) and Highlander. Basically, Sky High concerns a young woman who is killed on her wedding day. She finds out what happens after death, which leads to all sorts of mystical mayhem, including sword fights, babes, otherworldy warriors and some really nasty bad guys.It's directed by Kitamura of Azumi fame. And it's much better. It has much more plot, and relies far less on action. It's not really an action movie per se, but the last twenty minutes is almost pure sword action. The fights have more drama because they are actual duels, and the heroines are in danger, unlike Azumi in which the heroes just hacked down legions of bad guys without a scratch.More to the point, it's a gripping plot that unravels perfectly and offers a number of twists and some outright shocks. Visually it's almost what you'd expect a supernatural thriller by Bryan Singer to look like: slightly downbeat, sober, with a blue sheen.There is quite an ensemble for the movie, and the main hero figure changes throughout. At the end of the movie it's arguable who the main villain and hero were. The main actress is Yumiko Shaju of Princess Blade, and she acquits herself well. The bad guys are pretty damn evil, and for some reason most of the cast is very attractive young women.The main problem with Sky High is the name. It just doesn't fit at all, and is of course, the same as the Kurt Russell superhero comedy. It's a great film, it really kept me gripped. Don't expect loads of gore or violence; Kitamura proves here he can tell a strong story.

It has an original and interesting story. It also features the utterly most lamest sword fights in the history of samurai movie. Weak acting by most of the actors. "Yumiko Shaku" was great as a newcomer in her debut "Princess Blade". Her performance in "Princess Blade" is kind of convincing. 2 years later, I am surprised to see her act so bad in this one. Other actors ain't cool too. A notable example, the extremely overboard acting by the villain, he reminds me how I hate that crazy psychotic "Riki Takeuchi" smile. All of these probably due to the weak, immature direction executed by "Ryuhei Kitamura". I have a feeling this movie is done shooting in less than a week.If you don't have any expectation, want to see the funniest homemade sword fight video or perhaps interested in a unique brainstorm, this one just maybe your cup of tea.